Fans of the Far Cry Series will be happy to hear that the latest installment - Far Cry 3 - lives upto its name, and easily succeeds in sending players through a thrilling action-packed tropical world, where the fight for survival is brutal and demanding.

 

Unlike many other open world games, where needless exploration is unrewarding and tiresome, Far Cry 3 is well designed and actually does a superb job of enticing players to explore and investigate the vast open spaces of the world, and makes the experience thrilling in every way. 

 

 

 

Gameplay

 

 

 

 

Players take on the role of Jason Brody, who is initially tasked with rescuing his friends from a vicious pirate named Vaas, but the adventure quickly develops into something more personal after he is adopted by the Rakyak tribe.

 

There are many elements in the game but by far the most important is the capturing of enemy outposts, held by pirates. Early in the game, it’s actually quite easy - just dispatch a few pirates patrolling the area. However, as the game proceeds, players have to resort to ever more complex methods of attack. For instance, players would have to spend a lot of time disabling alarms and initiating stealth attacks to get rid of patrolling soldiers.

 

 

 

 

The combat element also allows players to access increasingly complex weapons such as explosives and flamethrowers, which need to be used strategically to take out more powerful enemy units. These outposts can then be used to store ammo and other supplies while also serving as quick travel points.

 

Players can also hack into radio towers and gain surveillance capabilities over wide areas (then exit the towers in a stunning zip-line maneuver). If any of this sounds familiar to Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, then it’s probably because the both games were created by the same developer.

 

 

 

 

Other missions in the game force players to utilise complete stealth, and getting caught requires players to start all over. Combat is only one part of the game, another interesting element is hunting, where players are generally armed with a bow and arrow, or shotgun and sent out to kill rare animals.

 

It is interesting to note that the ecology matters in the game. So killing tigers and other predators might be fun and rewarding but these animals also kill wild boars and other animals (and players can collect loot from the remains). Therefore, there is always a strategic balance that must be maintained at all times. Also players must be constantly vigilant against random predators such as Komodo Dragons that seem to be lurking in every corner of the island. 

 

 

 

 

Every now and then, players might also find themselves racing from one village to another in an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV), charged with delivering life-saving medicine. It is important to note that driving and even handling equipment in the game feels very realistic.

 

The sounds, visuals and handling of all the equipment definitely reminds players that they are racing through the jungle in worn-out jeeps and not zooming through the streets of Europe in a Lamborghini. 

 

 

 

 

Interestingly, every element of the game is interlinked. Thus, capturing outposts, registering kills, successfully carrying out stealth attacks, hunting missions, medicine runs, and other activities, all contribute to skill points, which players could then use to enhance their characters.

 

In addition, like AS2, most of the levels are designed well enough for players to move from one type of mission to another in a very seamless manner. So one moment, you are investigating caves and the next, racing through the jungle to begin a hunt.

 

 

 

 

While the game does its best to shock players with a powerful sense of realism, every now and then, the characters in the game including Jason and some of his friends seem entirely undisturbed by the events, which really undermines the whole scene and intensity of the script.

 

 

 

 

Amongst the other minor flaws is a faulty re-spawning system that unfortunately allows players witness enemies spawning out of thin air. At other times players will respawn only to find all the enemies they just killed still alive, but without all the ammo expended in the last battle. Fortunately, in the grander scheme of things, these are just minor flaws. 

 

 

 

Verdict

 

 

 

Like previous games in the series, Far Cry 3 is stunning in many ways, and retains a lot of unique value. While the game certainly draws a lot inspiration from the Assassin’s Creed, it retains it’s own sense of identity and thankfully has not adopted the twisted conspiracies and jaded plotlines, that are also associated with the other series.

 

Personally, the action-packed challenges and an overwhelming sense of realism in the game, are what I find most appealing. I would highly recommend this for fans of the series and anyone else who is interested in the genre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviewed by Navam Niles