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Far Cry 6

Far Cry 6

Take on Anton Castillo to rid the tropical island of Yara from his oppressive rule.

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Let's not beat around the bush. If you were hoping Ubisoft had reinvented the Far Cry formula, a lot alike the developer/publisher did with Assassin's Creed a few years ago, then you'll be disappointed with Far Cry 6. But, if you're a fan of open world sandboxes and enjoy the general action gameplay that Far Cry has always excelled in, then you'll be glad to know that Far Cry 6 has hit this mark more than comfortably, as this is another polished, fun, and exciting game that is admittedly hampered a little by its exhausted general design.

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Set on the tropical island of Yara, Far Cry 6 puts players in the shoes of the guerrilla fighter Dani Rojas, who has sided with the rebel group Libertads to rid the island of its oppressive president Anton Castillo (played by Giancarlo Esposito). Boasting a story that is pretty much typical Far Cry, the game asks you to cause all kinds of mayhem and havoc over the map to lower the control of the Yaran military and increase the presence of the Libertad forces, so that you can make a final push to remove Castillo from his position at the head of the government.

Getting this job done will require you to do some more typical Far Cry stuff. Whether that's blowing anything remotely explosive up, gunning down any military figure unfortunate enough to cross your path, or meeting new characters to elevate the Libertad presence on the island, it's all run-of-the-mill for the series. While you can look at this as a fairly exhausting design choice that shows just how stale Far Cry has become over the years, taking this style and constantly adding small changes to it allows Ubisoft to focus on building an exciting new world and sandbox each time a new Far Cry launches, and in Far Cry 6, that is precisely what we got.

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Yara is a gorgeous island, packed with a variety of biomes and locations to visit. Whether you're travelling around the busy streets of the capital city Esperanza or instead the lush jungles that make up the majority of the island, there's usually something interesting to grab your attention. A lot of the time this will be a military checkpoint or zone, where you will have to go in, rid it of soldiers and complete some other minor objective to capture the zone for the Libertad forces, and if that's not the case, there are races, treasure hunts, a bunch of wacky and weird side quests, and more to complete.

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All of this is usually fun to partake in and complete, but in Far Cry 6 it's crucial that you also constantly loot for new materials, as these are the main ways to get upgrades for weapons, and even unlock certain weapons themselves. The reason why I bring this up now is because there are resources absolutely everywhere, and quite frankly, after a few hours it becomes incredibly dull constantly having to pick these up. But you have to do it, otherwise it'll hamper your ability to customise your character and will limit your ability to build important Libertad buildings responsible for unlocking new features in Yara.

It's the sort of design that Assassin's Creed Valhalla for example handles by unlocking chests, whereas in Far Cry 6 you have to physically gather materials that are lying around, be it metal, scrap parts, gasoline, recycled glass, just to name a few. While I understand that gathering resources and putting it to your advantage is crucial to rebellions that lack the funding and support of the military, it makes for pretty exhausting game design, especially in a game where you don't really want to spend your time foraging for rusty metal.

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But assuming you've gathered enough material, you can spend it on new weapon parts and gear, which will make it easier to chew through Castillo's forces. Want to add a military grade suppressor to your pistol? What about adding some armor-piercing rounds to an assault rifle? You can build out your loadout to suit the way you play, and in that aspect Far Cry 6 does excel.

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As for the Libertad buildings, these are facilities at hub locations around Yara, which when unlocked will open new opportunities, for example new hideouts around the map, the ability to purchase maps detailing hunting and fishing spots, and places where you can turn in materials for permanent or temporary buffs to Dani.

Take all of these options and the world of Yara and stack it up with a bunch of other daft goodies, such as Amigos (pets) that help you navigate and tame Yara with their adorable charm (we're looking at you Chorizo) or their vicious, savage nature (ahem... Guapo), more of the series' iconic first-person action, a huge array of ways to explore, be it wingsuiting, grappling, by horse or by different types of vehicles, and it's hard not to enjoy playing Far Cry 6.

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And for the most part, that has been my experience of this game. It's nothing new, in fact it's strikingly similar, but Far Cry 6 plays incredibly fluidly, looks fantastic, and is engaging all throughout, which makes it difficult to fault as far as a gaming experience goes. Yet, the more I play Far Cry 6, the more I begin to think that this series is losing its identity.

Far Cry is supposed to see the player on the backfoot, fighting tooth and nail to save the land and the people from oppressive and cruel leaders, yet in Far Cry 6, Dani - who is supposed to be a loosely trained guerrilla - feels like a black ops operative who has fifteen years of combat and firearms experience under his/her belt. Despite all the cards being in Castillo's hand, playing this game, I felt sorry for Castillo, because I knew he never stood a chance, as I was simply unstoppable from a few moments in. You don't need a crazy loadout or gear to break the challenge of Far Cry 6, all you need is a silenced weapon, and your Supremo backpack (a truly absurd piece of gear that offers an 'ultimate ability' sort of move to unleash hell on Castillo's armies, and if anything seems a little much for the series), and you'll have the Yaran military begging for mercy in no time.

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With this in mind, I'd be remiss to say that I haven't enjoyed my time with Far Cry 6. This is a game that is thoroughly fun to play if you enjoy the open world design that has become a staple of Ubisoft's single player games, but at the same time, if you've grown bored and tired of what was delivered in Far Cry 4, Far Cry 5, Far Cry New Dawn, and pretty much every other instalment in the series, then Far Cry 6 will simply not be the game for you.

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07 Gamereactor UK
7 / 10
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Looks, plays, and feels great to play. Deep customisation options allow you to play the way that suits you. Yara is gorgeous and packed with plenty of opportunities. Thoroughly fun to sink time into.
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It's just another Far Cry. The player is way too powerful and it takes the challenge out of the game. The looting system becomes dull and exhausting after a few hours. Anton Castillo feels like an underwhelming villain.
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REVIEW. Written by Ben Lyons

Take on Anton Castillo to rid the tropical island of Yara from his oppressive rule.



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