Every so often within the gaming industry, a project comes out that is done right in every way possible. Far Cry 3 makes that list. Released in 2012, veteran company Ubisoft delivered to consumers a game that is nothing short of a masterpiece.
The third installment of this franchise takes place on Rook Island, a tropical destination located somewhere in the pacific. This first person shooter has you fill the shoes of a college student named Jason Brody. Along with his older brother, friends and their girlfriends, the main protagonist is vacationing on the beautiful Rook Island. Little do they know, this island is a war zone occupied by pirates.
The intro to this game is immaculate. You and your entourage are having the time of your lives; skydiving, swimming with dolphins, partying in flashy clubs. As the game takes you from crazy event to crazy event introducing each character in the group, you start to get a happy feeling intertwined with a sense of attachment. This warm feeling is quickly snatched away and replaced with the cold harsh reality of what is actually happening. The camera pans out, showing a hand holding a cellphone, playing a string of videos you thought was live action. The hand belongs to Vaas. Vaas Montenegro, the main antagonist. And you are his unlucky prisoners.
Tied up, you look around the cage that is your new home and see your brother tied up with you. The psychopath that Vaas is, he taunts you and let’s you know what your new reality is. You’ve been captured, and he’s looking for a big pay out from his new Californian trophies.
Eventually you and your brother escape. You sneak to the edges of the camp, but just before you escape the clutches of this maniac; a gunshot rings out. With a sudden pop, your older brother drops to the ground with a gaping hole in his neck. You try to stop the bleeding, but there is no hope. Understanding the next bullet has your name on it, you make a run for it. As gunfire rings out and bullets dance around you, you sprint farther and farther into the jungle barely escaping. That is the intro to the game. Just as quick as your choice to run, you are filled with a sense of hatred, anger, sadness, and most importantly; a thirst for revenge.
Nothing necessarily special about it, this has to be one of my favorite intros to any video game I have played. Maybe it’s the abrupt transition from videos of you and your friends creating lifelong memories to the dark and intimidating scene of being held captive. Paralleled with Vaas’ genius menacing dialogue, the game does an amazing job at immediately showing you what you will be up against throughout the story.
Set in a completely fictional world, this game adds a ton of realistic mechanics and styles of play. As a first person shooter, naturally the shooting will be mentioned first. No matter what types of weapons you hold, whether rocket launchers or assault rifles, you never feel like you are anything more than human. Even when wearing body armor, a gunfight can quickly turn deadly for you if you are not careful. Any Far Cry player knows the dreaded feeling of almost running out of health as enemy backup arrives. Cars pull up, enemies begin to flank you, and with a few well placed shots; you’re dead. Or the aggravating times when you are sneaking around a base, stealth killing pirates casually walking around. You think you’re on top of your game, but as you round the next corner you realize you didn’t spot every enemy on your camera before you snuck into the camp. After the initial shock of seeing you, the guard readies his Light Machine Gun, and opens fire. Within the blink of an eye, Jason Brody is turned to Swiss cheese. You curse yourself as the game re-loads to a close-by area for you to try again.
Another realistic mechanic in this game is the driving. Probably one of my favorite things to do. Whether driving an open roof jeep through the jungles, or owning the dirt roads with your wicked fast buggy, I think we can all agree that driving in this game is pretty realistic. You cannot take unbelievable turns, the brakes must be used, and even the smallest obstacles can completely wreck your car and ruin your day. Tires can pop from rocks and gunfire, and cars can be blown up, lodging shrapnel into everything in close proximity. Too often have I been skidding around turns like I’m Dominic Toretto, only to hit a rock and have the whole front of my car smashed in. Or even worse when the Far Cry Gods are truly against me, bounce my car into a ditch, body of water, or right off the side of a cliff. If you’re unlucky enough to land your car in a body of water, it’s time to pull a GTA and find a new ride.
What I would say has to be the most realistic element to this game, are the animations. Healing animations where your character is shown applying a bandage or injecting a shot is not a new feature. But Ubisoft does apply a very interesting and realistic approach to this. By now you know how easy it is to get hurt. Get hit with shrapnel, shot, fall down a rocky area, get attacked by animals. Danger follows you with every step like a shadow.
Depending on how you get hurt will determine how Jason plays doctor on himself. If you’re shot and you heal yourself, Jason will dig a bullet out of his arm. If you take damage from slipping off a high area, Jason will grab one of his twisted limbs and snap it back into place. If you’re hit with shrapnel, he will painfully pull nails and pieces of metal out of his arms. Variations of these animations are even applied for when you’re doing something other than walking. If you’re driving, instead of using your other hand to dig out bullets because it’s occupied by the wheel, Jason will use his teeth and spit the bullet out. This is an amazing addition to an already beautiful game.
Ubisoft is notorious for aiming to create worlds that have lives of their own. Go watch the making of their famous title Watch Dogs and they discuss the same concept. Far Cry 3 is no exception. Throughout the game, there are constant reminders that you are in a world that will chew you up and spit you out, and that there is always so much going on around you. The game contains a ton of wildlife. Bears, dogs, goats, tigers, and more all have a home on Rook island. Look at your map, and you will see an icon that shows you where to find each animal. There will be many times where you stalk through the jungles in search of a predator you think will be your prey. Out of nowhere a deer runs by, with a tiger hot on their heels. Animals hunt each other all around you. They’ll even hunt NPCs. Too often have I driven down a road only to roll up on the shocking discovery of a pair of slain locals. Then off in the near distance I see a powerful bear, trying to decide if I am next. Rest in peace my Rook island brothers.
