I have a special connection to Farcry 3 and it is very close to my heart, now it can have many reasons one of them being it was among my first PC games. Farcry 3 is the 3rd installment in the FarCry franchise taking place on rook islands. Farcry 3 marks the stepping stone of the series as from this game FARCRY actually took its form and started to stand out in the open-world genre. In this review, we will breakdown the key aspects of the game.
VISUALS AND ART-STYLE
The graphic style of FarCry 3 is something I have never seen before. It is so extraordinary and unique. The closest I can guess is a mixture of borderlands and BioShock infinite. The lighting looks absolutely phenomenal and the color grading palette is perfection which is something you don’t see in many AAA games nowadays. Some other artistic effects in-game try to resemble the butterfly effect (In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state.) which is also the narrative direction of the story. So basically the art in the game has its own story to tell. The vibrant colors represent how high your character because the whole island is covered in drugs and also in one of the missions your character burns a weed farm in one of the missions the vibrant color scheme help in understanding the feeling. There are also random structures left around on the map which makes the game more lively and filled up. These are some things I really appreciate about Farcry 3.
AUDIO DESIGN
Voice acting is perfect in this game and doesn’t get cheesy at any point. Other audio like weapon audio, water waves, walking, animal sounds, grass clasping, etc still hold up and sound pretty good. The soundtrack library is, just like the visual, telling their own story relating to the situation happening in the game and blending with it very nicely, evoking a feeling of connection and acting as a bridge between the feeling the game is trying to express and the player.
GAMEPLAY
Farcry 3 defined the gameplay of the series for many new players. A stealth action-adventure FPS open-world game. FarCry 3 gameplay consists of, climbing and fixing towers to unlock new map areas, clearing out enemy outposts to unlock fast travel locations, an arcadey weapon system, a lot of takedown opportunities, story missions involving takedown of one large outpost, eventual hand to hand boss fights, and some other side activities to earn cash. There is also wildlife that will attack both you and the enemies, however there are some enemy-tamed animals that will attack only you. After killing an animal you can skin it to craft valuable utilities for your future journey. This game also has a skill tree in which you will get one point to invest after doing a specific task like clearing an outpost or fixing a tower or doing a mission. At one point in the game, you get a wingsuit which helps to glide from one place to another. There is also vehicle diversity in the game. A variation of the jeep, an alto car, and a wind glider and some more variation of jeeps and two types of water vehicle. There is also multiplayer present in this game, co-op, and PVP. PVP is your classic TDM in the parts of rook island while co-op consists of an entirely separate campaign which is also really well directed and presented. And that wraps up the gameplay which to me, it is a really solid package and for 2012 it was something new for players. Even for 2021 for a beginner in the series, this is would be a really great starting point.
STORY
A really well-presented story with one of the best characters and character development. It is about Jason Broody and his friends skydive on a mysterious rook island because yes and when they do they are captured by the local pirates. Jason escapes the pirate outpost but his brother is shot in the process. Jason is then rescued by Dennis who later tells him the basics of the island and Rakyat, a tribal warrior group fighting the pirates. Jason deals with the pirates that he will help them take down the pirate rule if they help him find his friend and ultimately escape when its done. Now what happens next is something I want you to play the game and find out yourself because it is also one hell of an acid trip. The characters you meet on the way, their development is something that can be felt by playing the game. There are also a lot of iconic dialogues and characters. Vaas, is a bad guy but NOT the main villain, but his performance was so badass Ubisoft decided to put him on the cover of the game and honestly, Vaas deserved more screen time than he formerly did. Overall the best Ubisoft has ever written
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Farcry 3 is the best Farcry (in my opinion) and also one of the best games ever made, which everyone should play at least once in their life. A perfect package of stealth and action, a visually strong title with the really moody soundtrack, and one of the best villain-hero relations ever. It is a truly great game by Ubisoft.