Far Cry 6
A 'Far Cry' From The Past
Before the release of Far Cry 6, the Far Cry series had come a long way since its humble beginnings as a PC exclusive. Released in 2004, Far Cry was a step above almost everything on the market at the time. Far Cry was one of the first games to feature tight first-person shooting controls, expansive open-world islands, and beautiful graphics. It was such a hit for the developers at Crytek that it paved the way for Crysis, setting the stage for what "next-gen" truly meant.
While Crytek would work on other titles, Ubisoft quickly understood how important Far Cry would be as a franchise starting with its sequel. It wouldn't be until Far Cry 3 that the series propelled into mainstream eyes, arguably. From its characters to its villains, the Far Cry series turned into a series where everything was a grey area. Antagonists aren't as villainous as they appear while protagonists may portray dirty tactics to succeed. The fourth game was no different, yet things took a turn with Far Cry 5 onwards.
Far Cry 6 Puts You In The Driver's Seat
Beginning with Far Cry 5, the stories and characters became more personal for the player. For the first time, starting with the fifth game, players could customize their character's appearance and gender. This also made the game the first time the player could control a woman protagonist if they wished. Far Cry 6 continues the trend by introducing Dani, the name of the protagonist, and allowing the player to choose their gender.
The experience gave me Cyberpunk 2077 vibes in which female Dani holds her own in commentary as much as female V did in 2077. This is a biased unrelated to Far Cry 6, but I always felt Cherami Leigh made a much convincing V than whoever voiced male V. A similar thing can be said for female Dani, who sounds more natural to me than male Dani. Ultimately, it's up to the player's choice which character represents them. More importantly, this is the first Far Cry game to put their character in the driver's seat.
'Say Cheese!' -- The Protagonist Is Live Infront Of The Camera
In Far Cry 6, the protagonist, Dani, is featured in cutscenes before the player ever gets a chance to play. While the models for Dani are by default, they are just as involved in the cutscenes as the supporting characters. The opening cutscenes transition into Far Cry's traditional first-person mode with ease, following tragedy amongst Dani's friends. After one of their allies threatens the Yaran military and is executed, Dani and her friend Lita are on the run.
As Dani and Lita run through the sewers and rooftops of the city, Far Cry 6 already begins to feel like a different game from its predecessors. In the past, most games begin with the protagonist and their friends entering a random island via shipwreck. In Far Cry 6, the villain, supporting characters, and the gravity of the situation in Yara are all explored. Ultimately, this ends in a shipwreck, BUT it's different knowing the area vs being a foreigner in a distant land.
'Once A Guerilla, Always A Guerilla.'
This becomes a goal for Dani, as she doesn't wish to live in the one country that she feels trapped in. Her initial goal is to escape via boat and head to America as a refugee. Eventually, she befriends the guerilla as allies after proving her worth. Her first mission is finding a person named Juan and it is here that the player will engage in combat. At times, the player can handle circumstances via stealth. Other times, the player is forced into gunfights with a killer crocodile wearing bling in their mouth as an ally.
One of the first allies Dani meets, or "amigos," is a pet crocodile named "Guapo," wearing a shirt and a gold tooth in their mouth. In his opening cutscene, he's seen devouring a military soldier. In actual combat, the crocodile assists Dani as a distraction, allowing them to shoot liberally. Combat is visceral, the stealth kills are violent, and even the process of healing is brutal. One of Dani's methods of "healing" involves removing a bullet from her arm with a set of pliers. However, you can pet the crocodile (and even get an achievement from it!) so it's all worth it!
Far Cry 6 Is An Engrossing World
The one thing that Far Cry 6 did over any other game is it made the player care about their surroundings. I mentioned earlier that the opening sequence of the game began in a shipwreck as the other titles in the series. The difference is that Dani is rooted in Yara, its culture, and its enemies. They already have a feel on how to use a weapon, they have fought to survive their whole life. At the same time, the game's characters are as filled with personality as in previous titles. The beautiful tropics and expressive character models that the series is known for certainly helps.
Overall, the way Far Cry 6 settles the protagonist into the world around them is like a homecoming. It's unknown territory for Dani and the player, yet it's a familiar vibe for their allies and their enemies. This makes getting things done in Far Cry 6 easy to grasp as the lines of war are already drawn. It makes stepping over boundaries to reach the end goal even sweeter than in previous Far Cry games.
Far Cry 6 is now available on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PS4, PS5, and Stadia.