Far Cry 4

This game still holds well in 2024. There are enough things to do and the villain is more original than you usually see. As much hate this series gets lately, the fourth game is enjoyable and detailed enough.

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☑ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☑ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☑ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☑ Potato
☐ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☐ Old Fashioned
☑ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data

---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☑ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☑ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☑ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☑ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☐ Never heard of
☑ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☐ 8
☐ 9
☑ 10

Janky wingsuit mechanics, poor story quality. Let's be real. Pagan was right all along. Sabal wanted to live in the old ways but had no plan for the future and Amita wanted to peddle drugs. Pagan was crazy, but had a plan at least.

---{Graphics}---
☐ You forget what reality is
☑ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ Atari

---{Gameplay}---
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ It‘s just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch video instead
☐ Just don't

---{Audio}---
☐ Eargasm
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ I'm now deaf
☐ My ears bleeding

---{Audience}---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ All

---{PC Requirements}---
☐ Toast Machine
☐ Potato
☐ Decent
☑ Fast
☐ Rich
☐ Nasa

---{Difficulity}---
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☐ Significant brain usage
☑ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{Grind}---
☐ Nothing to grind
☑ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isnt necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You‘ll need a second life for grinding

---{Story}---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☐ Good
☑ Lovely
☐ Better than your life

---{Game Time}---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☐ Average
☑ Long
☐ Infinity

---{Price}---
☐ It’s free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{Bugs}---
☐ Never heard of
☑ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ Cyberbug 2077

---{?/10}---
☐1
☐2
☐3
☐4
☐5
☐6
☐7
☐8
☑9
☐10

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☑ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☑ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☑ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☐ Potato
☑ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☐ Old Fashioned
☑ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data

---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☑ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☐ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☑ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☑ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☐ Average
☑ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☐ Never heard of
☑ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☐ 8
☑ 9
☐ 10

