After the critical and commercial success of Far Cry 3, it’s unsurprising that the sequel is, well, unsurprising. From the leveling and crafting systems to all aspects of mission structure, Far Cry 4 is largely content with repeating the successes of it’s predecessor. Luckily, after the two year break since 3 I’m more than happy to jump back into this phenomenal formula. The core game is solid but it’s the addictive, varied and masterfully accessible nature of the game that resulted in my 4 hour playing sessions.

Far Cry 4 is similar to other Ubisoft open-world games in a number of ways. You can climb towers to reveal sections of the map, complete a variety of side-missions, and have a number of options when tackling combat situations. The thing that sets the game apart though is what happens between said missions. At any given time, the player could be ambushed by an eagle from the sky, a massive predatory fish from the sea, or numerous other types of wildlife. The amount of vehicles available from the get-go is staggering, with everything from helicopters to tuk-tuks at the player’s disposal. Hundreds of activities are waiting to be discovered around every corner, and the in-depth progress tracker (which shows what will unlock from each objective) always offers incentive. Unlike many other open-world games I’ve played recently, Far Cry 3 and 4 (while fairly large in scope) have never seemed overly daunting. Every step towards 100% completion seems entirely achievable, and no facet of gameplay is a chore.

Of course, the core gameplay of Far Cry 4 is enjoyable as well, offering a nice balance between run-and-gun and stealth options. The varied arsenal is also commendable, including one of my favorite video game bow-and-arrows ever. While shooting itself isn’t as engaging as say, Wolfenstein: The New Order, it gets the job done and never gets in the way of the more engaging aspects of the game. Stealth is similarly enjoyable, even if enemy behaviour is at times too unpredictable, making for some frustrating encounters. But the beauty of the game is that (for the most part) if stealth doesn’t work, it isn’t mandatory. If one approach isn’t working out, several others are always at the player’s disposal. Sure, this style of player-driven gameplay is nothing new in today’s marketplace, but never has it felt as intuitive and well-implemented as in Far Cry 4.

The story missions are nothing to sneeze at either, with some staggering variety being offered up after a few hours of gameplay. The places these missions take the player, while similar in concept to the previous game, never fail to surprise and excite. In a gaming landscape where many open-world games are content with unimaginative, point A to B quests, Far Cry 4 is a breath of fresh air. I won’t spoil the details of these quests here, but rest assured they don’t disappoint, even after the previous game’s stellar variety. My only complaint of the missions would be their occasionally restrictive nature (for example: only allowing stealth gameplay). While this is often to facilitate a certain narrative thread, robbing the player of the variety that worked so well earlier on is only a negative for me.

So, while Far Cry 4 is essentially Far Cry 3.5, the variety, wow-factor, and pure entertainment on offer here is unchanged from it’s predecessor. At this point, I can’t say I’ve played a better game in 2014, making Far Cry 4 a must-have for any and all people with even a passing interest in games.