When we were first treated to the Far Cry 3 trailer at E3 2011, the assumption was that this was going to be a very large game. As the protagonist moved from underwater cavern to jungle precipice, it felt like the game was keeping true to Ubisoft’s series’ open-world experience, but taking it to the next logical step.
What that next logical step, as it turns out, is a game that is exponentially larger than both Far Cry and Far Cry 2. Very large open-world games in their own right, the first two Far Cry games are nothing short of impressive, but Ubisoft isn’t done expanding.
Speaking with Narrative Director Jason VandenBerghe, EDGE magazine was able to get a good sense of the scale in Far Cry 3 as compared to the previous games. It’s not just about making the game world larger for Ubisoft, but also about ensuring that game world is populated by new and exciting elements.
“If you look at the vistas and the scale of Far Cry 1 and 2, take that and multiply it by ten. We want to take that even further. We’re focusing on taking that scale and making it dense, so that around every corner there’s something to find or see. That’s a key in open-world experiences. We ask ourselves: if there wasn’t anyone to shoot in the game, could it still be fun?”
While the brutal kills and borderline insane antagonist from the game’s trailer got the audience the most excited, Ubisoft promises that even more features are on the way. One of those features highlighted briefly by VandenBerghe is the game’s morality system.
In Far Cry 3 there will be decisions that the player will need to make that won’t be clearly outlined as “good” and “bad." VandenBerghe wants the player to really contemplate their actions in the game, most likely since they will have far-reaching consequences.
Unfortunately, VandenBerghe didn’t go into too much detail about the moral dilemmas of Far Cry 3, but we are so early in the game’s marketing push that there is plenty of time to get to the really juicy details.
What are your initial impressions of Far Cry 3? Do you prefer a smaller, more densely detailed environment or one that gives the sense of a grand scale?
Far Cry 3 is scheduled to release early next year on the PS3, PC, and Xbox 360.