Far Cry 4 — A Review

Exploring the natural world has never been so much fun

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Logan Reed, Staff Writer

Far Cry 4 is a game like no other.

The beautiful environments, smooth gameplay controls, and compelling story make it, in my opinion, one of the best games of the last year.

Taking place on the island of Kyrat, players take control of Ajay Ghale, son of the founders of the Golden Path rebellion. While fulfilling his mother’s dying wish of spreading her ashes back on the island, he instantly gets mixed up in the war and rises to take down Pagan Min and his regime.

This includes extreme car chases, hang gliding battles, and survival with the fiercest forces of nature.

Even though the story may sound simple on the surface, it most definitely is not.

Since the game is in first person view you as the player are experiencing this story as opposed to watching the main character go through it.

When the game gives you two options and you must decide on one, it literally changes the outcome of the game and adds to how much control the player has over the adventure.

Along the way, you meet many different people and get to see many personalities unfold, but the story doesn’t give these characters a chance to really be memorable.

I wish the player was able to spend more time with these people as they were such a delight when they were briefly included in the campaign.

Luckily, side missions are a partial solution. Even if you finish the story relatively quickly, there is so much more to do and once you unlock the entire map, its jaw-dropping how big and diverse Kyrat truly is.

Some of the great characters are able to be re-visited and given a side quest of their own and even when you aren’t doing a mission, it’s just as fun to wander around the map and make up things to do on your own (just watch out for attacking birds).

As for the gameplay, it is top notch and makes the experience as smooth and effortless as possible. One button aims, another button fires, and a weapon wheel can be easily opened up to modify your gameplay experience as much as you want.

There are so many different customization options and every type of player will find the right fit for them.

Those weapons can be used on the royal armies or to hunt rare animals in the wild and gain skill points. Get enough skill points and you can unlock the abilities to ride elephants, have more health bars, and many other options.

I have to say, storming into an enemy camp while riding an elephant made me feel so powerful and is an experience I will never forget.

Being set on the island of Kyrat brings in some fun, mystical elements to the game as well.

Ajay is taken to places never seen in a normal video game, both physically and spiritually. There will be points where you and an ancient tiger are taking down the evil spirits that once laid waste to the island. But it’s the simplicity behind it all that makes it entertaining.

There’s ying and there’s yang, two sides to the same coin, no modern day violence, just balance.

Far Cry 4 takes advantage of modern day technology to make a massive open world full of exhilarating activates, entertaining supporting characters, a simple gameplay style with tons of customization options , and an action packed story.

What starts as a simple quest to spread his mother’s ashes turns into the fight for an entire civilization and as Ajay, you get a front row seat to it all.

Even if you haven’t played this game’s predecessors, trust me when I say you will really want to play this game.

I give this game a 9.5/10.