Far Cry has been around for more than two decades by this point, and the first-person shooter franchise has been widely excellent. Yes, Far Cry 6 was a disappointment, and the Ubisoft open-world formula has grown a bit stale, but that does not take anything away from the series’ brilliance at its peak. There was a reason so many developers tried to replicate the same structure, and the quality of Far Cry‘s best stories was arguably what set it apart from the crowd. These games had a surprising amount to say, and they offered players more than just rock-solid gameplay and an arsenal of weapons.
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Funnily enough, the original Far Cry has probably the worst story in the franchise, closely followed by the most recent entry. Putting aside the Instincts remakes, all the games in between those bookends have good-to-great stories that still hold up well all these years later. So, let’s go through two decades of memorable villains, tyrannical rulers, and revolts by highlighting Far Cry at its best.
6
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
A Cyber Spin-Off That Plays Like A VHS Cliche
Besides the usual Far Cry games that are connected to the main franchise, there have occasionally been spin-off titles like the incredibly popular Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. This first-person shooter plays exactly like the hilarious action-packed VHS movies of the 80s and, therefore, the game itself is set in a dystopian version of the future.
While Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon may follow the typical action movie tropes of getting the girl, killing bad guys, and saving the world, experiencing that story while playing this simple spin-off leads players down a road of the importance of humanity, even for someone who is part robot, like the main character in Blood Dragon, Sergeant Rex Colt.
5
Far Cry 5
Freeing Hope County From An Intense Cult
Far Cry 5 took players to the USA to the fictional place of Hope County. You arrive in this county during a moment of panic as a doomsday cult has made it their home and has gradually taken over. What first starts as a simple arrest quickly becomes something much worse as the cult is a lot stronger than the police originally thought.
Each of the four leaders of the cult of The Project at Eden’s Gate has a unique area of the map they control, as well as an interesting story to uncover through exploring missile facilities and helping the poor residents of Hope County. Players will then eventually make it to Joseph Seed, the main leader of the cult. Far Cry 5‘s story is a bit all over the place, and the quality varies pretty significantly between the family members as they all have widely different personalities. For instance, Jacob is way more militant than the others, and he is also the most vicious and cruel. On the other hand, Faith is a lost soul who has completely succumbed to Joseph’s charisma and the allure of the bliss drug, and her sections have a delightful psychedelic edge.
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Far Cry Primal
Become The Apex Predator As The Last Survivor Of A Hunting Group
Far Cry may predominantly be a first-person shooter franchise, but spin-off titles like Primal show that incredible stories can move away from contemporary times (and guns) and be told within the Stone Age. Players control the character Takkar, a hunter from the Wenja tribe who has been cut off from the rest of his tribe. He was the only survivor of his hunting party that was ambushed by a saber-toothed tiger while exploring the fictional world of Oros.
Alone, Takkar finds other members of his tribe scattered around the land, which he must save and bring together in the hopes of taking over the entirety of Oros from the likes of Ull, the leader of another tribe that destroyed the Wenja village in this area. Far Cry Primal could have been just a gimmick, but the game really commits to its setting, delivering perhaps the most unique experience in the franchise. The story is, fittingly, driven by the characters’ primal need to survive and build a community, and Takkar’s journey from a loner to a leader is handled well.
3
Far Cry 2
Handling Malaria While Surviving As A Gun-For-Hire
The gameplay of the classic Far Cry titles of the franchise may not have aged extremely well, but their stories hold up way better as they are not far removed from the franchise’s subsequent efforts, even if they might lack larger-than-life villains. Players take on the role of a gun for hire in a war-torn African state.
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They are forced to play between both sides of the corrupted warlords of this place in Africa in the hopes of getting the medication they need to deal with the Malaria they are unfortunately plagued with. Every power play made in Far Cry 2 is done to eventually make it to the arms dealer known as Jackal and assassinate him, all in the hopes of saving this destroyed African state. Where the game shines is in its willingness to blur the line between good and evil, creating a far more realistic world that exists in the grey rather than the black and white. Also, while nowhere near as over-the-top as his successors, the Jackal is a fantastic and complex villain, and his nuance reflects the story’s overall tone.
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Far Cry 4
Fulfilling A Mother’s Last Wishes By Returning Home
Far Cry 4 tells the story of Ajay Ghale, who is returning to the fictional country of Kyrat to spread his mother’s ashes. However, he finds a completely different world from the one he imagined, and he has to actively make the choice to get involved (as you can, technically, end the campaign within 15 minutes and still complete Ajay’s goal). An assortment of civil wars has seen the country of Kyrat split away from the royal family that is led by the country’s new king, Pagan Min.
Many of Kyrat’s residents have had enough of their tyrannical leader and have united with the rebel movement known as the Golden Path. Ajay is encouraged to join this movement as he feels as if he must do what is right, though he is also unable to escape the country due to the airports being closed. Although Pagan clearly exists in Vaas’ shadow, Far Cry 4 also takes cues from Far Cry 2, as the civil war is depicted as not being a cut-and-dry case of good rising against evil. Both sides have clearly defined ideologies and, more importantly, flaws within them, allowing for a more satisfying overall story.
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Far Cry 3
Saving Friends On A Pirate Island Between Hallucinations
As well as being one of the greatest stories in the franchise, Far Cry 3 is also praised for having one of the most memorable villains, too, which makes the whole experience all that much better. Taking place on the fictional Rook Islands, the player wakes up in a cage as Jason Brody, where he, his brothers, and his friends have been kidnapped by pirates that are being led by the pirate lord Vaas Montenegro.
After escaping from the threat of slavery, the player is unable to leave the fictional Rook Islands until they have saved all their friends from the clutches of Vaas, as well as travel through various psychedelic trips, as Jason slowly finds himself enjoying killing. In the end, players must decide whether they wish to escape with their friends or remain on the island as this new warrior. Although Jason is not exactly the most beloved character in gaming, he has probably the best arc out of any Far Cry protagonist, as his transition to a ruthless killer is earned and not sudden. The game cleverly delivers a power fantasy while also subverting it, and the factions are also fairly nuanced.
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