---{ Author }---
☑

Review of Far Cry 4
I'll never forget the level of excitement that consumed me leading up to Far Cry 4's release. To this day, I'd consider myself a pretty big fan of the Ubisoft Far Cry series. My favorite game tends to bounce between a couple, but it's almost consistently always been Far Cry 4. Even though the game launched to great success, and many have come to appreciate it years later, I feel as though it often gets overshadowed by Far Cry 3.
While FC3 was a big deal, and is a game I also love, referring to Far Cry 4 with the unfortunate and lazy argument of "Copy/Paste" is not only unfair, but completely asinine. It did what any good sequel should do. Took a now well established formula, refined the parts that needed work. Spiced up the existing bits, and expanded upon it with new content.
A Mother's Dying Wish (Story)
The plot of FC4 puts you into the shoes of Ajay Ghale. Who's traveling to his birth country of Kyrat high in the Himalayan Mountains. Based on the real world locations of Nepal & Tibet (I believe?). Ajay's mother wished to have her ashes returned to "Lakshmana", though exactly what or where this is was never conveyed. Upon arriving, Ajay finds himself being thrust into a civil war between the Golden Path & the country's ruler Pagan Min, and his Royalists.
I won't deny that Pagan Min is one of, if not just outright, my favorite atagonists in the series. Even if, like usual, he's underutilized. You see, to make a good villain that's also interesting, is to humanize them. Their goals may be noble, and their heart may be in the right place. However their methods may be morally dubious. Not only does Pagan seem to want what's best for Kyrat, but he also seems to care a lot about Ajay. As it turns out, your parents, the Golden Path, and Pagan Min, all share a common history. Let's not forget just how charismatic Pagan is.
Far Cry 4 has multiple endings, with variations throughout them depending on smaller choices made during your playthrough. While progressing, you'll need to side with one of two leaders in the Golden Path. Amita & or Sabal. Each has their own vision for the future of Kyrat. Your decisions will lead to not only alternative missions & objectives, but the outcome of multiple character's fates. Of course FC4 is also known for its "Secret" ending, which can be obtained in the opening minutes of the prologue. Amita & Sabal are insufferable at times. Though this is intentional.
Welcome to Kyrat (Gameplay & Setting)
Many people tend to forget, that a lot of the series' staples were birthed right here in FC4. Sure, plenty of them are further expanded upon in later titles, but the roots are within this game. A flyable aircraft. Early 'Guns for Hire' system. Animal companion mechanics. Rideable animals. Antagonist "Lieutenants". Cooperative play. More diverse & improved takedowns. The grappling hook, and more.
|
In comparison to the previous game, FC4 is much larger in terms of content & variety. This time around we have maybe 4-5 times the amount of different secondary quests, some of which have their own character's and mini-stories. Alongside the main story, you'll also be able to hunt down blood diamonds for Longinous, test out new drugs for Yogi & Reggie, or explore Shangri-La through the eyes of Kalinag. An arena with its own progression & challenges. Random world events that increase your Karma for additional rewards. Hundreds of collectibles, some of which unlock readable entries. Scattered notes to learn more about Kyrat and its people. A majority of the weaponry from the third game return, with an added roster of entirely new toys to play around with. Including my absolute favorite, the MG42. With DLC, you'll also be able to take on a Hurk related questline & multiple standalone missions. Many of which send you up in to the freezing cold summits of the Himalayas. I could go on.
I'd like to mention Fortresses as well. They're massive strongholds, one for each of the antagonists. The idea is that they become weaker once you've defeated their commander. These are amazingly fun, but seemingly unique only to this game. They also have a feature where Royalists will try to retake captured outposts in a region, until that region's fortress has been taken down.
Kyrat itself is a lot more dense than previous play areas. Considering there's no ocean here. Instead, the game makes use of verticality much more. This being a breeze thanks to the new grappling hook utility. The Pacific islands from FC3 are gorgeous, but I will never be able to keep my jaw from dropping when you see that impressive backdrop of the snow capped mountains that surround Kyrat. Split between a Northern & Southern territory, with lots of beautiful scenery.
Visuals & OST
Visually, Far Cry 4's fidelity is a step up. Especially in regards to lighting. However the visual styles of Kyrat & its culture is distinctly different to that of FC3. The audio in the game is great. Weapons sound heavy and powerful. The forest ambience lets you get lost in its virtual space.
I don't think FC4's soundtrack comes even close to the amazing OST from FC3. That's not to say there isn't some great tracks here though. Such as the Shangri-La finale boss theme.
Frustrations
With all the good, there's naturally some ugly. Most of these issues got on my nerves, but are small enough to not ruin the overall experience. FC4 is filled with exotic wild animals. However, these are either too common, or too aggressive. Dholes & Wolves are especially obnoxious. You'll get jumped by a Leopard, walk 20 feet and get attacked by a pack of wolves, walk 20 feet and get latched by an eagle, walk 20 feet and get attacked by another pack of wolves. The problem with eagles, is that they force you into an animation where they grab your arm. But this animation happens 100% of the time, and triggers when they're still diving on you. Giving you very little time you kill it before being forced to take 75% of your health in damage because a couple talons poked your arm.
Toss in some crashes during the racing activities. Some grapple spots that wouldn't register. Undiscovered locations that have really annoying sweet spots to trigger as being explored. Horrible auto drive system that throws off aim. Enemies either not seeing you five feet in front of them, or spotting you through trees from a mile away. Bow wielding enemies firing with perfect accuracy on the move. The wing suit deploying when simply trying to jump between gaps. Etc. Aside from these issues I had, Far Cry 4 is an absolute blast.
Conclusion (Pros & Cons)
I hope that if you've ever put off playing Far Cry 4, you'll give it a chance. Whether you're a fan of Far Cry or Open World games in general, it's well worth it in my opinion. Although I'm quite familiar with the game, it took roughly 25.5 hours to 100% the game on the hardest difficulty for this review. You can get more content in the form of the standalone DLC's Escape From Durgesh and the expansion pack that is Valley of the Yeti. There's also a map editor & competitive multiplayer.
Pros:
+Beautiful setting
+Great sequel
+Fantastic villain
+Lots to do
+Steam Achievements
Neutral:
~Ajay Ghale (Somewhat deadpan)
Cons:
-Black Eagles
-Censorship patch
Disclaimer
Thank you for taking the time to read my review. Please remember, that this is just my opinion. We don't have to agree, one thing I love you may hate, and one thing I hate you may love. Hopefully this gave you an idea of what to expect.
Review lengths have been greatly compressed due to the character limit.
04/10/2025

A solid follow-up to the outstanding Far Cry 3.
Pagan Min is actually a better antagonist than those in Far Cry 3, which is saying a lot. Far Cry has great bad guys.
The map isn't quite as interesting and fun to explore as Far Cry 3, but it's close.
The wildlife isn't quite as exciting as in Far Cry 3, but it's close. (I really missed the crocodiles.)
The hunting/crafting system is disappointingly dumbed-down, but it's still good.
The weapons are good, and the addition of the arena fighting was actually pretty fun!
The character progression/skills are still quite good.
The companions were an interesting addition. I'm a little split on my feelings on that.
Overall another good Far Cry game.