Years Later, Is Far Cry 6 Really As Bad As People Make It Out To Be?

Whether you’re a seasoned franchise veteran or a newcomer to Far Cry, you must have seen Far Cry 6’s name go around a lot, considering that it’s the latest game in the series and Ubisoft is always looking to offer discounts on its titles, including the one at hand. However, it’s also the Far Cry game that has received a ton of flak for not bringing the same level of magic to the table as its predecessors. 

And while that may hold true to a certain extent, what I can tell you right off the bat is that Far Cry 6 is not flat-out horrible. It’s a first-person shooter that hits the nail on the head with many aspects while falling short in a few others. Fans being fans, I’m of the opinion that the title got a bit too much hate than what was actually warranted. 

My advice is to formulate your own opinion by actually experiencing games rather than listening to ill-advised opinions on the internet.

Areas In Which Far Cry 6 Shines

Before we get on to the parts where Far Cry 6 is outright lackluster, let’s delve into the factors that make the game special, starting with the sheer, unrestricted combat of the shooter. 

Incredible Combat Gameplay

One of the first things that Far Cry 6 employed to really grip me is the level of freedom exhibited in its refined combat, which is arguably the best in the series than it’s ever been. The diversity of the overall system has you taking on newer ways to approach every encounter, not to mention an array of bigger, badder weaponry as compared to the previous Far Cry games. 

And while I won’t just get into the world design just yet, I have to send a praise to its environmental structure’s way, which makes Yara — a fictional Caribbean island — feel utterly lush with attention to detail. That said, I do understand it when players complain of the lack of actual stuff to do in the game’s world, but that’s a story for another section, so let’s not sully the gameplay bit for now. 

I found the Resolver weapon category in Far Cry 6 a fairly good addition to the franchise, allowing me to mix up the gameplay with distinct changes and making the whole of it come off as “experimental” rather than something pre-defined already. Oh, and when you start connecting the dots and figuring out your character’s strengths, such as what type of items to employ for stealth in what type of situation, you can genuinely pull off some amazing combat gameplay.

Terrific Visuals

Not a single critic or user review out there casts doubt on the game’s visuals and graphics, so you know how Far Cry 6 nails that to the core. I mean, Ubisoft is pretty good when it comes to this particular department — even if it always manages to miss the mark in other areas surprisingly — and it’s the same story here with the title at hand.

The focus on lighting and enviromental detail in Far Cry 6 is thoroughly first-class, even if there’s not much to do around all that splendor.”  

Far Cry 6’s Most Glaring Shortcomings

But, of course, nothing is perfect, and Far Cry 6, for one, sure as heck’s far from it—being a Ubisoft game and all. There are certain facets of the open-world action-adventure that take a considerable nose dive in the grand scheme of things. Let’s look into these right away. 

Lackluster Storyline 

One of the biggest complaints people have and continue to have about Far Cry 6 is its storyline. If you judge it on its own, the plot is fairly passable, but for a Far Cry game, the quality is actually a far cry from the norm, with the franchise reaching its zenith with the third mainline installment. There are multiple problems with it, but if I were to point out a few for this write-up, here they are.

For starters, you don’t really see much of the main antagonist, who is supposed to be a supremely overpowered personality, considering both the actor, who is the legendary Giancarlo Esposito, and his influence, until the very end. On top of that, the protagonist is kept fairly privileged throughout the campaign, with the enemy AI and overall structure not being able to put up much of a challenge for the player. 

FC6 feels story and characters feel forced…or it just didnt catch me
byu/lohnoah333 infarcry

No Big Leap From Previous Iterations

And all of that leads to a product that does not feel like it genuinely goes the next step in the franchise when it should be doing that. One could say because of this that the series needs to go back to its original formula, but then again, Ubisoft is not the one known to make positive change happen, we all know that first-hand, now don’t we? 

Anyway, my verdict is: Far Cry 6 is a solid 8/10 in the eyes of someone who wishes to go through the game as another open-world action-adventure first-person shooter, and not a continuation of the iconic Far Cry series. Sometimes, you have to observe things from a different lens to be able to extract some value from them, and that’s just how it is with this one. 

A suggestion here is to get Far Cry 6 through Xbox Game Pass—it’s free over there now.