If I shoot them, an enemy might hear the shot or the bullet, or a guard on patrol might later notice that it's broken. For example, I'll want to disable the alarms first, which I can do by getting close to them or by shooting them. Next I switch to locating the alarms - enemies will use them to call in reinforcements should you be spotted, introducing new enemies and vehicles into the mix.Įach of these targets introduces some hard rule to the situation which I'll have to bear in mind as I plan my attack. I tag two snipers on different roofs, an armoured heavy carrying a flamethrower, a charger who'll sprint towards your location while lobbing molotovs, two normal soldiers, and a caged bear. I shuffle through the bushes, trying to cover every angle. As in the previous game, your camera can be used to tag enemies on the map and confirm what type of threat they pose. While the attach points are prescribed, the rope itself is physically simulated and you can use it to swing, to kick off from the wall, and to attach to points while falling, wingsuiting, or leaping between surfaces.įrom atop the hill I get an overview of the situation.
There was a hill to the west on which I could see climbing points - prescribed areas where you can attach your grappling hook, one of the game's new toys. Hurtling between destinations yesterday, I saw some smoke and decided on a whim to stop and take a look. You can approach these bubbles any way you want, and each of them is an unscripted puzzle. The challenge is to clear all the people away and to claim the camp for the rebel army you're fighting for, the Golden Path. As you drive, sail, fly or wingsuit across the terrain, smoke stacks rise up above the horizon, each one marking a camp containing half a dozen buildings, at least half a dozen guards, and an alarm or two. That's best expressed by the game's forts, which were also the best part of the last game. Perhaps by accident Far Cry 4 is mainstream videogames' take on the same design principles that underpin a Looking Glass game.
The most interesting place to point Far Cry 4's twisted mirror however is towards that old RPS favourite - the immersive sim. You might have two-dozen methods of dealing with any given situation, and your unlocked abilities might offer you new syringes to craft or a greater reserve of hitpoints, but your main mode of interaction is always from behind the barrel of a gun. There are no conversation trees, and characters with names and personalities exist almost solely in closed rooms and cutscenes separate from the broader world. Far Cry 4 takes place in the fictional Himalayan country of Kyrat, and it's a beautiful open world, hemmed-in by snowy mountains, in which you venture through forests, stumble upon secret caves, become wrapped-up in sidequests at the risk of ever doing the awful primary missions, and earn points to be spent towards skill progression with every little action you perform.ĭespite its beauty and the density of activities, Kyrat feels nothing at all like an actual world, and its mechanics are more rooted in Doom than in any RPG.
#FAR CRY 4 REVIEW SERIES#
This sequel could be considered a lavishly made standalone expansion pack and, if you enjoyed the previous game as I did, its slavish devotion to existing structures is no bad thing.Īngle it over here however, to the far corner, and you'll see in its curved surface a twisted take on everything the Elder Scrolls series has ever achieved, only with its Dungeons & Dragons influence shrunk bizarrely small. Angle it one way and the first thing you'll see in its reflection the only slightly distorted visage of its predecessor, as Far Cry 3's every idea turns formula: there's an exotic setting an extravagant and verbose villain crafting by way of animal hunting a mixture of linear campaign and dynamic missions. I love pointing it in in different directions and seeing the way its design reflects the videogames around it.