Have you ever been so nervous for a game because you loved most of the previous iterations in the series but the latest one just didn’t do it for you? Far Cry 5 is that game for me. As much as I loved Far Cry 3 and 4, Primal was not something I wanted or needed in the series (and also why it probably wasn’t given a number). Ubisoft has to make a statement here and I truly believe they are about to.
So the big question is: “what do we want/need in a new Far Cry game”? Do we want more of the same because the previous numbered iterations worked well? Or do we want to be introduced to some brand new mechanics with the ability to try something we have never done before? Let’s be realistic here, this is a AAA studio. Innovation and risk-taking is not going to happen. AAA studios use indie studios for the risks. Ubisoft is going to play it safe but how safe?
Length of Game
Far Cry 3 clocked in at around 15 hours to complete the main story. Far Cry 4 was around 16 hours. With these being decent times because of all the extras you can do in the game making these games longer, it would be nice to see Far Cry 5 go even longer. It has been said that Far Cry 5’s campaign may clock in at 25 hours. This would be amazing as long as the hours don’t mostly clock in as cut-scenes and running from one-point to another. I want a longer Far Cry experience. Less side content and more campaign content. I want to dive into a game and get lost in the world. Fingers crossed on this one.
Story Specifics
I absolutely loved the story in Far Cry 3. Okay, not everyone did but the villain Vaas brought something special to that game. Something that Far Cry 4 was missing entirely. Without giving anything away, Far Cry 5 opens with a scene very similar to Far Cry 4. You come to Hope Country via transportation but this time you are on a mission. You are a young deputy and instead of being secretive about your identity, you are along for the ride to make an arrest. The formula works: arrive somewhere unknown, problems happen, and you are on your own.
So what do we want from this story that the previous iterations left out? We need more of a connection between characters and areas. What I mean is that when you make a choice in the story, have other elements of the story change based on your decisions. Murder an entire town? Make sure other towns know about this. Make a connection with a character? Have other characters like or dislike your decision making process. A relationship tree would do wonders for a game like this.
One other big story decision that needs to be made is having a villain that I truly care about. I don’t need to like them. I can even hate them. What I want is to truly feel an emotional connection with the villain instead of the usual wanting to kill them because the game tells me to.
World
This is a big one. I feel like previous Far Cry games have become cluttered. You find a spot, do a scan and your map is literally filled with junk. I lose the sense of discovery. You don’t need to clutter my map with every known object in your world. Let me run into something and be like: “Oh wow, found something”. Ubisoft loves their towers. They need to step away.
Fast travel is obviously a must but what if they made it so traveling was fun? Yes sure cars are a speedy way to get around but what if you could kayak, canoe, dirt bike, or even ride a horse. Make travel engaging. Make me want to look in every nook and cranny of the game world.
Open up the areas a bit more. As previously stated, the areas in previous Far Cry games were cluttered with everything and anything. Show some skin. Valleys and open fields would leave the player breathless and create very atmospheric gameplay.
Crafting System
The crafting system in Far Cry games is simple. You kill animals or collect resources in the open world and you craft items based on these items. Unfortunately, crafting always felt like a chore. There has to be a way to make crafting more enjoyable. Possibly make it more interactive or give bigger reasons to why you need a bigger sleeve or wallet.
Weather
The game is set in Montana. There is more than just sunshine and rain in Montana. Make it happen.
Health
Honestly I am done with sticking a twig in my arm, pushing a lighter into my cuts or bandaging the same spot over and over again to heal myself. The animations got super annoying. This may be annoying to some but maybe make it so that I can cause the injuries to hurt less or even slow the bleeding. Have it so I have to either find a doctor or call in some kind of health benefit. I know this is a long shot and Far Cry 5 will most likely include animation healing with syringes and knives but we can always hope or at least I can
Custom Maps for Coop Play
Grand Theft Auto 5 has an amazing map editor for their online mode. Far Cry 5 can benefit from having their own custom map editor that could bring endless play to their users. Imagine a Far Cry game where you and your friends can play in maps with custom rules, objects, objectives and enemies. This is a must. While we are on this topic, maybe adding coop to the full campaign playthrough would be a fun idea as well.
With a lot of features and mechanics already announced for Far Cry 5, these wants/needs are more for people who haven’t scavenged the interwebs to find every ounce of information left for the game. We all want the perfect game for Far Cry 5 and this is Ubisoft’s chance to really show us that they care about this franchise. For those of you interested in the already announced features, here is a brief list of what to expect:
- You play the way you want to play. There is no intentional morality pushing or even specific message pushing. You dictate how things go.
- Exploring and picking up maps unlocks the ability to see where items are in the world much like previous Far Cry iterations but this time around you can also speak to NPCs and find points of interest based on information they give you. A little more of a dynamic experience.
- Resistance points are introduced as an open world concept. You can choose to do the story any way you want by heading to any region you want. Every action you make influences the different regions. Piss off a specific region and the cult leaders will come after you. Please the regions and you will gain them as allies.
- You can recruit various NPCs to fight along your side. Their stories bring a breath of fresh air to the story and give you a chance to empathize with characters.
- You can choose to be a male or female character and custom your character in a simple manner.
- Weapons and vehicles are customizable
- Hunting makes a return. Skin animals to upgrade your gear.
- You can indeed play the entire game with a friend in coop. Amazing.
- Aerial combat with planes
- There are three DLC packs to be released in the season pass for this game: Vietnam, Zombies, and Mars.
Look for Far Cry 5 on store shelves and in digital shops around the world on March 27th 2018.
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