Far Cry 3 stands out as a phenomenal game, and one of the best of this decade. With an equal balance of open world interaction, and scripted sequences, its single player experience is memorable and fun. Unlike its predecessor, Far Cry 2, the third installment does not feel chore-ish when you’re travelling the island archipelago, and its mix of Indonesian and Spanish denizens. Sound and graphics are optimized suitably for the PC, and you’ll find yourself running, gunning, sliding, swimming, ziplining and more with ease and fluidity.
Moving around has never been so fun.
Some features that stand out from the Far Cry 3 single player is Vaas. Vaas is single-handedly one of the most thrilling and exciting components of the game. Many have refuted the narrative experience of Far Cry 3 as a water-downed and blatantly colonial experience: white man kills all the native citizens, and kills them better than they kill each other. There is no avoiding the colonial undertones in the plot – it is the weakest part of the game. The single player campaign draws its strength from characterization: not of the protagonist Brody, but every other character you meet but yourself.
Some of the other strengths of the single-player are its fun “levelling” system; the first-person platforming of the radio towers; using a bow; stealth takedowns; and hand-gliders.
On top of a lengthy Far Cry 3 single player (it took me around 20 hours on medium difficulty and without doing every side quest), there is an extensive co-op campaign and a multiplayer game mode.
The co-op is fantastic, allowing up to 4 players to tromp through the lush jungles and pristine coastlines over the course of a handful of missions; the whole experience lasting up to 4-6 hours depending on your team cohesion and your DLC.
The multiplayer is distinct enough to allow some separation from the Call of Duty phenomenon, but it still relies on the norm of getting XP, having Challenges, and running and gunning. It has a few unique traits, mostly in how you can move about, that obviously draws from the single player campaign. Conclusively, Far Cry 3’s competitive multiplayer is a nice diversion from the other two modes.
All in all – there’s a lot to do here, and you get the true bang for your buck. Vaas will never leave you; the co-op is tons of fun; and the multiplayer is an added bonus.
It would be something of insanity to not invest in the crazy world of Far Cry 3.