Ubisoft is one of the best game developers that you can find right now on the market as they always try to provide one of a kind, beautiful game worlds that you can explore at your own pace. Recently, Far Cry 4 has been released by them, showing once again that the company is a master at creating one of a kind, stellar environments that players can explore in any way they see fit.
Story
The Far Cry 4 story pits us in the middle of a regional war against the forces of Pagan Min and the rebels. We play as Ajay Gale, a local from Kyrat that comes back to the native lands to mourn his mother. Here he will see that he needs to ally with either one site or the other. The missions in Far Cry 4 are varied enough to make it widely interesting, even if the story brings some cliché moments from time.
GameplayJust like the previous game in the series, Far Cry 4 is all about exploring a massive game world. And while in Far Cry 3 we had a luxurious island, now with Far Cry 4 we can explore a virtual world that is very similar to the Himalayan region. Named Kyrat, the place is filled with side missions, quests and a plethora of animals that just make the whole experience feel authentic. We liked the fact that the animals in Far Cry 4 actually play a major role in the gameplay, because you can use them in battle. In fact, if you want you can draw the animals towards enemies and kill them or you can even ride the elephants to destroy the games.
In regards to the combat, Far Cry 4 does a great job in keeping the same feeling found in the previous title, and even if it's pretty much more of the same in this regard, the fact that you have a large, new world to explore more than makes up for it when it comes to innovation.
We found the game mechanics such as conquering towers to be very interesting, even if they are brought from the previous title. But maybe the best part about Far Cry 4 is that you simply aren't restricted to play the game in any way, instead you can easily explore the game land as you see fit.
With so many missions and side challenges like driving buggies or kiting, it can be hard to focus on the current challenge that the main story brings. On top of that, we also liked that the decisions you make do affect the story, in fact there are two different endings that just wait to be unraveled, pretty much like in Far Cry 3.
No matter if you just want to use a C4 to get into an enemy compound or you just want to take a minute to explore the land for some new herbs to add to your collection, in Far Cry 4 you will be able to do all of that and more. And even though Pagan Min might not be the very bad villain that the trailers portrayed him to be, he still brings many challenges into the mix, and you will definitely be impressed by the story most of the time.
Co-op and PVPAlongside the great campaign and singleplayer mode, Far Cry 4 also brings a challenging and fun multiplayer. You can engage in a PVP mode where you need to kill the others as fast as possible in order to win, which is actually a great game mode that has a neat progression system. And as if that wasn't enough, the multiplayer is also bringing a cooperative experience that allows us to join one of our friends in a very interesting battle against the enemy forces.
Sounds and graphicsGraphically, this is the most visually appealing game in the Far Cry series, as it takes full advantage of the latest tech to make the snow, hair and even the backgrounds look as realistic as possible. Character design is great, animations are fluid and the whole experience of exploring Kyrat is an amazing one from a visual standpoint. There are some minor graphical bugs from time to time, but these aren't game breaking at all.
The soundtrack is similar to what we were able to find in Far Cry 3, this time however we get a Himalayan version. As for the voice-overs, they are nicely done, especially when it comes to Pagan Min and the other main characters in the story.
ConclusionFar Cry 4 successfully manages to capture the essence of a Far Cry game, and even though it doesn't really innovate the formula, bringing more of the same is enough for shooter enthusiasts to have a killer time with the title. We recommend it to anyone that wants a wonderful time in the Himalayas, without being restricted by anything. Far Cry 4 is all about freedom, good shooting and an interesting story, so if you are looking for that, then the title is well worth taking a look at!