One key element to making a great game, is how the main character development is paralleled with the story. Is it on par with the progression of the game, or is it non-existent? Far Cry 3 is the former. Contributing to the player immersion factor, Far Cry 3 pays just as much attention to Jason Brody’s development as the actual story itself. At the start of the game, your character exists as an innocent, sheltered guy who’s somewhat unsure of himself. When you first start your journey to save your people from the clutches of Vaas and his army, you aren’t even mentally ready to pick up a gun. Yet the whole point of this game revolves around turning Jason Brody into a warrior who’s name rings both fear and respect simultaneously throughout the island.
The game features a pretty impressive upgrade system. As you gain experience points by completing quests and sending enemies to an early grave, you are rewarded skill points. Nothing necessarily special here. Use the skill points to unlock abilities on the provided skill trees. Better sprint times, better body looting capabilities, you know how it goes. But what is unique, is the gorgeous tribal tattoo on Jason Brody’s left arm. As you unlock more skills, pieces are added to the tattoo. What starts out as something basic, quickly turns into a masterpiece as Jason slowly becomes the island’s deadliest warrior. As the game progresses, so does your character’s certainty in what his mission is. He becomes less and less fearful, more battle tested, and the dialogue between him and other characters drastically changes.
The wildlife in the game are more than just obstacles to avoid. Another aspect of gaming Ubisoft specializes in, is environment interaction. Even if a world you’re playing in seems to have a mind of its own, how fun is it really if the game doesn’t require you to do much with it? Not in Far Cry. If killing fictional animals plays with your morals, then sorry to say this game is not for you. Or at least have fun carrying next to no equipment or ammo. Far cry forces you to hunt animals just as much as you hunt pirates. Their collected skins are used to craft pouches and sacks that allow you to carry more ammo, items, and equipment. Some animals are harder to hunt down, so you are forced to roam the depths of the unforgiving jungle in search of your next animal skin.
Yes of course there is the actual campaign, but there is so much more to do. How many games out there, especially now, were developed with an open world style? However upon wandering around and exploring, you realize there isn’t much to it. At best you get to experience some nice scenery for a bit, until it gets old and every rock, tree, and house begins to look the same. Not Far Cry 3. If you are someone that enjoys taking a break from the main story to see what else the game has to offer, then this game will do you justice.
Aside from the hunting, there are other benefits to going off the beaten path. One activity I thoroughly enjoy doing is searching for relics. There are ancient relics scattered throughout the large map. Upon exploring deep caves and gorgeous temples, you can locate them. Of course the game rewards you with experience points. In addition, there are two custom signature weapons that can be unlocked for your endeavors. Collect 10 relics and unlock the Bull; a shotgun with a reflex site and extended mag. Collect 20 and unlock the AMR; a custom sniper rifle with explosive rounds. Yes please. If you’re all about efficiency however, maps can be purchased that will disclose the location of these ancient treasures in the specified area.
Other side quests that are actually essential to becoming the true warrior you are meant to be, are unlocking radio towers and liberating outposts. Radio towers exist throughout the map, and are required to unlock in order to see the surrounding area. Each radio tower is constructed in a way where you have to carefully climb the course to the top. Once you reach the top, open up the circuit box and turn it on. Take your time as one false move can send you plummeting to the ground. Before you make your way back down, take a moment and look around. Beautiful, isn’t it?
Outposts are probably the most challenging. Once again, they are a necessary feature. Does it feel like everywhere you drive you come into contact with the enemy? What was intended to be a nice afternoon cruise with some tropical scenery quickly turned into a movie style chase with lot’s of shooting. Look at your map. See the red? That’s the influence of the seized local outpost. Varying in size and layout, these outposts are held by pirates. Soldiers including snipers, regular patrol guards, and heavily armored machine gunners walk around the camp as they converse with each other in their arrogant dialogue. Get in and wipe the camp clean of these scum.
Hang back and use your camera to spot all the enemies in the camp. Depending on the layout and amount of guards, figure out if you want to initiate a firefight by launching rockets into the camp, or if you’d prefer to sneak in and take them out one by one as you remain in the shadows like Sam Fischer. But remember, each outpost contains an alarm system. Some contain two. If alerted, back up will come, so make sure you pack enough ammo for round two. Once cleared, the red surrounding the area on the map will disappear. Your fellow comrades will quickly roll up and occupy the outpost, and you are safe to roam the nearby roads. In addition to all of this, you can find many other small side quests. Chat with locals and interact with people needing help finding their lost loved ones, or intimidate someone on their behalf. Sign up for bounties and hunt down certain pirates wreaking havoc on innocent people. Drive supply packages to nearby towns for people in need. Whatever it is, this game absolutely rewards you for being an explorer.
As well made as this game is, there is one small thing that I noticed. What I consider more comical than anything, when an outpost is liberated and your people show up to occupy it, they always have a few choice words. They may talk to themselves with words of encouragement, or may ask you to help out with more work. But they never thank you. They speak to you as if you didn’t just single-handedly liberate the outpost and all the bodies scattered around aren’t your own doing. As someone who is big on video game dialogue, I always notice whenever conversations don’t quite match up with occurring actions or situations. Especially since one of the main points of the game is how Jason Brody is becoming a legend throughout the island, liberating outposts should be matched with more acknowledging dialogue. But hey, that’s just my opinion.
Although we are years past 2012, and the Far Cry franchise has released multiple games since, this one is worth the play. If you’re looking for a title you can immerse yourself in, then this one is perfect. Feel the emotions of a survivalist seeking revenge for his brother’s death paralleled with the desire to save your friends as you navigate the deadly Rook Island. This game gives you the room to play how you want to play. Sneak around the jungle and camps making your machete your best friend. Go in guns blazing armed to the teeth raining bullets on everything in your way. Bring out your pyro-tendencies and light everything around you up like the Fourth of July with grenade launchers, rocket launchers, molotovs, and more. There are multiple ways to become the king of Rook Island.