Far Cry 6 review: When does the formula need changed?

Title: Far Cry 6
Developer: Ubisoft Milan, Ubisoft Toronto
Publishers: Ubisoft
Platforms: PS5 (reviewed on), Xbox Series X|S, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date: October 6, 2021

This year has been a pretty dry season in terms of video game releases. Except for the release mommy milkies, I mean Resident Evil Village, earlier this year, there hasn’t been much to look forward to until the last quarter of 2021. That brings us to Far Cry 6. This game has been super hyped since it was announced and I rode that hype wave like a pro. Upon the game’s release, I was surprised to hear how mad people were about the game. All I learned from its release is that you can’t please ‘em all.

First, let’s recap what Far Cry 6 is about. We find ourselves on the fictional Caribbean island of Yara who, after a complete economic collapse in the 60’s, finds themselves under a dictatorship again. A rebellion overthrew the reign of El Presidente Gabriel Castillo and the whole country was stagnant for years. Anton Castillo, Gabriel’s son, was elected as president with a platform of change and economic growth, which he did. Under his leadership, Yara grew wealthy again by creating a cancer treatment from tobacco only grown in Yara. The downside is that the tobacco is only a miracle cure thanks to a chemical compound called Viviro, which is sprayed on the growing crop. It also happens to be poisoning the workers and the people of Yara. Because of this, Castillo has created a lottery, drafting people to work the farms.

The residents of Yara have had it and a revolution is beginning. You play as Dani Rojas (either male or female), a guerilla that is tasked with helping to build the army to rebel against Anton Castillo. It doesn’t help that Anton’s son, Diego, keeps trying to run away because he doesn’t agree with his father’s murderous ways. With such an engaging and intense story, what in the world could people be so mad about?

First of all, Far Cry 6 is the biggest Far Cry game to date. At first, you think the map is kind of small and then all of a sudden, after an hour of gameplay, the world opens up and you realize just how big the task ahead is. It can be really intimidating. Ubisoft has a habit of making really large games *coughACODYSSEYcough* and it has a tendency to be a tad overwhelming but that isn’t the only thing that has people’s panties in knots.

Far Cry has had a pretty set formula since AT LEAST Far Cry 4. It’s never been more noticeable than between Far Cry 5 and Far Cry 6. In FC6, each section is broken up into different factions, all led by a different member of Castillo’s dictatorship. If that sounds familiar, that is the same premise for FC5. In addition to taking down members of Castillo’s cabinet, you also need to bring in a group to add to the rebellion. To convince them to join, you must help them with their own tasks. With the size of the map, it adds up to a lot of groundwork to cover to take down Big Daddy Castillo.

If the size of the game and the tried and true formula doesn’t scare you away, then I really think Far Cry 6 is an awesome game. I have never understood the outcry that games need to drastically change with every installment. This equation works and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Resident Evil has had the same game formula since Resident Evil 7 and we LOVE it. Just ask Bethesda after Fallout 76…change isn’t always good.

This game is gorgeous on both last gen and next gen consoles. The billowing, scarlet clouds of Viviro is just incredible. The cutscenes are stunning and the character models and motion captures are out of this world. Giancarlo Esposito is just *chef’s kiss* and he plays the perfect bad guy, but we all knew that. This is definitely the best looking Far Cry game to date. The gun play feels really good and I love the fact that you can ride around on a horse. There are spike trapped outposts all over the map, so riding a horse is the easiest and most efficient way around, unless you buy the super secret fast travel location maps. Trust me, it’s worth it.

There is a lot of opportunity for weapon customization including skins and charms. Plus you have the Supremo backpack weapons which are OP AF. From a flamethrower to poison and more, you have a backpack with a license to kill. The weapons aren’t even the best thing in this game, nay nay. Like previous installments, you get friends (in this case, amigos) that assist you in your quests. Your first amigo is a little crocodile friend in a jacket named Guapo but the BEST by far is a little dog in a wheelchair named Chorizo. You have to fulfill a questline for him to become an amigo, but when you do, it is the best thing in the world. He distracts your enemies by being so cute. Best amigos 4EVER.

One of my favorite parts of the game comes early one, when you burn your first tobacco field. I did the questline at night and after watching people complete it in the daytime cycle, nighttime was definitely better. As I began to burn the crops, “Bella Ciao” (the old Italian protest song) began playing loudly. Even Dani was singing after a certain point. As the tobacco burned around me and I fought for la revolucion, it was a magical moment.

Far Cry 6 isn’t perfect but the anger toward the FC formula or the size of the game seems unnecessary. It’s fun, it’s beautiful and it’s finished without any massive bugs or glitches. So, grab your favorite amigo and your killer backpack and let’s start a revolution, baby!

Far Cry 6 (PS5) Score: 9

It’s going to take a lot of hours to complete Far Cry 6, but the ride is a hell of a lot of fun and beautiful to boot.

A copy of this game was provided to App Trigger for the purpose of this review. All scores are ranked out of 10, with .5 increments. Click here to learn more about our Review Policy.