Far Cry 5: Average but Fun
Ubisoft’s Go-To Formula
(Far Cry 5 Cover Photo, Saved from Playstation Store)
Good morning, you guys.
I hope you are well and the day is beautiful wherever you are.
I just noticed I’ve been talking about Ubisoft a lot this week, but like I’ve said in the past, they have their hands in a lot of pots.
Today, we are digging into another game I’m pretty familiar with.
So much so that I think I can use it as a perfect vessel to explain Ubisoft’s Go-To video game design formula through Gameplay, Visuals, and Story.
First things first, our history lesson.
Far Cry 5 is a first-person shooter, A.k.a., an FPS, Single-player or multiplayer game developed by Ubisoft Montreal & Toronto and published by Ubisoft worldwide on March 27, 2018, and to streaming services on November 3, 2020.
(Opening loading screen, Far Cry 5, Photo screenshot by Nia🫧)
Gameplay
Far Cry 5 is an open world, and the player is free to tackle it in whatever direction and order they wish outside of scripted cutscenes given as they progress to a certain level in each area.
Our customizable character has no dialogue or set personality, allowing players to play their way.
Similar to all FPSs, different weapon types fall under different categories.
In Far Cry 5’s case, there are approximately 65 weapons under 11 different categories, including mods and DLC.
While we have many weapons, V (V = Far Cry 5) allows for more CQC (Close-quarters combat) than previous titles.
(Combat under Bliss Bullet affects, Photo screenshot by Nia🫧)
To progress, we’re tasked with looting and or destroying shipments, freeing prisoners, and taking down enemy outposts in each of the three heads of the family until we reach the head of the entire cult.
To help you in these missions, you can recruit locals.
Most are just NPCs, but there are also ‘Guns for Hire’ with specific perks and personalities.
In Multiplayer, all progress is saved to the host’s file, so keep that in mind.
And there is a bonus Arcade mode that also allows multiplayer.
Finally, to earn money, you can hunt animals and fish, the most unexpected fun I had playing the game.
(Map of Far Cry 5 in John’s Region, Photo Screenshot by Nia🫧)
Visuals
Now, I’m not going to cap with you guys.
This game is beautiful, breathtakingly so.
I live in the U.S., and I’m ashamed to say I’ve never seen that much of the beautiful country I live in, and never has a game made me want to visit the location it's set in than this.
The open world also adds to the beauty because there are no invisible walls or anything from what I could tell.
Also, while kind of useless due to ‘Fast Travel,’ there are tons of ways to traverse this world, like planes, cars, and choppers, and these give you different ways to view this stunning world.
What sells the visuals is all the little details from the sun breaking through plants, the details on the animals, and the stark difference in the environment from daytime to night.
(Scenery prior to John Seed’s attack, Photo screenshot by Nia🫧)
Story
Now we finally get into the part of the game I’m most torn about.
So the game starts right in the action, kind of.
The game starts with a cutscene of three characters we end up meeting later, being interviewed about Montana, their home state.
Quickly, though, they explain about the cult that suddenly emerged in their once quiet state.
At first, no one took the group seriously, but the group quickly began to take over by buying everything and everyone.
Then we cut to the recording of a cellphone playing throughout this opening of Joseph Seed proceeding to make an example of the man recording by gouging his eyes out with his thumbs.
(Joseph Seed video recording, Far Cry 5, Photo screenshot by Nia🫧)
This opening was bone-chilling, and once again, this should be the standard.
It’s short, vague, simple even but so impactful.
But sadly, it doesn’t last long.
So the video begins to lose its signal, and we now cut to the real world.
We are a rookie for the U.S. Marshall, and we are in a chopper to finally take in Joseph Seed with Sheriff Whitehorse and Sheriff Hudson.
We land and have to go through this slow walking sequence to go and retrieve Joseph Seed and saunter back until the peggies (The locals’ name for the cultists) kill themselves by jumping into the turbines to stop us from leaving, and from here, we finally get to play.
This sequence was so jarring in comparison to the great cutscene from earlier it once again almost kills a solid game.
(Putting Joseph Seed under arrest, Far Cry 5, Photo screenshot by Nia🫧)
Ubisoft’s Go-To Formula
Start the game with customization, whether long or short
Setup cutscene
Early Gameplay is usually slow, with minor prompts and walking of some kind
Another cutscene finally meant to set up the action
The game finally opens to its usually decent gameplay and pushes the story entirely to the background
= A finished Ubisoft game
Wrap-Up
Overall, this is good dumb fun, along with many of Ubisoft’s recent releases.
I hope you guys pick up the game yourself or any Ubisoft title from recently to see if I’m right about their formula.
Thank you guys so much for reading.
Support me :). And as always, I’ll catch you guys in the next one :).
