After Far Cry 2's nihilism, comes Far Cry 3, a story of madness, delusions and clash of ideals. What can we consider normal, what makes us who we are and what it takes to free yourself from the chains that hold you back from salvation? Far Cry 3 asks a lot of questions, packed in an Alice in Wonderland coat. Jason Brody and his friends are stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere when they are kidnapped by pirates. Jason escapes and ventures into the jungle in order to rescue his friends. His journey is full of twists and turns but mostly violence, blood and murder as he destroys everything in his path for a goal that is seemingly important for him.
Far Cry 3's madness and jungle mayhem only lasts for the first section of the game and the adventure quickly halts from it for a rushed finale, that brings closure but only for the player. Jason's half-baked development does not make sense in a way, and his madness and bloodlust is not resolved at all. You can kill in a very violent manner and Jason is very confident when it comes to killing everyone with a machete. Takedowns are violent and ruthless as Jason does not care at all about his enemies. This over the top violence is coded inside Far Cry 3's DNA as the shooting itself is also brutal, responsive and fast.
The reactions to different shots stayed but the injury system is gone, making the kills instantaneous. This is further supported by the variations of takedowns, which can range from simple stabbing to jumping onto an enemy and stabbing him to death. You behave similarly with the animals you can find in the game, which you will need to hunt down in order to get more space for loot, money and basically everything. Hunting down animals is essential and the earlier you do it, the easier the game will be. However, the sacred nature of hunting, conquering the jungle is something that is only sacred in words. In practice, you shoot everything on sight with brutal fashion, creating this world where culture is something that no one practices. In a society where everything is tied to a culture that is on the brink of collapse, what do you truly desire?
This is the main foundation of this game, creating utter chaos where nature is ruthless and rusted killing machines collide with each other in a relentless battle, where pirates are part of the islands ecosystem and mercs are the outsiders. Where order is something that is considered alien, what can someone do who has no aim, no goals in life? You do what others says, without any question. Motivation does not matter. You liberate outposts, climb towers, win races and free yourself from the burden you carried all this way. Everything comes to an end eventually, right?
This is where Far Cry 3 collapses and the brutality becomes tedious, the nothingness of violence becomes a static noise that means nothing. It seemingly works as it communicates with the player how much the protagonist is changed during the adventure but from a gameplay standpoint, the loop is just not exciting anymore. The thrill of the hunt is getting boring and nothing excites you anymore.
The world of Far Cry 3 does not give you the freedom that it promises, it only makes you question what this adventure could have been, instead of enjoying the whole ride. You can see that I am very passionate about the Far Cry franchise as I really like what Ubisoft did with these games. I think every entry is at least good but when it comes to Far Cry 3, it always feels empty to me. The story of Jason is something that only works when you are so focused on the main story that you dismiss the fantasy and madness this game promises to you. I still replay this game, expecting it to change. Something just pulls you in. This was my fourth or fifth playthrough of this game, and still, I always come back to it. The definition of insanity is way too real with this one.
Far Cry 3's madness and jungle mayhem only lasts for the first section of the game and the adventure quickly halts from it for a rushed finale, that brings closure but only for the player. Jason's half-baked development does not make sense in a way, and his madness and bloodlust is not resolved at all. You can kill in a very violent manner and Jason is very confident when it comes to killing everyone with a machete. Takedowns are violent and ruthless as Jason does not care at all about his enemies. This over the top violence is coded inside Far Cry 3's DNA as the shooting itself is also brutal, responsive and fast.
The reactions to different shots stayed but the injury system is gone, making the kills instantaneous. This is further supported by the variations of takedowns, which can range from simple stabbing to jumping onto an enemy and stabbing him to death. You behave similarly with the animals you can find in the game, which you will need to hunt down in order to get more space for loot, money and basically everything. Hunting down animals is essential and the earlier you do it, the easier the game will be. However, the sacred nature of hunting, conquering the jungle is something that is only sacred in words. In practice, you shoot everything on sight with brutal fashion, creating this world where culture is something that no one practices. In a society where everything is tied to a culture that is on the brink of collapse, what do you truly desire?
This is the main foundation of this game, creating utter chaos where nature is ruthless and rusted killing machines collide with each other in a relentless battle, where pirates are part of the islands ecosystem and mercs are the outsiders. Where order is something that is considered alien, what can someone do who has no aim, no goals in life? You do what others says, without any question. Motivation does not matter. You liberate outposts, climb towers, win races and free yourself from the burden you carried all this way. Everything comes to an end eventually, right?
This is where Far Cry 3 collapses and the brutality becomes tedious, the nothingness of violence becomes a static noise that means nothing. It seemingly works as it communicates with the player how much the protagonist is changed during the adventure but from a gameplay standpoint, the loop is just not exciting anymore. The thrill of the hunt is getting boring and nothing excites you anymore.
The world of Far Cry 3 does not give you the freedom that it promises, it only makes you question what this adventure could have been, instead of enjoying the whole ride. You can see that I am very passionate about the Far Cry franchise as I really like what Ubisoft did with these games. I think every entry is at least good but when it comes to Far Cry 3, it always feels empty to me. The story of Jason is something that only works when you are so focused on the main story that you dismiss the fantasy and madness this game promises to you. I still replay this game, expecting it to change. Something just pulls you in. This was my fourth or fifth playthrough of this game, and still, I always come back to it. The definition of insanity is way too real with this one.