Growing up as a kid during the late 80’s to early 90’s, video games, movies, and TV shows were and still remain my preferred forms of entertainment. Having watched my fair share of episodic shows and films across various genres, one iconic actor that has always stood out to me is Giancarlo Esposito. From portraying Mookie’s friend/activist Buggin’ Out in Do the Right Thing to becoming a dangerous and methodical adversary for Walter White in Breaking Bad, it’s evident that this talented actor has expanded his range and continues to have an amazing career.
Naturally, when I found out that he would play a major role in Far Cry 6 I grew excited and wondered what his involvement would bring to this popular franchise. After spending a few hours playing through the campaign, I can honestly say that I’m personally not disappointed yet. Here are more of my thoughts on the sixth main installment in the franchise and why it may or may not be worth checking out.
Far Cry 6 takes place on the fictional Caribbean island of Yara and revolves around guerrilla soldiers uniting together to end the reign of a power hungry dictator in El Presidento Anton Castillo (played by Esposito). His aggressive and deadly actions capture the attention of his conflicted 13-year old son Diego (played by Anthony Gonzalez) and a former Yaran armed forces officer named Dani Rojas after her friends are brutally murdered. After choosing Dani’s gender at the very start of the game, players are then thrust headfirst into this beautiful, yet chaotic paradise with hope that they can start a revolution and silence Castillo once and for all.
One of the aspects that I absolutely love about this game so far is that it doesn’t waste any time throwing you right into the action. From the moment you start playing, your tasked with fleeing on a boat as a means of escaping armed officers roaming the streets. While you do manage to eventually make it on the boat, things go awry fairly quickly and shortly thereafter your back on Yara with a machete and ready to extract your revenge. Storytelling can sometimes drag on in various forms of entertainment and it’s great to see that so far that isn’t the case at all for Far Cry 6.
When it comes to gameplay, Far Cry 6 is pretty much exactly what fans should expect from the series and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Yara feels like a paradise sandbox filled with mystery, eccentric characters, and plenty of enemies to eliminate. The game includes both joining and building upon your militia, gaining access to and creating upgradable weapons, liberating various areas throughout the island, befriending new animal friends to aid in your attacks, and having plenty of fun while doing all of these things from start to finish. You also have an option of playing on Action Mode (the natural way the game was intended to be played) or Story Mode (an easier mode where story is emphasized over everything else).
Graphically, Far Cry 6 looks pretty fantastic on the Xbox Series S. It’s worth noting that I started my adventure out on a 76 inch 4K HDR TV and therefore your own personal experience may vary depending on how your gaming setup is. The rich environment, vibrant colors, character models and fun action sequences really pull you into the overall experience. If you are looking for a world to explore and just have alot of fun wreaking havoc in, then this game was without a doubt made specifically for you.
This concludes some of my brief thoughts on my time with Far Cry 6 so far. Stay tuned for more in-depth thoughts on the game very soon.
This preview was based on a Far Cry 6 Xbox Series X/S review code provided by Ubisoft.