Far Cry 5 Review
Credits
The United State anthem begins by talking about the sunlight and ends by saying that it is the land of the brave. And it stills so wide. The best thing is that much of this song at times seems to speak of Far Cry 5 , Ubisoft's new first-person adventure, which arrives this week Tuesday, March 27, to PS4, Xbox One and PC . In both cases, the first steps begin with the light of the sun (in Ubisoft's game it would be the one that bathes the first island after leaving Butch's hiding place) and end up being a story of brave men in which God is quoted from when. And for more INRI, the title that concerns us moves the action within American territory, although the specific place we travel to is invented: Hope, Montana, does not exist ... But it could well be a dozen locations lost from the hand of God in deep America.
With all this in mind, let us talk about the umpteenth overproduction of Ubisoft, although this time the issue is somewhat more reivindicativa and controversial than usual. This is because Far Cry 5 does not dodge the bullet of the American setting to criticize (subtle) the political situation of that country with arms, with its current president, with the religious extremism of certain rural areas ... Nor is it get into too deep puddles, but at least get wet and splash in the mud. Anything else would have been to waste the stage and the setting, in pursuit of an improper puritanism of this series of action games with a large dose of freedom.
Storyline/ Gameplay
The game takes us to the county of Hope, in Montana, to fight against an apocalyptic sect that has taken control of the territory. In the skin of the Sheriff's assistant, the only survivor (in principle) of the failed attempt to arrest the leader, we will have to take the reins of resistance to his cult and regain control of three areas of Hope before throwing ourselves at the crazy again by Joseph Seed.
With this premise our adventure begins, after escaping by the hair of the claws of the sect. The objective is clear: eliminate all influence of this malevolent cult in each of the three large areas of the county , each being controlled by one of the younger brothers of the Joseph. Jacob is at the top, training troops and accompanied by great trained wolves. Faith is to the east with lots of joy-filled 'zombies' behind her. John takes care of the west, proclaiming the 'power of the yes' at the same time that it terrifies the population. Three riders of the Apocalypse to which we will have to win before facing the real bad of Far Cry 5 ... Although this time has not generated us the slightest hint of sympathy, unlike Vaas or Pagan Min in previous numbered deliveries of the series. It's not an accidental detail, Ubisoft wants you to hate Joseph Seed .
With the clear goal, we have to choose, because if something is characterized this Far Cry 5 is to give us almost complete freedom when choosing how to play . We do not refer only to the way to face each confrontation (it is as valid and possible the stealth, as the opposite), but also at the time of letting go where we want and do what we want. Progress is simple : reduce the influence of the sect in each of the areas, in the order that you want. There is no reason to go or stay in an area of the map if we do not want to. It will touch to destroy silos, free hostages, destroy enemy posts ... Among many other secondary activities available that we will choose to do or not without any pressure. All will raise a meter to a greater or lesser extent, until you reach one of the three control points, moments in which unique events will begin which will advance the history of that sector. Finally, it will touch the inevitable final confrontation with each member of the Seed family.
This scheme is the only thing that remains constant in the game (although for the last section of the game everything changes a little), leaving everything else to our choice. We can choose where to go and what to do with total freedom: What weapon and accessories to use, what main and / or secondary missions to do, what talents to unlock, what companions to carry to support us, what vehicles to use ... The possibilities are endless , and the number of systems that Far Cry 5 brings into play is truly amazing.
Systems
The system of loot collection or to the creation of ammunition and enhancers, also the progress system, which gives us points based on the mini-challenges that we are completing, instead of making us raise the level of experience (this change is very much appreciated). We must also make the progression system, because if we get lost in secondary tasks we will end up advancing in history without having done missions named as principal (nothing happens either, they will always be available even when we advance). Usually these encomiendas are related to the three companions that we can sign by area, and after overcoming them we are allowed to summon them in the battle.
Each of these companions has their own personality and abilities, making each one suitable for a different combat situation. Their behavior is good and, in addition, we can give them simple orders. It is not that his AI is that of Skynet , but neither does it demean the whole ... Since the enemies are not that they are the smartest we have seen in a game of this style (their tendency to act in a suicidal way is somewhat exaggerated) . Together, all these systems, coupled with the way to progress, the incredible density of tasks to do and secrets to find in Hope County, make the more than 20 hours that Far Cry 5 lasts to be short. It can last much longer (as soon as you get involved with secondary activities it goes over 30), being fun at almost all times, although it has not seemed too complicated in almost no time.
The key to this fun comes from the flexibility of the scheme, but also by the extreme variety of the whole . No two missions are the same, doubling Ubisoft's efforts to offer a small turn in each entrustment. Yes, everything usually revolves around the shootings and destruction in the first person, but there is always some new detail that manages to renew the gameplay. When combat situations are not, what is surprising is the setting, the vehicles in the equation or some other of the many variables of Far Cry 5. All accompanied by an entertaining narrative , although the NPCs are somewhat unreal (and too much talkers) on more than one occasion).
