Ahead of its launch, Diego was one of the biggest mysteries and changes in Far Cry 6. Past villains such as Vaas, Pagan Min, and Joseph Seed had no real protégé of sorts, even if they had backers or family. Joseph Seed losing his family was a key part of the game, but they all felt sectioned off, limited to Joseph’s commentary about their loss in cutscenes. For Diego to seemingly be an active part of the story, sitting just below the villain as his son, it opened a ton of possibilities.
At first, Diego and Anton’s relationship seemed like it was always on edge, but slowly through Far Cry 6’s marketing, it became clear their relationship was tense but not as razor’s edge as it originally seemed. There were a ton of possibilities still, such as Dani having some major impact on Diego, Diego’s role in the future of Yara, and more that seem enticing before release, but the game ends up taking it in an almost predictable direction.
This is not to say anything against Diego’s or Anton’s acting; each character truly felt brought to life. Yet, in a story where he was a key player, Diego felt minimized in Far Cry 6 (though one could argue as a child he shouldn’t have ever been there). But, looking at his relationship with Dani, there’s clearly something missing. NOTE: HUGE SPOILERS FOR FAR CRY 6 AHEAD.
Far Cry 6: Diego’s Relationship with Dani
Dani will first meet Diego as he tries to escape Yara via boat, just for him to be hunted down by Anton. This results in Dani joining Libertad after her close friends die (or leaving for Miami after some work for Libertad in Far Cry 6’s alternate ending.) The problem comes after: although they saw each other here, their next meeting is at the start of the Castillo storyline: after the prologue and three others.
Players are technically able to do this once they are about Rank 10 and in between the other storylines, but they don’t have to. The messaging of this particular mission even sounds like it could be the last one, likely putting some players off. This creates a weird sense of time where players can assemble all the Libertad allies, resulting in days if not weeks of story, before they see Diego again outside of cutscenes where he appears alongside Anton.
Some of these scenes create empathy for Diego, as he is clearly reluctant to be the dictator his father is. Others show how he is on this path regardless, such as when he shows little mercy to the Legends prisoner or when he shoots someone later on (albeit, this is to save Dani during the Castillo storyline).
But, in a way, it makes no sense for two strangers who saw each once on a boat to develop a relationship so quickly after so much time too. When Diego lets Dani go during this storyline, regardless of how much time has passed, it seems strange. He does explain that if he leaves his father, Far Cry 6's Yarans will die, but it sets the stage for a weird relationship.
Dani will save Diego. Diego will save Dani. Libertad/Juan will try to kill Diego. Dani will intervene. Sure, the moral answer here is not to kill a child even during Far Cry 6’s revolution, but the raw emotion attached seems out of place. This is especially true given that, outside of the boat scene, three storylines and the prologue can pass before Diego is a major factor in the game outside of cutscenes. Crudely, this means he’s essentially irrelevant for 80% of the game.
Diego’s Story in Far Cry 6
Notably, forcing some of these missions on the player sooner as story missions could have alleviated some of the awkward timing, but including Diego more in the overarching storyline and missions somehow could have improved that relationship. Perhaps Diego tried one more escape attempt, perhaps Libertad learned of it, and perhaps he and Dani were forced into a more intimate situation than the brief moments early in the Castillo questline that still led him to somehow oppose his father in this regard. It makes little sense, especially assuming that Diego saw more of Anton’s cruelty as he likely did.
In contrast, Diego still saw his father’s sickness, and that may have played some role. For some reason, though, he volunteers this information to Dani—something that otherwise seems like a well-kept secret. And in this story of lions and lambs, truth and lies, it becomes clear that everything Diego saw in his father was a lie. There at the end, Anton kills Diego to save him from having the same life he did, with Anton’s final word being “lies.” This is to Dani’s willingness to protect Diego from Libertad, perhaps playing on that strange relationship between Dani and Diego.
Far Cry 6’s Ending
At one point in the game, Dani is compared to Lobo who tried in the past revolution to take Esperanza and the whole of Yara for himself. Dani even feels dangerously close to becoming Lobo as the eventual leader of Libertad, but the game just decides they don’t. Just as this story really stops short where a second ending with Dani becoming “El Presidente,” Diego’s story too stops short of any satisfying ending.
Diego’s ending is cruel and befitting Far Cry 6’s exploration of revolution, but the emotional impact all the way through feels more odd than genuine. Dani leaves and begins putting down the insurgency, and Diego matters little to them anymore. Diego had all the opportunity in the world, as son of the dictator, genuinely good kid, and someone with a relationship with Dani/Libertad, but it doesn’t develop enough to make his ending sad, emotional, or anything of the sort. It just ends.
Far Cry 6 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.