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“Far Cry 6” brutally cuts a swath into the phalanx of video game fine spirits who want to see more in the medium than games, fun and big creaking. Ubisoft lines up one crazy action scene after the next at breathtaking speed and often exceeds the limits of good taste. In view of the politically explosive topic and the brutality shown, players can either turn a blind eye or shake their head uncomprehendingly.
Long live the revolution!
Dani Rojas is in a lot of trouble. The ex-soldier actually wanted to flee from her homeland, Yara, together with her friend Lita, but dictator Castillo, played by ”Breaking Bad” star Giancarlo Esposito, thwarted her escape plans. Now she lies on the beach, holds the dead Lita in her arms and is welcomed with open arms by the local revolutionaries. Thanks to her education, Dani is quickly regarded as a model guerrillera. She is supposed to look for supporters all over the island and weaken the enemy forces in order to overthrow the dictator.
Fans of the series know the plot and the game hasn’t changed much either. “Far Cry” is also in its sixth attempt an open-world action adventure that mixes spectacular action scenes with sneaking sequences. Dani, who can also be played as a male figure, runs, drives and flies over the island, occupies bases and engages in wild chases with the dictator’s henchmen. A mysterious plant with which Castillo wants to help his small island state to fame and fortune plays an important role – no matter what the cost. On the one hand there is a panacea for cancer in the plant, on the other hand it can also be used as a deadly poison.
Dani takes on the bad guys with a handsome arsenal of guns big and small. She can put together her equipment and make upgrades for her weapons at the workbench. On the other hand, she cannot learn special skills. Instead, in the course of the game, she gets a backpack called “Supremo”, which fires either rockets or poison and can be improved with mods. These then bring bonuses for damage and defense or allow more ammunition. Dani hardly compromises on her assassination tours: the game shows the brutal kills with relish when the machete goes through the heads and the blood splatters around the area. After the tutorial, a co-op mode is also available, in which players can explore the island together.
Well known, repackaged
All of this works wonderfully within the limits of the series. The game quickly exudes the usual Ubisoft charm that you can love or hate: Everywhere and constantly new hard work pops up: Dani destroys anti-aircraft guns, hunts down killers and takes one base after the other. The island scenario seems to have been used up: Somehow we’ve already seen it all in other “Far Crys” or “Ghost Recons” and put it to rubble.
What is striking compared to its predecessor: “Far Cry 6” never finds a successful mixture of dark revolutionary drama and colorful action satire. Where in the fifth part weird figures idolized a sect leader under the Montana sun, the island state of Yara is about a fascist regime, mass murder and oppression in a far more serious way. On the one hand the population is ruthlessly exploited, but on the other hand our heroine trudges through the country with an alligator as a pet and heals life points by smoking cigarettes.
In an action break like “Just Cause” that might still go through, in the realistic revolutionary drama of “Far Cry 6” it just seems silly. The makers make use of current or past atrocities by fascist dictators and, according to their own statements, revolutions like in Cuba. They could have told it with the necessary sensitivity or as bitter satire, but not in this half-baked mix of slapstick and brutal violence. So all serious approaches are blown up with the push of a button with the “Supremo” miracle backpack.
Conclusion
No, we did not expect a deep reflection on the consequences of a dictatorship and a rebellion. We also don’t know whether the story in the second half does justice to the topics at least in part. But what we can say with certainty after our playing lessons: “Far Cry 6” is a step backwards compared to its predecessor. Where this at least packaged the well-known Ubisoft concept with weird figures, a satirical undertone and an unused scenario, the latest part relies on the tried and tested.
