It’s only a matter of time until people start a revolution when ruled by the wrong leader. It only takes that one spark, that one big win to ignite the desire for freedom in the hearts of the suppressed people. In Far Cry 6, you’re that spark, that one guerrilla that paves the way to freedom. A lot of pressure on your shoulders for sure, but you have the right tools for the job. Let’s jump in!
El Presidente
Far Cry 6 takes place on the fictional Caribbean island of Yara, inspired by Cuba, this island seems stuck in time and is led by the fascist dictator “El Presidente” Antón Castillo (beautifully portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito). El Presidente thinks it’s his job to keep his gorgeous country safe from the influence of outsiders. Yara should become one of the most important and rich countries in the history of mankind, how he achieves this doesn’t matter. Antón lives in the middle of a revolution but refuses to see the truth. Everyone who’s against him will receive the bullet or worse. He’s a charismatic leader capable of igniting a certain spark in his loyal followers who would give everything in order to protect their leader. But that’s not the most important here, Diego, the son of El Presidente is next in line for the bloody throne and he needs to be prepared for what is next to come.
Most of the story revolves around the dictator and his son and without spoiling it to you, this story is perhaps the best and most controversial that ever appeared in a Far Cry game. Diego struggles with the strict rules and harsh ways of his father and is asked to do the unthinkable multiple times. As a father, Antón wants to empower his son and show him what it takes to be a strong leader, not a pushover that will easily be overrun by the hated Americans. No, Diego needs to rule with an iron fist and needs to make sure the resources of Yara remain the most important source of income, even if it costs thousands of lives. This interesting story and dynamic between the two main ‘villains’ are extremely fun and satisfying to watch thanks to the stellar acting. Ubisoft wanted to deliver an experience closer to movies and television and they certainly succeeded. But you aren’t seeing this development through the eyes of Diego. No, you are Dani Rojas, a former officer in the Yaran armed forces turned guerrilla soldier.
Let’s start the revolution
As Dani, you can pick your personality at the start of the game, both fully voiced and acted by two completely different actors. After fighting for his/her life and waking up on an isolated island, Dani meets Clara Garcia at her dilapidated camp. Clara, leader of Libertad, a revolutionary movement, and Juan Cortez, guerrilla master and former spy, will show Dani another path than running away, teaching him/her to use their skills to help overturn Castillo’s army and become a guerrilla that will unite the rebel factions. It is said that Dani is the Legend of Libertad, able to unite the rebel factions and take them as one huge army to the capital, where they’ll end the fight once and for all.
Since Dani is new to guerrilla, you’ll need to learn the ropes of a true guerrilla warrior first, it’s here where the fun starts. Yara is divided into five regions and your adventure starts on the smaller island of Santuario. This is the smallest of all regions and serves as the starting point of your adventure. It’s a lengthy tutorial without ever feeling like a tutorial. Far Cry 6 likes to throw you directly into the action, where you’ll learn how to fight in the fastest way possible. No slow start here, after booting up the game, you’ll be fighting against the army in mere seconds. As a starting guerrilla warrior, it’s your job to hurt El Presidente where it hurts the most, his cash flow.
Yara’s main product is called Viviro, a miracle drug that can cure cancer. Ironically, the drug is derived from the tobacco leaves that are so iconic for Yara. In order to created Viviro, the tobacco leaves are bio-hacked by using poisonous gas. The slaves need to pick those mutated plants at the risk of their own lives. Labeled as “fake-Yarans”, El Presidente doesn’t care if those people live or die, he just wants the product and he wants to put Yara on the map as one of the world’s richest countries, whatever the cost. Taking over these plantations and destroying the product is a great starting point for your revolution but throughout the game, you’ll do a lot more than just that. A revolution isn’t started in a day, so you better prepare for an epic adventure filled with deadly weapons.
Create the perfect weapon
Out of all Far Cry games I have played, Far Cry 6 offers the most fun when it comes to weaponry. As a guerrilla soldier, the workbench will quickly become your new best friend where you can create and upgrade some of the craziest weapons that ever appeared in the franchise. Think of flamethrowers with extra functions, crossbows, and just anything else you can create with the scrap and tools you’ll find during your adventure. Unlocking new weapons isn’t always skill-based but often depends on the resources you find. The better your resources, the better your weapons. Keeping track of these resources while on missions will aid your progress tremendously since you’ll have access to a lot of better weapons rather fast. The true star of the weaponry is your backpack-from-hell called a Supremo. This is by far your deadliest weapon and can fire everything from deadly rockets to EMP charges, if you can imagine it, it’s probably part of your weaponry. Usually, I’m not the biggest fan of spending a lot of my time behind workbenches in search of the perfect weapon but in Far Cry 6, I didn’t mind at all. I was always curious to see what I could create next and how it would kill my enemies. These crazy weapons are Dani’s best friend and after unlocking a couple of them, I’m pretty sure they’ll become your best friends too.
It doesn’t stop just there, as you probably already saw in trailers, besides the weapons, you’ll get a lot of help from your Amigo. A certain animal that will gladly take down some enemies for you. With just a push of the button, you’ll send your deadly companion into the fight, serving as a powerful ally or distraction to gain control over the enemies. Throughout the adventure, you’ll meet and unlock several of these Amigos and all come with their own unique style and abilities. Just like the weapons, it’s crazy and it’s fun. In a revolution you never fight alone and next to your animal friends, you’ll meet a lot of new characters, that will fight by your side under the right kind of circumstances. In true Far Cry fashion, those are some of the craziest and most relatable characters out there and meeting them one by one is one of the game’s strengths. If you want to conquer Yara, you’ll need to form strong bands and create an army of allies ready to take the bullet for your and the mission.
You can’t tame Yara and if you played a Far Cry game before, you’ll be blown away by the vast size of this new world. It’s without a doubt the biggest and most gorgeous map ever in the franchise and is filled with story missions, side missions, mini-games, and secrets. If you want to discover it all, you’ll be spending a lot of hours in this vibrant world. It reminded me a lot of the island from the first Far Cry game but a lot more colorful, complex, and mind-blowing fun. In my opinion, Ubisoft really created to perfect open-world environment here. It still features those classic Ubisoft open-world mechanics but thanks to the variety in the biomes and the countless secrets that are spread over Yara, you’ll never get bored doing the same kind of mission.
Conclusion:
Far Cry 6 is the perfect evolution for the franchise and offers the best open-world map without a doubt. Yara is a gorgeously created world filled with secrets and captivating story missions to keep you going. El Presidente is one of the best and most complex villains that ever graced the franchise and your weaponry is by far the most unique and fun. If you’re looking for a game to spend your time with during the coming weeks or even months, this simply is a must-have!
