![]() ![]() ![]() It’s a shame that Far Cry 5 is propped up by a weak story with bland characters, because behind the plot is an open world filled with what Far Cry as a series does best. This must have made it easier for Ubisoft to offer co-op through the entire story (even if only one player is able to make progress in the story in their saved game in this mode), but it’s definitely a shift from past Far Cry games, which made the player character a large part of the world and lore. You’re called either “deputy” or “rookie” as the game progresses, and you never speak. You get to choose whether you look masculine or feminine before diving into the robust character creator to craft your look, from skin tone to clothing. You have no name or backstory other than being in law enforcement. Ubisoft wanted the evocative art of these religious references for the marketing of Far Cry 5, but the game itself is too timid to do anything with them, let alone dig into their historical baggage.Įven the lead character is a blank slate. It’s clear that this is a cult based on Christianity, but holy hell, is the game careful to dance around that fact. Those folks shouldn’t worry any thematic point to be made about religion, the United States or the current state of the nation’s politics is quickly thrown aside to make way for all sorts of jokes and lighthearted hijinks - although you’ll also see a lot of crucifixions in your travels. ![]() You’re fighting against a conservative religious cult that has taken control of a big chunk of Montana, which made some conservative and Christian commentators uncomfortable during the game’s initial marketing. The general absence of context in Far Cry 5 feels intentional, as if to smooth over any potentially controversial edges. However, the game totally fails to recognize the horror of shooting American drug addicts while the nation deals with a very real ongoing opioid crisis.Īny thematic point to be made about religion, the United States or the current state of the nation’s politics is quickly thrown aside The drug is meant to dehumanize the characters, so you feel more like you’re gunning down zombies than humans. A boss fight with a character who warps around the level, complete with a health bar, is as ridiculous and pointless as it sounds. You can be in a cult, or you can fight a cult, but torture is worth it and effective either way!Įqually flabbergasting is that many of the peggies are taking part in this violence because of a drug called “bliss.” You can tell when characters are under the influence of the drug from the green cloud around their heads bliss is used as a shortcut to get away from realistic storytelling and dive back into tired video game tropes. These two situations literally happen back to back, without anyone in the game remarking on it. In one jaw-dropping sequence, you leave a scene of torture perpetrated by the bad guys, only to end up in the bunker of the “good guys.” Guess what they’re doing? If you said “torturing someone to get information,” you win. The “everyone is bad!” argument pops up often. As a deputy sheriff, you initially try, and fail, to arrest their leader, Joseph Seed, in a lengthy action scene that ends with you being rescued by a “ prepper” who just so happens to be ready for exactly this sort of situation. You, of course, represent the government. where its members can enjoy their religion and guns without being harassed by the government. The Project at Eden’s Gate, a religious cult whose followers are pejoratively called “peggies,” wants to carve out a chunk of land in the U.S. It’s yet another mainstream game that takes crisis or tragedy and builds a Ferris wheel on top of it, while intimating that you’re bad for wanting to take a ride.įar Cry 5’s story starts on a hollow note and never improves. The goofy world and the serious story never line up, making this one of the rockiest entries in a series that has already delved so deeply into action tourism. Far Cry 5 had the potential to say something interesting by setting the game in America, but its murky story and themes do more to taint the game’s fantastic and playful open world than to give it purpose and meaning. ![]()
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