Far Cry 4‘s November 18th release date is drawing closer by the day — are you ready? For a while, I honestly wasn’t sure if I was. Though a two year gap between games is lengthy by modern AAA standards, it’s actually quite quick for the Far Cry series, which has seen gaps between entries of up to four years in the past.
Regardless of how I felt back then, a run-in with some wild animals at PAX Prime convinced me otherwise. I’m all in for Far Cry 4, which means I need to brush up on what separates the game from its predecessor, and why its speedy two-year development cycle — relative to the changes being made — is surprisingly deceiving.
Related: Far Cry 4 Pre-Order Bonuses Detailed
As such, I’ve compiled the below gallery to deliver that information in the most digestible way possible. What is it that excites you about the newest entry in the Far Cry lineage, anyway? Is it the terrifying despot-villain Pagan Min? Or maybe it’s the densely-packed region of Kyrat? You’ve surely heard about elephant rides by now, and as someone who’s already taken one, it can be easy to forget how exciting the idea probably is for everyone else. When it comes to riding bareback atop elephants, I must admit I’m completely spoiled.
Far Cry 4 is releasing on PC, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, and Xbox 360 on November 18th, so pack your bags and make sure you’re not too unsettled buy guys with weirdo hair-does. Seriously; that bleached-out, sweaty Macklemore mop is not normal.
Far Cry 4 What's New
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Bigger isn’t always better
Far Cry 4’s map leaked just yesterday, and though it’s certainly sizable, it’s not exactly the sprawling, shocking map reveal we’ve come to expect from the likes of GTA V or even Assassin’s Creed Unity.
There’s reason for this of course, the primary explanation from Ubisoft being that this time, it’s prioritizing density ahead of sheer size and sprawl. What does that mean, exactly? Well, for one thing, Kyrat is loaded with non-flat terrain and mountain ranges, which means surface area and size in terms of distance are far from the same thing. Expect more to do and see in Far Cry 4 than in its forebears, and if Ubisoft Montreal does its job right, you may even forget you’re playing an open world game at all. When you consider some of the pitfalls that plague most open world titles, that’s definitely a good thing.
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Defend your homeland
For the first time in a Far Cry game, the game’s main setting isn’t a wild, unknown place for the protagonist, nor is it a destination the player might expect to visit on an exotic safari. Instead, Kyrat is avatar Ajay Ghale’s homeland, and he’s returned on a personal missions; to scatter his mother’s ashes. Of course, he hasn’t been home since he was four years old, so there’s a lot he’ll need to reacquaint himself with.
Of course, things don’t remain simple for very long, and one of Far Cry 4’s best story advantages is a heightened sense of purpose for the player as you fight not just to take down villain Pagan Min or discover his plans, but do so with a tangible, in-game motivation. Unlike many gaming plot devices, defending your home and native land is something we can all at least indirectly relate to. Ubisoft has also opted for less voice acting from the player character, making it easier than ever to step into his shoes and make them your own.
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Current-gen power
It’s no secret that Far Cry 4 is releasing on both past and current-gen hardware, but don’t let preconceived notions fool you; the game’s graphics are shaping up wonderfully on PS4 and Xbox One. The versions I’ve seen at trade shows did have some rough edges, but also showed tremendous promise. It’s simply a matter of polishing the existing product to an impressive sheen.
Ubisoft Montreal is so confident in the PS4 and XB1 versions, in fact, that creative director Alex Hutchinson said back in June that the experience on new consoles will be identical to what you’ll find on a PC with settings “all the way up.” Skeptical gamers have interpreted this to mean a dumbed-down PC version is on the way, but the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Regardless, Far Cry 4 is going to be a very pretty game.
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A villain worth fearing
Far Cry 4’s box art reveal caused more buzz, arguably, than any publicity the game has had since, and main antagonist Pagan Min is a large part of that. While Far Cry 3’s Vaas Montenegro was crazy (which is already frightening enough), Min is cruel, powerful, and desperate -- a deadly combination.
Not only that, but Min’s backstory is incredibly fascinating. In short, he’s the son of a mid-level drug boss in Hong Kong, and overthrew and killed his father to rise to power. He then immediately took down fellow criminal groups his father had held good relations with. If Montenegro is a man acutely aware of the definition of insanity (and happy to embrace it), then Pagan Min is one who’s decidedly sane, but capable of acts just as shocking (if not more so). Now that’s a villain I’m afraid of.
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Linear story, open-world freedom
Far Cry 3 was well received, but there were a number of ways story and game world interacted that were not up to Ubisoft Montreal’s standards when developing its successor. Certain events and missions were presented as urgent or intrinsically tied to “impending doom” for the hero and his motives, for example, yet free exploration was allowed at almost any time. Though important for an open world game, it was at odds with plot and immersion.
In Far Cry 4, Montreal has paid extra attention to this, taking steps to ensure that narrative and player freedom compliment each other mutually. In addition, the plot itself offers a refreshing perspective, in that “the Jason Brodys this time around are the bad guys,” according to the game’s narrative director Mark Thompson. In other words, if you played Far Cry 3, you’ll notice and appreciate the adjustments being made.
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Pick some friends, any friends
What some folks may not know is that Far Cry 4 has been designed from the start with co-op in mind. It’s not traditional co-op, either; you can actually invite and play with friends who don’t even own the game. While common on handhelds and particularly with DS Download Play, this is not something AAA console titles do regularly. If it works, it’s a damn good idea.
Obviously Ubisoft hopes to lure in more buyers over time with this feature, and it’s not as if you can send out invites willy nilly. Ten will be the maximum number of invites allowed, and though technically limited, I can’t honestly imagine myself wanting or needing more than that. Even with co-op options, I prefer my story-centric games to be experienced alone -- just me, the controller, and whatever it is the developer is trying to put across. I don’t need my younger brother’s friend hopping around in the background spewing bullets every which way.
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Too easy? Go hardcore
It’s not confirmed and will likely arrive via a patch or DLC at this point, but Ubisoft Montreal’s Alex Hutchinson has now mentioned on multiple occasions that he’d like for Far Cry 4 to include a “hardore mode.” What exactly would such a mode entail, you ask? Well, if you don’t already know, then clearly you’re not hardcore enough to find out.
I kid, I kid. According to multiple statements from Hutchinson, such a mode would make survival markedly more difficult, but not in an unfair way -- just a hyper-realistic way. In other words, frigid cold could induce hypothermia, animal bites could inflict nagging loss of health or disease, and there may even be permanent death for certain characters or entities who roam the game’s environments. Though details have been sparse since the mode was first discussed, Hutchinson updated GameReactor last month, stating that he’s “still trying hard to sell it in the office.” Here’s hoping he’s successful.
