The Far Cry games, for the longest time, have been known for their vast and varied open-worlds and seemingly larger-than-life, charmingly complex antagonists. While the series has been seemingly trending downward lately, with entries like Far Cry New Dawn being hailed as mediocre games, Far Cry 6 is a great chance to reinvigorate interest in the series for long-time fans.
The trailer featuring Breaking Bad's Giancarlo Esposito as the game's primary antagonist has certainly raised many eyebrows, and the surrounding information about how Far Cry 6 may deviate from the series' traditional formula has added to that. However, the game will undoubtedly be pitted straight against its Far Cry 3, which may or may not be the best.
Far Cry 3 Is Still An S-Tier Far Cry Game
While it's been over 8 years and 4 Far Cry entries since the release of Far Cry 3, the game still stands tall in the face of almost every other entry in the series, if not taller. Far Cry 3's Rook Islands is a playground of murder, teeming with possibilities for tackling its various side-activities littered around its huge space. The biggest achievement of Far Cry 3 is, however, finding the perfect balance between the narrative and open-world elements.
Far Cry 3's towers and familiar hunting activities are fun distractions that may be worth delving into, but so is its interesting and well-written narrative. The biggest highlight is definitely Vaas Montenegro, one of the most memorable and terrifying antagonists in all of gaming. All of this combined makes Far Cry 3 is an unforgettable journey and a golden standard to what a great Far Cry game should strive to be.
How Far Cry 6 Specifically Comes Into The Picture
While comparisons to Far Cry 3 are a rite of passage for every entry in the franchise, Far Cry 6's comparisons stem from a seemingly absurd-but-believable piece of fan speculation. The primary antagonist's son, Diego Castillo, is speculated to be Far Cry 3's Vaas Montenegro on account of his instantly recognizable eyebrow mark and a resembling facial cut and skin tone. Zealous fans were quick to point out the similarities, but there are a few key differences here that make such speculations unlikely. Far Cry 3's Vaas shared his childhood with her sister Citra, while Diego doesn't seem to have any siblings yet. Regardless of whether the speculations come out to be true or false (though almost certainly false at this point), comparisons would probably exist and may have the power to make or break the game for some regardless.
It's true that Far Cry 6 is a game of many firsts, and it's likely that it will deviate from the series' roots in many ways. If that does turn out to be the case, perhaps Far Cry 6 will be the first game to step out of Vaas' shadow.
Far Cry 6 is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.