Far Cry 3 was the first Far Cry game I had ever played, and still remains to be my favorite in the franchise. Its story and survival aspect are just a few reasons it stands out to me. Far Cry 4 came close to being my favorite, but everytime I replay the third one I’m reminded why I love it so much.
You play as Jason Brody who, along with his friends, go on a skydiving trip that lands them on a pirate-based tropical island. This fictional Rook Island, is an open-world that you can explore at your own leisure. The world is filled with outposts to take over, side missions to complete and crafting materials to find.
Like most Far Cry titles, the game’s story is really driven by its antagonist. Even though Vaas isn’t the main antagonist, he is the one featured on the game’s cover and has the most screen time. He is the one responsible for kidnapping Jason and his friends at the beginning of the game, and continues to antagonize them throughout the story.
This is my favorite thing about the Far Cry games, and this one in particular. They have a way of almost making the villain the main character, even though you are trying to take them out. Vass is extremely dangerous and unstable, but you can’t help but get drawn into his craziness.
It also helps drive you to your goal as a player. When a villain is so fleshed out like Vass is, it makes you more interested in seeing them brought to justice. It also creates the game’s survival aspect. Not only are you stranded on a strange island, but you’re being hunted by a vicious and ruthless man with no moral compass. You really start to put yourself in Jason’s shoes and begin to wonder if surviving is even an option.
Combat is just brilliant in this game as well. It is a first-person shooter but it’s one that lets you get your hands dirty if you want or have to. Takedowns are melee skills that can be performed on unsuspecting enemies and they feel fantastic to pull off. When upgraded later they can be chained together or even performed at a distance. My personal favorite was always to jump down onto enemies and take them down from above.
Far Cry 3 does a great job making you feel like your presence on the island starts to hold weight. As you take over outposts, you’ll begin to see less enemy activity in the areas that you have liberated. This will allow for easier exploration, and a general sense of accomplishment. The island inhabitants that aren’t part of Vaas’s crew will start to reward you for your efforts as well, giving these side missions more weight than some games do.
While I wouldn’t categorize Far Cry 3 as an RPG at all, it does have its fair share of RPG elements. You do have a skill tree to progress through as well as various inventory items that can expand your storage. For example, you can upgrade your wallet to hold more money or your ammo bag to hold more ammo. Each upgrade requires a certain animal skin as well, so you’ll be hunting down specific creatures rather than a generic “animal skin.”
For me, Far Cry 3 is still my favorite because of its fleshed out villain Vass, and the story of survival among Jason and his friends. It is a game that puts me on the edge of my seat and has me rooting for the protagonist all the way through. It is also full of stuff to do, animals to hunt and outposts to capture. I’ll be interested to see what Far Cry 6 has in store for us, and whether it can knock Far Cry 3 off its pedestal for me.
Agree with the author? Couldn’t disagree more and are frothing at the mouth to tell him? Leave a comment here, on Facebook or send an email and make sure to follow Never Ending Realm on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube!