Far Assasinscrydogs 4
In terms of reviewing Far Cry 4, there is a long version and a short version. The short version simply asks two questions; did you play Far Cry 3, and if so did you like it enough to want to play more?
If the answer to both of those questions was yes, then you should play Far Cry 4.
If the answer was no, then the next question would be; did you play any Assassins Creed game or Watchdogs? If the answer to this question is yes, then you immediately have a very good point of reference for the structure and type of game Far Cry 4 is, and also perhaps a vague sense of foreboding with regard to future of the Far Cry franchise.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Far Cry 4 takes place in the Himalayan region of Kyrat, with the protagonist, Ajay Ghale, on a pilgrimage to fulfil his mothers last wish to have her ashes scattered. It’s not long before we are introduced to the chief antagonist, King Pagan Min, and off we go.
The story of Far Cry 4 includes various factions, which Ajay must choose between as the story progresses, and which dictates how the story plays out. There are a number of missions that you undertake for the Golden Path, the resistance movement fighting against King Pagan Min, where you must choose which of the Golden Paths leaders, Sabal and Amita, to agree with.
Typically the choices represent different shades of grey based on the propositions put forth by Amita and Sabal, as they court your support, and ultimately lead to some form of resolution of the leadership battle within the Golden Path.
The game presents similar choices in other situations too, related to Min’s command structure, which supposedly also influence the way things play out come the rolling of the credits.
However, I guess that unless you embark on a second playthrough, then the impact of these decisions will remain unknown, although its difficult to imagine the ultimate resolution would or could play out any differently, regardless of choice.
As for the gameplay, it’s a case of evolution not revolution. The Outposts, Radio Towers and hunting quests are all still there, plus a few new activities, although these are all very much variations on a theme. The Bomb Diffusing Quests for instance involve diffusing bombs within a specific area, like an outpost, however it is mandatory to remain undetected.
In pursuing these objectives there are a few new modes of transport, such as elephants which can be ridden into battle and a small helicopter, which adds some nice variety.
The game also now includes strongholds, which are very much like outposts, only tougher. These are intended to be undertaken with a co-op partner, although another new addition are the guns for hire, which are essentially AI partners, much like your homeys in Saints Row. Through the story progression the difficulty level of the strongholds is affected, and of the two that I attempted I cleared without detection, difficulty, or assistance.
This provides a useful segue to the difficulty of the game generally. At the outset you have the three usual choices (easy, normal, hard). Most people will choose normal, however in a game such as this, where multiple factors feed into the progression of your character in terms of strength, it is possible, and indeed likely, that your character will progress faster than the main story, and thus the game rarely presents a significant challenge, nor forces stealth upon you through difficulty. I prefer to approach a situation stealthily, and remain undetected whilst I methodically kill all enemies within the area, but as soon as you are detected and reinforcements are called, a few well-placed rounds with the grenade launcher soon quells any opposition. In one longish mission, where I was in a bit of a rush due to an appointment, rather than quit out midway through the mission, and have to restart from the beginning, I literally ran though the level to the end, skipping all of the intermediate enemies.
Still, this is a minor criticism, and one which did not seriously impede my enjoyment of what is actually a really well made and fully realised open world game, if somewhat familiar.
And therein lies the problem, or at least the fear. Far Cry 3 was an excellent game, as is Far Cry 4. However, Assassins Creed 2 was also an excellent game, which took the proof of concept that was the original Assassins Creed and formed it into a world which was so much fun to traverse and full of missions which really exploited the potential of the terrain and the mechanics. Assassins Creed Brotherhood took the foundation of Assassins Creed 2, and refined it, producing another really enjoyable experience, but also providing the pinnacle of the Assassins Creed games, which since then have been in decline.
It is because of this fear, for a franchise which I genuinely like and enjoy, that this review may read somewhat inconsistently with the four star rating, but one thing that is clear from the majority of recent major games and franchises is that originality is a quality which should not be underestimated, and the need for which must be balanced against reliving the glories of past success.
