The best Far Cry game in a while

When we think about Ubisoft titles, a few preconceived notions pop up. Some people refer to them as "tower climbing simulators." Some people think the vast open worlds are just filled up with mundane activities. Well, suffice to say, Far Cry 5 not only puts those concerns to rest, but it also serves up some of the most organic emergent gameplay ever found in a sandbox shooter.

The premise of this game is one tied up by socio-political tension and the consequences of one group thinking every single one of their problems can be solved by guns. The story takes place in the fictional Hope County of the state of Montana. Even though one might dismiss it as complete whack, it is so eerily similar to the current state of affairs across the US that it is unsettling. A new cult called Project at Eden's Gate is terrorising the county using their extremist religious ideology. The cult leader, Joseph Seed, along with his siblings, Jacob, John and Faith, control the operations of this dangerous cult. They abduct people from their homes, brainwash them with a mind control drug known as Bliss, and eliminate all that seek to oppose them. Sounds extremely messed up and trust me, some of the moments in the game will make you really uncomfortable because of how grounded in reality some of these things are.

Despite all these interesting elements in the plot, the main characters of the game are not the ones that drive it forward nor do they add anything remotely as interesting as the underlying story itself. The real charm to it all is present in the world for you to discover. It can't be ascertained whether the developers intentionally kept all the meaty parts of the story in the details like the Souls series, or if it was just a lack of effort to keep the main story outlets engaging. Regardless, there's a lot to send shivers down your spine or give you a good laugh if you invest the time in truly sifting through everything in the world. Take my advice, if you start playing this game, try to do the side-quest on The Cook as soon as you see fit. The story of The Cook, told to you by one of the supporting characters, is one of the most disturbing tales I've ever heard in any form of media. And I absolutely loved that the game could make me feel like that.

If the story is there to get you interested, the gameplay is here to retain you. I have never played an open world that is this crazy since GTA V. Here are a few scenarios to help you figure out just how hectic it can get. I was driving through John Seed's territory with the radio blaring his ridiculous beliefs. I had the marker set on a main quest and I was following the route on the road because there is no minimap in the game (a very welcome omission, minimaps are extremely distracting). Pretty soon I see a cult convoy that will net me resistance points if I destroy it and thus allow me to get one step closer to freeing the region from the cult's clutches. I make short work of them with my proximity-trigger explosives and bask in the glory of multiple large explosions. Pretty soon afterwards, a cult prisoner van tries to pass me by. With extreme dexterity, I pull out my pistol and eliminate the driver, get off my vehicle and free the prisoner. The elated citizen (known as Michael) helps me out by pointing me towards a Prepper Stash which is filled with amazing loot. As I walk towards my car to continue on my path, I hear a panicked scream behind me. I turn around to see that Michael has been attacked by a wolverine. My pistol does nothing to the hideous beast. I switch to my RPG and blast the creature to smithereens. Unfortunately, Michael passed away before I could finish my heroic act, never mind that I used a highly explosive weapon and the blast would have killed him anyway. I set off in my vehicle shortly afterwards, only to have John Seed call in his Chosen — a squadron of elite fighter pilots. They try to turn my car into Swiss cheese but I deftly dodged their strafing runs and took shelter in cave before being mauled to death by a bear high on the mind control drug of the cult—10/10 would do it again.

There are a multitude of options at your disposal. Helicopter patrol giving you trouble during some missions? Hop into a fast attack plane and watch them helplessly try to move their choppers to dodge your fire as you make short work of them. An outpost seems heavily defended? Call in your Guns for Hire and dispatch each enemy systematically. The choices are endless.

Of course, a Far Cry game is nothing without its amazing graphics, and FC5 is no exception. The game is very demanding to run on the PC, but at highest settings, it is nothing short of amazing.

Overall, Far Cry 5 takes the conventional formula and turns it completely upside down. It is a blast to play and definitely worth checking out if you want to sate your appetite for a good action game.

Correspond with Shahrukh Ikhtear at shahrukh.ikhtear@yahoo.com for legit video game advice and great music playlists.