The Ubisoft formula – it just works

Ubisoft’s newest installment in the Far Cry series takes you to Yara. On the Caribbean island, Far Cry 6 also remains true to the usual game concept and, as always, is only developing a little further.

That Ubisoft with Far Cry 6 does not reinvent the series should not astonish anyone. The famous Ubisoft formula is also used in the sixth main game of Far Cry. That is not to say that there is absolutely nothing new, but surprises are more hidden in the very small details.

At a preview event, I was able to play Far Cry 6 for over six hours. An important piece of information: I didn’t play the final version of Far Cry 6. Larger parts of the open world were not accessible to me and numerous effects were still deactivated. I also played via remote play, so the game was streamed to my PC, where I took control. So I’m holding back with statements about performance and actual graphic quality.

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Far Cry 6: a familiar but well-told story

Like its predecessors, Far Cry 6 is also tracking a familiar story. An unscrupulous despot suppresses the people in his sphere of influence and you as a player stumble involuntarily into the role of the liberator. The skeleton is well known, so the details matter. With Yara’s dictator Antón Castillo Far Cry 6 has found a power-hungry and cruel antagonist again. At first glance, he is even pursuing a noble goal: Yara produces “Viviro”, the only effective cancer drug. The remedy is obtained from tobacco plants that Yara’s residents have to harvest as slaves.

There is of course resistance to such a dictatorship. The revolution produces more than one guerrilla group, such as “Libertad”, which you choose as either male or female main character Dani Rojas connects. During the story you come into contact with various guerrilla fighters. The leader of “Libertad” is Clara Garcia, another important figure is Juan Cortez, the expert in guerrilla warfare and very special equipment.

On the regime side, there was only one other really noteworthy character, at least during my playing time, and that was Castillo’s son Diego. He is raised by his father to be some kind of successor, but seems to disagree with the dictator’s views. A boy torn between his own conscience and his loyalty to his father could well give the story something of its own.

A sea of ​​possibilities

From equipment to mobility to activities in the open world, in the Ubisoft tradition, things are more of a mess than a mess here. Fortunately, Dani Rojas was in the military, otherwise he or she wouldn’t be able to handle all the weapons and equipment. You own alone three slots for primary weapons and there are dozen of them. There you can equip:

• Assault rifles
• Submachine guns
• Light machine guns
• Sniper rifles
• Shotguns
• bow and arrow
• Rocket and grenade launchers
• Improv weapons

Both Improv weapons it is a special product made by Juan Cortez, such as a flamethrower or a crossbow that shoots large bolts. For the secondary weapons there are also pistols and revolvers. All weapons have slots for attachments such as silencers or better sights. There are also ammunition mods. A little tactic is required here, because your targets are more resistant or more susceptible to certain types of ammunition.

A novelty are the “Supremos “, experimental weapons that you carry around in a backpack and that can trigger devastating attacks. One ability allows you to fire missiles at a target area, another burns everything and everyone around you. These super weapons are charged with kills. To build them and improve others too, you need crafting materials that you can find all over Yara.

To move around the islands, you use parachutes, wingsuits, climbing hooks, companions for land, water and air, both with and without armament and horses. As soon as you have unlocked the fast travel points, this is of course the fastest way to move around the map.

A bulging open world

If you follow the main story, you will first be introduced to some basic game mechanics such as crafting, the enemy types and your NPC companions via missions. Far Cry veterans know the predominant mission design. Your goal is in a well-defined area. Creativity is then only required in the approach. You sneak through the area and perform silent kills, you run in like Rambo and shoot everything over the pile or use a sniper rifle and take out one opponent after the other.

You use this scheme to rescue hostages, kill high-level targets, free outposts and other important locations, or steal supplies. In the side missions you either help the other guerrillas or support the population. Many campaigns are of course also directed against the “Viviro” production.

The side missions can sometimes serious and sometimes very silly be. During a task you try to save a spy, but the whole thing turns and the spy then flees with you and a hostage, who you should later exchange for one of your own people. On the silly level, for example, you follow an aggressive fighting rooster into a dog kennel and try to keep Chicharrón alive.

In addition, there is the expansion of guerrilla camps, the destruction of anti-aircraft positions, treasure hunts and a lot more side activities. Incidentally, all of this is also available in the Two player co-op.

Conclusion: The Ubisoft formula also works with Far Cry 6

Before I come to my personal conclusion, here are the most important things: Anyone who had fun with the previous Far Cry games will probably not go wrong with Far Cry 6 either. Above all, the action is being developed further, the stealth part doesn’t feel particularly different. The “Caribbean island” setting is nothing new for Far Cry, but thanks to the Cuban flair it still has something fresh. The Ubisoft formula will also work on Far Cry 6, which is slated for release on October 7, 2021.

Now let’s get to the personal part, because although I always like Ubisoft’s open world games too big and too crammed I still like to play them. I just don’t play them in one go, because at some point they get pretty boring. I’m also still working on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s first DLC, playing in stages is my way of finding joy in these games and I think that will also be the case with this Far Cry.

Far Cry 6 didn’t surprise me much in terms of gameplay. The new special weapons are fun, but in some cases they are way too wacky for me and spoil the mood a little with their “Do it Yourself” SciFi look. That’s a shame because Yara and its residents sometimes create a really harmonious atmosphere. Overall, the setting works very well for me, the Some of the characters are very authentic, albeit a little overdrawn. The dialogues (I only know the English voice output) usually hit the right note and are sometimes funny and sometimes emotional. The Yara archipelago – or rather what I could see of it – has also turned out well, if only because of the small crabs that kept crossing my path.

I would like to tell a little story: During one of the first missions, a guerrilla fighter begins to sing a little song because he always did that with a fallen comrade before each mission. The piece of music then also accompanies us through the mission. A little later, while I was driving to an NPC, Dani began to quietly sing the song to herself. When I left the place, a completely different NPC started whistling the song. I can’t even tell if the game was on purpose, but it was so surprising and charming that I had to pause and smile. It was a small, very nice moment that I didn’t expect in a Far Cry game.

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