Fans have spent a long time waiting for a proper reveal of the next Far Cry game. Many got their first hints of the game's intriguing antagonist Anton Castillo, per usual Far Cry tradition, but interviews with the game's narrative director also described another important character: Dani Rojas. Rojas is the protagonist and player character in Far Cry 6; a male or female selectable character who has grown up in the country of Yara where the game takes place. Far Cry 6 Narrative Director Navid Khavari had described Rojas as someone who wasn't interested in the revolution, or the Castillo, but fans never really got to see why until recently.
Perhaps the most interesting details unveiled with the Far Cry 6 gameplay reveal were actually hints at Dani Rojas' backstory. While several interviews previously have described Dani Rojas as a local of Yara, someone who knows the country well, the game's only other reveal previously focused on Anton Castillo and tangentially Yara. This recent gameplay reveal obviously unveiled how the game's going to play, but several tidbits shared even more complex details in the protagonist's past. Dani Rojas is living up to the promise of being one of the most narratively complex and intriguing protagonists coming to the Far Cry series in a long time.
Dani Rojas' Ambivalence Before Far Cry 6
Evidently, Dani Rojas was at one point sympathetic to the cause of Anton Castillo and the Yaran government, if at least circumstantially. As mentioned previously, and hinted at within the gameplay trailer, Dani Rojas used to be a member of the Castillo military prior to the events of Far Cry 6. For one reason or another, Dani decided the military was not in their future, which was never elaborated specifically, other than it wasn't because of the Libertad revolution either. Instead, Dani Rojas had apparently been sick of the environment of Yara altogether. Far Cry 6 begins with a Dani Rojas expressing their desire to leave Yara and seek refuge in another country.
Obviously, players will come to learn that will not happen, and Dani Rojas is in some manner swept into the movement of Libertad through some traumatic incident. What that is, for now, is obviously unclear. Clearly many of their friends and family around here join Libertad to liberated Yara from the Castillo's rule, so it's not hard to imagine certain events could instigate their decision to join Libertad as well. The game will likely flesh out and provide a compelling inciting incident to join the revolution, but it'd be interesting to see how their perspective on Libertad could change the revolution as the game's story continues.
Far Cry 6's Protagonist is Unlike Past MCs
What's immediately most interesting about Dani Rojas' character at the outset is their desire for "revenge" is not immediate, unlike other Far Cry protagonists. Judging from what's been shown so far, it's clear Dani's transformation from anonymous Yaran citizen to freedom fighter icon is certainly not immediate. Jason in Far Cry 3, as well as Ajay Ghale in Far Cry 4, are set on a path to revenge right as each respective game starts. There's a direct confrontation, a prior history, with each villain making their presence and connection to the player known right at the outset. However, Far Cry 6 seemingly flips that notion on its head with Dani Rojas and Anton Castillo.
Dani is not a "fish out of water" protagonist, unlike basically every other main character in the Far Cry series. They know Anton Castillo, they used to work for them. Dani drops out of the military presumably because they're aware of what Anton is doing with Yara, and want no part of it. At one point in time, Dani Rojas may have felt virtue or even allegiance to the Castillo military upon joining, but clearly a betrayal happened to Dani's trust that forced them to leave the military entirely. Eventually, whatever happens that forces Dani to join Libertad and fight the Castillo regime causes them to betray the military they once had joined.
Anton Doesn't Take the Full Spotlight in Far Cry 6
Dani Rojas' background and motivation already seemed compelling prior to the gameplay reveal, at least based on how the protagonist had been described. Now, seeing their place in Yara's revolution prior to the events of Far Cry 6's full story, the inciting incident could make for a compelling character arc for Dani. Being thrust into a situation that stokes revenge in the protagonist is nothing new for the series, but the protagonist's reluctance causing their inevitable pull into revolution is not like the Jason Brody's or Ajay Ghale's of the franchise's past. Depending on how Dani's inclusion in Libertad is handled, Far Cry 6's protagonist could easily become the best.
Of course, that's without even factoring in the impact Anton Castillo, and his character arc alongside his son Diego, have on players as well. Of course the biggest takeaway of any Far Cry game is how impactful the villain is on the experience, but the special attention to the protagonist is a welcome change as well. Far Cry has had some lacking options for protagonists recently in Far Cry 5's silent playable character, so hopefully this added character development well add another interesting layer to Far Cry 6's story.
Far Cry 6 releases on October 7, 2021, for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.