Land of Liberties
As it happened with Far Cry 4, Far Cry 5 allows you to join an online cooperative companion to enjoy everything the game offers without exception of the predefined history missions, which was what was cut in our adventures by Kyrat . By the progression system itself, in which we choose how we want to grow our resistance points meter in each of the zones, it is much more natural to be accompanied by a friend's "Novice" -with his own personalized avatar- and divide efforts or share resources such as kits and ammunition.
However, certain restrictions apply to this modality . It will be the host , the inviting player, who decides which missions are going to be undertaken, so that he will have the final say in controlling his departure, as well as the hired gunman active at all times and will be the beneficiary of the progress in the world, with enemy positions recovered or structures destroyed. The invited friend, on the other hand, will keep the player's progress, the talents unlocked and he will keep his share of the money, weapons and mission loot.
Also in cooperative you can face the levels of the true characteristic that brings added value to Far Cry 5 and that is a whole game changer . We speak of Far Cry Arcade, an editor of additional levels in the style of Snapmap Doom that allows us to create our own maps and missions, share them on the network and enjoy the creations of other users. To a certain extent it comes to supplant the level editor we had in Far Cry 2, 3 and 4, but it goes a step further.
On this occasion, the editor is not focused only on creating maps for competitive multiplayer or cooperative missions. It is a functionality that we access through the recreational machines or direct access posters distributed by Hope (also directly in the game menu) and that takes us directly to levels created not only with resources from previous deliveries, but also that several Ubisoft games come together for more than 9,000 resources that draw our creative vein .
The assets of games like Far Cry 5, Far Cry 4, Far Cry Primal, Watch Dogs, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag or Assassin's Creed Unity are some of the titles that will allow you to create levels of the most diverse (resources of the three will be added later). DLC that are planned, for a total of 6 post-release updates) in which not only we will be responsible for the design of the scenario, but also we will have the possibility to choose the mechanics that will be applied or the game mode that will have that specific map .
Technicals
Regarding its technical aspects, the beauty of Far Cry 5 has surprised us in all the systems in which we have tested it. Especially in the improved consoles it is quite a show, although the general result does not detract in any way. The effects of light and particles are spectacular, but so are the shadows, the animations, the modeling, the density and detail of elements on the stage ... The only 'but' is the sudden appearance of details on the stage, Something close at certain times. Yes it is curious that in PS4 Pro you can choose between 4k (and 30fps) and fluid mode with up to 60fps and only 1080p, but in Xbox One X there is no option, and is determined by the resolution to which it can be determined the it console comes out (with excellent performance on both platforms and modes). In any case, a small detail without minor relevance.
The game presents a very good finish, but not excellent , with some small flaws still present here and there. For example, during our time with the game we experienced a moment of extreme slowdown, some character of the AI that has been 'caught', impossible animations, clipping samples ... Fortunately, they are VERY punctual errors, which do not spoil the Great job of optimizing this Ubisoft title.
Sound
As for the soundtrack and the sound in general, we find again one aspect of the most worked. The selection of melodies is the most successful , and they range from contemporary American music to religious melodies, always marking an accurate tone for the action. And the main characters have excellent voices, but the secondary ones are not at the same level , with repetition of voices and errors of intonation within the same sentence. Again, it is not a capital failure, but it is obvious.
Conclusion
Despite being a differentiated modality, progress is shared to some extent. Within the Arcade maps we can introduce the weapons that we have unlocked in the main campaign, as well as benefit from the skills of the talents in possession of our character. The progress of Far Cry Arcade is measured in a differentiated level bar , which allows to obtain certain advantages with each increment and that can be used later to buy cosmetic items back to Hope.
At the moment, with the game only available for specialized press, the content offer is mainly supported by the official maps created by Ubisoft itself to show an advance of the possibilities offered. It is a very intuitive tool, which follows the style of previous editors but multiplies the creative options by making the game infinite . We will have to see how the community responds and if it does not end up abandoning like the aforementioned Snapmap, because the added value to continue playing Far Cry 5 for months and months - beyond its promising Season Pass with Vietnam, Mars and zombie levels - is there.
Far Cry 5 is a great game, which manages to offer a good plot with a great story, lots of freedom and lots of things to do, without forgetting the multiplayer side thanks to the possibility of cooperatively playing the whole story. Far Cry 5 is the fruit of the narrative, playable and technical evolution of previous titles of Ubisoft, being, therefore, a great demonstration of the potential of the French company at all levels.
Happy Gaming!!!!
amazing