Far Cry 4 | Game Review

After consuming around 15 hours of my life in a few days, I can honestly say that they have been the most exciting, dangerous and thought-provoking 15 hours of my life. And it’s a video game (re-evaluates life for a second.) Not only that, but Far Cry 4 has to be the best current-gen game of the moment.

Now, this game review would have come sooner if I felt like a few hours could justify the overall feel of the game. Big fat nope on that. With the game plunging you into the deep end from the offset, there's very little time to figure out how to survive in the mystical lands of Kyrat and from then, you know you're in for a hell of a ride. Then there’s a flurry of enemies both soldiers and wildlife, both deadly. As you stumble through the terrain, you soon discover the foundations of an outstanding story line, even better than Far Cry 3. The best thing about the story line, without a doubt, is the fact you make the story. Your character is pivotal in the entire storyline in the decisions made, which ‘Golden Path’ leader you side with and how you deal with your Karma level. Choosing between the traditional leader and the pioneering leader becomes increasingly difficult for your own conscience to handle throughout the story. And Pagan Min may be up there with some of the most evil and frightening villains in gaming.

Most games nowadays are focussing more on the co-op side of games. Far Cry 4 executes this perfectly. Being able to liberate outposts and fortresses with a friend really helps in progressing throughout the game. Having some much needed support from the ‘Buzzer’ (mini helicopter thing) with a handy grenade launcher provides some much needed support once you f-up trying to be stealthy with your bow and arrow. My console of choice for the Far Cry experience was the PS4. That instigated the very convenient, sometimes fiddly use of the touchscreen in the middle of the controller to switch weapons even quicker than pressing a button. This comes in particularly handy when getting into sticky situations when liberating outposts or bell towers. And with how quickly those situations can go sticky, you’ll soon find any way of making your own approach easier will help immensely.

You’d expect a game filled with revenge and killing wouldn’t be packed with fun features. So so wrong. Especially when that killing involves squishing enemies with an ELEPHANT! Riding an elephant while battling your way through enemy territories is more fun than it should be. Then of course, there’s the wingsuit. Once you master the ‘not flying into trees’ aspect, it’s actually an exciting (slightly terrifying) experience. Buzzing through the sky in your buzzer as you rain grenades onto the enemies below is just damn satisfying. 

There are tons of side missions that range in testing your ability, from saving hostages to bomb defusing. Each giving you a great deal of money and rewards. Shangri-La is a real change of pace from the land of Kyrat. Defeating demons by stabbing them through the chest before they disappear into a cloud of smoke with a trusty white Bengal tiger by your side to help take them all out is a thoroughly mystical, yet tantalising aspect of the game. Far Cry 4 has a truly epic arsenal of weaponry to unlock throughout the game by completing these mini games and unlocking the map. My heart and soul relies on the bow and arrow. There are also monster machine guns that rip those enemies multiple new ones and sniper rifles that really pack a punch when you’re being a stealthy little bugger.

Have any console that can play Far Cry 4? Get Far Cry 4. Not only is it an incredible game (see all of above). It’s got days of content to keep you going with side missions, things to kill, places to liberate, people to avenge. What more could anyone need?

10/10