Ubisoft's insanity-fueled shooter franchise has had its fair share of unique villains and stories, with every entry hosting a new setting and an even crazier new villain. However, it's clear many things are changing with Far Cry 6, which is introducing a ton of new features and themes the series has never seen previously. It was clear with Far Cry 5 and New Dawn that the series was starting to feel a bit rote in its gameplay and narrative approach. At first glance, Far Cry 6 looks very similar to previous games at the outset, with its tyrannical villain enforcing oppression. However, it's the more subtle changes being made to the sixth game that make it far different.
From what's been shown and talked about so far, Far Cry 6 seems to be gearing itself up for a revolution, both literally and metaphorically. Already the game is showcasing many different firsts for the series: a non-outsider protagonist, potentially the first fully-fledged city in a Far Cry game, a secondary character to the antagonist who could have a surprising impact on the main villain, and the main villain himself who's basically an A-List actor at this point. The sixth Far Cry game has a lot going for it, especially during a time where Ubisoft is finally bouncing back from a rough year. Far Cry 6's innovations could carry that momentum even further.
The Protagonist/Antagonist Character Designs Are Promising
An unlikely source of evolution comes from Far Cry 6's protagonist, Dani Rojas. Far Cry has infamously used the "fish out of water" archetype for its protagonists basically since the series began. Every playable protagonist in Far Cry 2, Jason Brody in Far Cry 3, even to some extent Ajay Ghale in Far Cry 4, each was an outsider brought into the narrative conflict unknowingly. This time, Dani Rojas is a character who's grown up in Esperanza their whole life, witnessing the revolution that characterizes the game's setting unfold from their personal perspective. Even if Rojas initially "didn't want anything to do with the revolution," his perspective is far different compared to previous protagonists in the series.
On the flip side, Anton's tyrannical villainy holds an additional variable that could drastically change the story in different ways: Diego. Diego Castillo, Anton's son, is a 13-year-old destined to one day take over for his father as leader/dictator of Yara. The game's reveal trailer showcases that relationship, and the clear and present uneasiness between them. With third-person cutscenes detached from the player perspective, players may see more screen time of Anton and Diego's relationship throughout Far Cry 6. Diego could be a foil for Anton, or a loyal son following in his footsteps, as the game's narrative director describes Diego's loyalty as "riding the razor's edge."
Esperanza is Far Cry's First Major City
Esperanza, the capital city within the fictional setting of Yara, is also a major first for Far Cry. Many players had crafted makeshift cities in the Far Cry map editors back in the day, but the actual base game had never really featured a fully-fledged metro area before. Hub areas in Far Cry 2 onward featured microcosmic towns with a shop or two, but never anything on the scale of Esperanza. Yara's capital is promising to be a pretty big shift, gameplay-wise, towards the latter half of Far Cry 6. The beginning of the game promises to be very familiar for Far Cry veterans, placing players in farmlands and jungles, but eventually reaching the city after some time.
The revolution is meant to progressively make its way towards Esperanza as the freedom fighters that players fight alongside gain more ground. Presumably players will eventually find themselves frequenting Esperanza often, whether it's for supplies or whatever mission they need to complete there. Typically there's a few shops and interactions to be had in a Far Cry hub city/town, something that Far Cry 5 did a little better but still felt empty. With Esperanza's much grander scale, ideally there will be more things to do there as well other than buying ammo/armor, picking up a quest, and leaving immediately thereafter.
Far Cry 6 could mark a pretty huge evolution for the franchise, especially with all of its new ideas and evolution of existing concepts.
Far Cry 6 is planned to release in 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.