Farcry 6 launched with relatively good review scores, holding an average of 77% on opencritic. One of the most common critiques of the game was how little the game has changed from the previous iteration, with VGC citing Farcry 6 as the reason why “open-world game design is so badly in need of a revolution.”. Did Farcry 6 really get things that wrong?
Saying a franchise or even an entire genre is in need of a revolution implies that the game has become stale and boring. When it is one of the bigger AAA franchises that has been around for many years, saying the game needs a revolution is a bigger deal. Is Farcry 6 really that stale?
A Little Less Tropical Paradise
When Farcry 5 was released, it was a welcome change of direction for the series. Were previous titles had focussed more on a tropical paradise, Farcry 5 took us to the American countryside. Although it may not have been the typical paradise getaway, the scenery was still beautiful and was a lot of fun to explore.
Farcry 6 has returned to a gorgeous tropical island that is without a doubt the most impressive looking game in the series. Good looks aside, the setting is a return to a familiar setting that is less than welcome after such a brief detour away.
It is amazing what a new coat of paint can do to make something familiar feel new. This was most definitely a strength that Farcry 5 had in its favour. Farcry 6 returning back to a lush, warm paradise is definitely not helping with the “more of the same” argument and is likely its biggest problem at the moment.
How Much More Exciting Can Gameplay Get?
Open world games that have large maps will have limitations with it comes to the gameplay and activities to keep you busy. You cant fill every inch of the map with detailed quests and story-related content, it would just take far too long for developers to do this.
While many games will make the main story and some side quests stretch across the map, the places in between will be filled with some sort of mini-event. Things like bandit camps, hidden treasures and various other events fit the theme and style of the game. What more can we really expect from this?
Far Cry 6 is a blast to play. Raiding military bases, particularly with a coop partner is filled with explosive fun. Flying up to a base with helicopters and just blowing everything to pieces is exactly what you want from an open-world game like this.
Adding anything more and it won’t be Farcry anymore. Think of a game like Cyberpunk where you can have that awesome mantis blade build or the samurai builds. A Samurai running around a Cuban style tropical island taking out enemies with over the top, dramatic attacks would be awesome, but it wouldn’t fit the narrative or setting.
The Narrative Formula
Farcry games tend to follow a similar pattern. An area is oppressed by some form of leader, be it a rebel group or an organised political party. It is your job to lead some sort of rebellion to topple the power in control of the region and bring freedom to the people.
You could certainly argue that this is a bit of a stale pattern and there is most definitely potential to spice this up without changing what defines Far Cry.
The “larger than life” villains are a big part of what makes a Far Cry game and this never has to change, but the context can. The villain doesn’t always have to be a leader in the region.
The Comfort Food Aspect
Far Cry feels a lot like comfort food. You never expect a pizza to blow your mind, you expect it to be tasty and you know what you are getting when you buy it. Far Cry is a lot like this. You know exactly what you are getting when you pick up a Far Cry title. There is no risk of getting something that you do not like.
A game that tries to reinvent itself every year, will quickly burn out and by the end, you will have a game that doesn’t look or feel like the game people may have loved when it launched. Sometimes it is nice to know what you are getting.
There is most definitely an opening for Far Cry to try and shake things up a bit but a complete revolution or overhaul of the game could be a step too far. There is no denying the game is doing little to change the experience between titles but a complete revolution of open-world games seems a little too critical. There is a lot of impactful things that can be done to make Far Cry 7 feel fresh without having to completely reinvent the franchise. Farcry 6 really isn’t a bad game at all!
