The Far Cry series has been in a state of constant change ever since its first entry in 2004. Beginning as a PC exclusive semi-linear FPS tech demo made by Crytek, the guys behind Crysis. Then slowly being downgraded for two or three iterations when it was ported to consoles before getting a proper sequel in the form of the super disappointing Far Cry 2. Its not until the games 3rd entry in 2012 that Things started to work out for the series, achieving critical acclaim and introducing us to one of gamings greatest villains, Vaas Montenegro. One hilarious 80's action flick spoof spin off later and here we are Far Cry 4.
One thing that kept me awake at night after the announcement of Far Cry 4 was that it had only been two years since Far Cry 3 so surely it wouldn't have had time to become its own game, to separate itself from its predecessor and when videos of the gameplay started rolling in alongside the demo I played at EGX 2014, my fears were confirmed, it was just a next gen Far Cry 3! But alas this was Ubisoft's devious intention. Why make Far Cry 4 stand apart from its predecessor, it will automatically be seen as inferior, instead Far Cry 4 makes Far Cry 3 look like its demo, its sneak peak at what was to come. A mere appetiser for what awaited us in the Himalayas, in the war torn country of Kyrat.
Following the death of his mother Ishwali, Ajay Ghale travels to Kyrat in order to fulfil her final wishes and place her ashes at Lakshmana. However when Ajay arrives in the country torn apart by a civil war he is greeted by the country's king, Pagan Min, who wishes to help Ajay spread his mothers ashes as he knew her before she left Kyrat. After being 'rescued' by a group known as the Golden Path, Ajay is recruited into the civil war to fight against Pagan Min and free Kyrat from his rule, much like his father tried to do many years before.
The Far Cry games have always focussed on a central pressing issue different from the previous games. The original had genetic experimentation, 2 had civil war, 3 had human trafficking and 4 has...civil war? Yes to a degree, but the focus is not on the war itself but what the war is fought with, and in the case of Far Cry 4 that is propaganda. The driving force of the story is both sides trying to appeal to the population of Kyrat to make them believe that they are the good guys, by spreading propaganda through posters, radio and television.
Its an interesting way to look at war and certainly a pretty original way in terms of videogames and really helps to push home some of the moral dilemmas you will find yourself in over the course of the 12-15 hour campaign. During that time you'll meet some eccentric new characters, some old faces from Far Cry 3 (the first time a Far Cry game has been canon to another, though its not necessary to have played FC3 beforehand) and of course be given complete freedom over the absolute chaos that is Far Cry's gameplay.
On the surface Far Cry 4 is everything Far Cry 3 was, which in retrospect is not a bad thing at all. Fans of 3 will feel right at home with 4 as almost no major changes to the core gameplay have been made, however a lot of major new additions have been put in that make the game an unbelievable amount bigger than FC3. For starters the map is bigger, a simple and expected upgrade for a sequel, but the thing is its not just bigger in the area it covers, but also in the height. You see being set in a mountainous region, a large proportion of the map is covered by mountains and uneven terrain, bringing forth some of the new additions. First up is grappling, Ajay is equipped with a grappling hook and some rope allowing him to traverse cliff faces and buildings that have grapple points on them. This is an invaluable tool that not only cuts the outrageous amount of time you'll be search for routes up a mountain to reach an objective (I have many fond memories of those in Far Cry 3) but also adds great new platforming abilities to the game, allowing bell towers (FC4's equivalent to radio towers) to be much more varied and complex this time round, it also gives you plenty more strategic options when taking part in missions or liberating outposts.
