6
A R TS AND C U LTU R E
FAR CRY DROPS EXOTIC LOCATIONS FOR MORE FAMILIAR LOCALES
BY IAN VAN ORDEN
MANAGING EDLTOR
T h ro u gh o u t
it s
history, the Far Cry
series has allowed
players to explore
m an y d iffe re n t
fictio n a l regions
based on real world
locations- from the African
savanna to the peaks of the Himalayas.
The newest entry in the series, Far Cry
5, released on March 27, continues this ;
trend, b u t i t b r in g s the locale a little
closer to home.
Set in Hope County, a fictional region
of Montana, the fifth entry in the long
running series begins with the player
character, a sheriff’s deputy, attempting
to arrest the leader of a religious cult
that has taken over large portions of
the surrounding area. After the arrest
fails, the player is thrown into the open
world and is tasked with taking down the
cult’s various leaders with the eventual
goal of taking down “ The Father,” the
cult’s leader.
At its core, Far Cry 5 is very similar
to its preceding gam es. Many o f the
mechanics will feel fam iliar to those
who have played Far Cry 3 or 4, though
there have been tweaks made to many
of the returning mechanics. The basic
gam eplay, or the running, shooting,
and driving that take up most o f the
player’ s tim e, are nearly identical to
the previous gam es. As the previous
game’ s mechanics were solid, this is to
be expected.
Hunting, which served as a major part
o f the previous gam es’ progression,
returns as well, though for a different
purpose. Whereas it was previously done
in order to gather exotic materials used
to upgrade the player’s gear, it is instead
done exclusively for profit, acting as the
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primary way of earning money.
Instead, a new perk and challenge
system has been introduced to replace
the old hunting system- Instead of
gathering materials for upgrades, the
player is tasked with completing a variety
o f challenges, from killing a certain
number of cultists with a specific weapon
type, to driving fora specific amount of
time in a certain kind of vehicle. These
Challenges grant perk points which can
then be redeemed for upgrades from
five different categories, each with a
d iffe r e n t focus. One, for example, might
grant upgrades to the player’ s guns',
while the final category offers u p g r a d e s
to the newly implemented roster system.
The roster allows the player to recruit
various members of Hope County to fight
alongside them . These members are
split into two different types. The first
type are fighters, or random non-player
characters, (NPC’s,) that the player will
run across when com pleting the side
missions. Up to three of these characters
can be recruited to the roster at a time.
The second, specialists, are specific,
nam ed N PC’ s that can be recruited
by com pleting m issions marked on
the m ap. Whereas fighters are more
standard, soldier type NPC’s, specialists
offer more unique abilities. Nick Rye,
for example, is a pilot who provides air
support from a World War II era plane
when called upon. In addition to the
hum an specialists, there are several
animal companions as well, including
Cheeseburger the hear.
The new mechanics mesh well with
those returning from the previous
games, while Creating a unique enough
experience to refresh the series for
lo n gtim e players. The gam e feels
fam iliar, but not to the point where
it’ s like playing the same game over
again. The story, probably the game’ s
weakest point, is also enough to serve
as an excuse for the gameplay to exist,
even if it is entirely unbelievable.
Overall, though the game is certainly
nothing groundbreaking and the writing
is n ’t going to win any awards, the
experience is enjoyable enough to keep
you playing. Longtime fans of Far Cry will
be pleased, while the new mechanics,
such as the heightened co-op focus, may
be enough to entice new players into
picking up the series.
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----------- ------ ----------------------------- April H , 2018