From the Montana wilderness to the frozen peaks of the Himalayas, the Far Cry franchise has taken players across the globe for action-packed adventures. Far Cry 6 carries on the series’ trademark of delivering a massive, open-world playground where players fight for control against a powerful villain. While the dark story sometimes contrasts harshly with goofy side content and characters, Far Cry 6 fires on all cylinders to deliver one of the series’ best games.
Far Cry 6 is a nonstop thrill ride from start to finish, delivering a wide variety of activities to pursue within its vast open world. The mainline missions often center on infiltrating enemy-controlled territory to undermine the rule of Antón Castillo, the ruthless dictator of the fictional Caribbean nation of Yara. Whether you’re blowing up Castillo’s fuel tanks, burning down his plantations, or taking out high-value targets, Far Cry 6 offers a variety of action-packed ways to topple the ruling regime.
True to the series, Far Cry 6 enables you to play your way. Strong shooting mechanics allowed me to easily string together headshots with my suppressed rifle as I moved through an area undetected. If I messed up a kill and the enemy caught on to my presence, the solid gunplay works well in the chaos of a firefight.
Most of the time, I used standard rifles, pistols, and shotguns (all of which are customizable). You also have access to unique, unlockable Resolver weapons (special guns with unique abilities and attributes) and Supremos (ultimate abilities that operate on a cooldown), which add a ton of firepower to your repertoire. I preferred to use stealthy tactics whenever possible, so I loved bringing a Resolver nail gun for silent takedowns. However, I was also glad to have a Supremo with homing rockets handy to take out armored tanks and pesky helicopters.
If you want a break from the main story, the massive and utterly gorgeous island of Yara offers terrific variety and seemingly unending side content. Taking down military checkpoints, blasting anti-aircraft cannons, and helping characters with side missions are all supremely satisfying ways to nudge Castillo’s empire toward erosion. Despite Yara’s massive size, getting to your next destination is easy thanks to summonable vehicles and a wingsuit; you can even airdrop onto fast-travel points to quickly soar in any direction.
While you can approach most situations however you like, the A.I. sometimes impedes your plans. At times, enemies disregard nearby dead bodies, while other times they had a seemingly supernatural perception of my presence. When combined with uneven difficulty spikes and occasionally unforgiving checkpoints, these inconsistencies lead to frustrating moments in an otherwise excellent experience.
Narratively, Far Cry 6 starts with a punch to the gut. As Dani Rojas, you have your one-way ticket out of Yara. After things go south through a series of emotional scenes, Dani joins the resistance. As a member of Libertad, Dani’s primary task is recruiting other guerrillas, with the eventual goal of dethroning Yara’s bloodthirsty dictator.
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Giancarlo Esposito, of Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian fame, masterfully portrays President Castillo. While he only appears in cutscenes between main story missions, his presence looms large thanks to regularly played propaganda speeches, giant billboards featuring his face, and his name at the center of most conversations. In Far Cry’s rich annals of fantastic antagonists, Castillo stands among the most menacing. But Castillo isn’t the only noteworthy villain, as he surrounds himself with truly despicable people who I couldn’t wait to take a shot at.
The rest of the cast is memorable, and Dani is perhaps the best Far Cry protagonist to date. However, for every authentic character, there’s another that is a caricature. These borderline cartoonish people are especially jarring in a story centered on a bloody revolution. You see plenty of terrible things happen to both good and bad people, and Far Cry 6 still struggles with the precarious balancing act of telling a dark, serious story and delivering the carefree thrills players expect from the franchise.
The dissonance between Far Cry’s two sides has always been challenging to reconcile, but Far Cry 6 handles this balance better than most entries in the series. Many zanier missions and storylines are relegated to side content and player choice; if you don’t want to free a group of hostages using a CD-launching gun alongside a cute wiener dog named Chorizo, you don’t have to.
Far Cry 6 is a compelling open-world action game from the early moments through the final confrontation. The main storyline is exciting, and I never ran into a shortage of side content to enjoy. Far Cry 6 isn’t revolutionary in its accomplishments, but it executes the franchise’s formula better than any entry before it.
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Score: 9
Summary: Far Cry 6 is a gripping and exciting thrill ride from the opening moments, delivering the best entry the franchise has had in years.
Concept: Lead a revolution and topple the ruthless dictator of a fictional Caribbean nation in the latest entry in the long-running open-world franchise
Graphics: Lush environments and utterly stunning vistas are occasionally brought down by immersion-breaking glitches
Sound: Stellar voice acting and a great soundtrack accompany your journey through the nation of Yara
Playability: True to the franchise’s form, Far Cry 6 allows you to approach nearly every situation however you like, offering gear and weaponry that cater to your playstyle
Entertainment: Whether you’re pushing the mainline story forward or pursuing side missions, Far Cry 6 provides a cornucopia of fun and engaging activities, wrapped in the series’ best gameplay and most beautiful setting
Replay: Moderately High
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