Ubisoft’s explosive open world FPS series, Far Cry, has always been there to offer us a sprawling sandbox for players to kill enemies, take over bases, and satiate our thirst for eccentric violence for years now. Each entry in the series pits us against another antagonist in another sprawling world, with another cast of crazy characters to help out along the way. With the release of Far Cry 6 just this month, we’re taking a look at how it fares against its immediate predecessor, Far Cry 5. So, without further ado, let’s dive right on in.
Story – Far Cry 6
Far Cry 5 vs Far Cry 6
When it comes to Far Cry games, many argue that the series has lost a sense of urgency in its narratives since its peak with Far Cry 3 and iconic antagonist Vaas.
With Far Cry 5, the player had to battle their way through Joseph Seed and his disciples to put an end to the creepy cult and escape Hope County alive. While it certainly provided some purpose for all of the explosive action, it never felt like you were in all that much danger, save a few exceptional moments. The story was there, but we weren’t wholly engaged in it.
In Far Cry 6, the ante is upped a little as you play a guerrilla fighter trying to topple the corrupt Castillo regime that’s had the country of Yara in a vice-like grip for years. As you visit each region of Yara, you’re tasked with uniting the various resistance movements together to improve your chances of taking down Anton Castillo once and for all.
Alongside the narrative of the uprising, we also get to see the interesting dynamic between Anton and his son Diego — a teenager clearly torn between making his father proud and following in his footsteps, and his moral compass that tells him what his father is doing is wrong. It adds a more personal tone to the story and, in our opinion, makes for a slightly stronger over the narrative of Far Cry 5.
Gameplay – Tie
Far Cry 5 vs Far Cry 6
This one’s a bit of a no-contest here. One of the chief complaints of the Far Cry series in 2021 is the fact that the gameplay simply hasn’t evolved in over a decade. That may be fine for some — present company included — that enjoy the sandbox explosive action, but for others, they believe the gameplay needs to be shaken up.
As such, this rounds a tie. If you’re looking for which game has stronger gameplay over the other, there’s not really all that much to differentiate the two titles. You’ll still be capturing enemy bases, blowing stuff up with a vast arsenal of weapons, and helping a cast of eccentric characters with their odd jobs along the way.
Even the mission structure between the two games remains largely the same, with you tasked with clearing out swathes of enemies and completing a multitude of fetch quests.
A solid tie in this round.
Side Content – Far Cry 6
In this section, we’re going over anything you could do outside of the main story missions in both games. In our opinion, this is something that Far Cry 6 just manages to nab, too.
Far Cry 5 did have some standout side missions, such as getting a chef some bull’s testicles and its ‘Close Encounters’ mission that saw you investigating some mysterious Alien goings-on around Hope County. It also featured the Clutch Nixon stunts for players to complete, but we did find that a lot of the side content felt like filler in order to make Hope County feel more alive than it really was.
In Far Cry 6, developer Ubisoft seems to have been able to execute more of their eccentric ideas because of the culture of the country and the eccentric people who live there. You can follow the pages of a poet strewn across a beach to find his beloved clutching a treasure (it’s not quite how it sounds), a crazy artist who uses human ‘materials’ in his work, and there’s even a neat little nod to Indiana Jones. Not to mention hunting down mythical animals, and completing the Triada Blessings quest that has you navigating ancient tombs in search of relics. Oh, and there’s also a haunted house and a mysterious underwater cave system to explore, too.
As much as we loved exploring Hope County, there just seemed to be a new surprise waiting around every corner in Far Cry 6’s Yara and for that, it gets the nod here.
World – Far Cry 6
Far Cry 5 vs Far Cry 6
In terms of the worlds we were exploring in both Far Cry 5 and Far Cry 6, it’s the latter once again that won us over. For everything that Hope County offered, it felt a little generic. There was nothing that really stood out as fantastic and the modern-day setting only added to that feeling that we’d already been here and done that at some point in the past. It certainly had its moments of beauty, and the way the various regions were somewhat varied in what they offered helped to reduce any signs of fatigue, but Far Cry 6’s Yara just did it so much better.
Not only is Yara significantly bigger, it also, as we mentioned in the previous section, contained so many cool little Easter Eggs and secrets, ruins, cave systems, and tall tales that added to the culture and history of the world. It felt lived in, as if events and stories had taken place long before you decided to finally take the fight to Castillo in a way that Hope County didn’t.
Winner – Far Cry 6
Given it mopped up most of the categories here, it should come as no surprise that Far Cry 6 is the better Ubisoft game. While it may not offer the innovation the series arguably needs, it’s the bigger and more refined experience Far Cry experience compared to its predecessor.
The larger world of Yara is more enjoyable to explore without enemies constantly hunting you down, and has more surprises tucked away for you to find. It feels like a more believable war-torn locale over Far Cry 5’s Hope County, too, even if we did have a bit of a soft spot for some of its side content.
These highlights were too few and far between, though, and Far Cry 6’s larger world was able to pack more of this in. It’s all wrapped up in a story that has a more personal dynamic to it thanks to the relationship between Anton and Diego Castillo. Far Cry 6’s villains are easier to hate, and the plight of its protagonists is one that’s far easier to get behind than its predecessors.
That being said, Far Cry 5 is by no means a ‘bad game’ just because it lost out in this contest. If you’ve not yet played it and are itching for more explosive sandbox goodness, it’s definitely worth checking out.
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