Ubisoft has decided to reveal Far Cry 4, the next step in the franchises life and a jump into the next generation and PC. The announcement came with no news on the protagonist, antagonist, characters or new features Ubisoft will be bringing to the next title, only a release date, news on where it will be shown and the front cover.
The success of Far Cry 3 was impressive considering Far Cry 2 had mixed reception, both on reviews and in sales. The third expansion started to draw in new aspects and features, making it easier for players to complete the campaign without getting tired but also an adventure for people into the franchise.
Far Cry 4 looks to build on that success, in an earnings PDF by the Ubisoft Group, we got an in detail look at the future for Ubisoft and some of the success this year, including a ton of stock/income material that was quite boring and would only excite investors.
Ubisoft Montreal will be leading the development of Far Cry 4, alongside Red Storm Entertainment and three other Ubisoft studios. The release date in the US will be on November 18, coming later to Europe on November 21. First showings of Far Cry 4 will be at E3 this year.
We did get a little oversight of the plot, the player will find themselves in Kyrat, a remote region of the Himalayas, where a self-appointed King rules over all the lands. The teaser also says “players will write their own story across an exotic open-world landscape” and we really hope this is true.
If Far Cry 3 had one major fault, it was the linearity concealed in an open world. In Fallout the amazing reality is the person you just accepted a quest from can be killed, by you, right now, in Far Cry 3 and other “open world” games they make sure the main characters are never seen or interacted with outside cut-scenes, which is a really big shame.
We want to see the ability to pick and choose what side to work for and the ability to say no. There are lots of games that try to stimulate the player accepting a decision, even when the player might want to do the opposite and oppose the games pre-made decisions.
The head antagonist, pictured on the front cover, appears to be another Vaas and Hoyt combination, working as the leader of a tribe in a corrupt island. This might not be the main antagonist, it could be another student parachuting, who becomes an unstoppable murderer.
In Far Cry 4, we would also like to see an advancement on the weaponry. The fighting was decent, but noting to write home about and never felt impressive. We want a shooter that makes fighting in certain terrains difficult, Far Cry almost has that with illness and bandages, they just need to push this system out further and flesh it out.
Hope is riding on the announcement, Far Cry 4 has the tools to be a great game by leaving the old generation console behind and embracing the next-gen and PC, making graphics, open-world events and scenarios change depending on the player, we just hope they don’t fluff it up and make it another linear experience.
