Far Cry 4

by Johnathan Irwin
reviewed on PC
A New Coat Of Paint
I'm just going to lay this out in the open since I know it's the answer for the question everyone is asking. Yes, Far Cry 4 is very much like Far Cry 3. However, Far Cry 3 was a very good game so this is far from a bad thing. What reason is there then to look into Far Cry 4? Several, as a matter of fact. Far Cry 4 takes us out of the warm tropics and far away from pirates and mercenaries to take on something far more sinister, in a much more enthralling setting.
Welcome To Kyrat!
The game starts off innocently enough as protagonist Ajay Ghale returns to his country of birth, Kyrat, situated in the isolated expanses of the Himalayas. The reason for his return is to fulfill the last wish of his mother, to take her ashes to be with Lakshmana. What should've been a simple journey to his mother's final resting place quickly takes a turn, as he is confronted by the king of Kyrat himself, Pagan Min. This little slice of paradise is anything but, as is quickly made clear when Ajay finds himself at the center of a civil war between Pagan Min's army and the Golden Path, a rebel group which Ajay's father once led.
The story for the most part sets itself up far better than in the previous title, giving the player more choices that impact the story as well as more interesting characters to interact with. Everyone remembers Vaas Montenegro, but do you remember anyone else from the Far Cry 3 character list? Most players would remember Citra and Vaas at most with very few of the rest of the large cast actually being memorable at all. I found this to be much different this time around. The main cast themselves are portrayed mostly in a convincing light that shows the two sides of the same coin. Though it boils down to good and evil, some of the characters at times at least are able to come across in a morally gray area which is often where the choices you can make in the story follow close behind.
The most notable character however is Pagan Min. Despite being seen about the same amount as Vaas, Pagan is a much different flavor of crazy that is much more involved in the overall story arc. Rather than mostly hearing about him through hushed whispers of fear, Min will often try to talk to you sometimes dealing with idle chit chat and other times giving threats under the guise of advice. In a sense, he is also disconnected from Kyrat as well and though it does impact his role in the story somewhat negatively it does lend itself to the careless and cruel king of a character he is supposed to be.
Though the story is overall an improvement this time around, there are often times much like the predecessor where many of the campaign missions feel forced. Sometimes I found myself asking what exactly a mission would do to further the story along, and often it was unanswered and I just waited until the next mission. The characters may have been improved, along with the story, but it is still the weakest aspect of the game. Luckily, the gameplay more than makes up for that.
8.0
fun score
Pros
A more visually appealing and alive setting, mostly better characters, the same gameplay we came to love from Far Cry 3 with some improvements.
Cons
Bow and Arrow still majorly overpowered, almost too similar in many aspects.