“Far Cry 5” was released on March 27, 2018. Originally announced in May of 2017, the game has come out a little over three years after “Far Cry 4” did back on Nov. 18, 2014. The game was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and Ubisoft Toronto and published by Ubisoft. It is available for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, and Playstation 4.
Like its predecessors, the game is an action adventure first person shooter that takes place in an open world environment. The player is free to explore the region by walking or through available vehicles.
Some changes from previous titles have been made however, such as the added ability to customize the player character and even more melee weapons being added to the available arsenal, due to a renewed emphasis on close quarters combat.
Along with this is a cooperative multiplayer called ‘Friends For Hire’ that allows the player to get through the campaign with a partner or solo depending on which they prefer.
The setting is the fictional Hope County in Montana. In this county a preacher named Joseph Seed has risen to prominence within the area, and believing that the people of Hope County are heading towards an “inevitable collapse” he has set up a group to try and protect them.
This group is known as The Project at Eden’s Gate, a congregation that is apparently working towards the salvation of the people. However, the reality of the situation is that Seed is the radical preacher for a militaristic doomsday cult that has used coercion and violence to convert the residents of Hope County to their cause.
The player acts as the deputy of the county, someone who is part of the task force sent out to arrest Seed. Along the way, there are encounters with others that oppose the cult as well with varying motives that can help the player get through the journey.
However, the game did get caught up in controversy prior to the release. The announcement came in a time of heightened political and ideological conflict, as the UK withdrew from the European Union and Donald Trump had been recently elected the president of the United States.
The current climate and themes of religious fanaticism along with the fact the location of the new Far Cry is within the United States, as opposed to more exotic locations like in prior games, would paint a target on the game. While the story itself was written over the course of years, the fact it was released while politics are still very largely in the public eye is mostly an unfortunate coincidence and, as such, all assumptions that the game targets current situations has been debunked.
Despite this, the game has received generally favorable reviews across the board. “Far Cry 5” holds a 8.9 on IGN and has been called a “wide-open playground with all the necessary ingredients for causing a real ruckus: loads of enemies and allies, temperamental wildlife, and plenty of explosions.” Others, such as Polygon’s Ben Kuchera, have called its lack of commentary on the aforementioned politic topics have called the game a “defiantly inoffensive mess.”
Erika Brandenburg
Staff Writer