Summary
- Far Cry New Dawn and Far Cry Primal offered different experiences in the franchise with unique settings and mechanics.
- A potential Far Cry New Dawn sequel could benefit from incorporating some of Primal's survival-based and beast-taming systems.
- A sequel that overhauls New Dawn's weapon tier system to mirror Primal's in a new iteration of its Survival Mode could work well for both story and gameplay.
Released in 2019, Far Cry New Dawn was a more divisive entry in Ubisoft's flagship FPS action franchise. After the generally well-received fifth numbered installment, it followed up with a spin-off that was also sort of a half-sequel. A strange situation to be sure, but Far Cry New Dawn signaled that the studio was still willing to try different things, even if they didn't always pan out. Prior to New Dawn, it had heavily experimented with 2016's Far Cry Primal, with the results more positively received.
With the studio having been silent for a lengthy period about what might be coming next for Far Cry, rumors and leaks have stepped in to suggest some significant changes to the formula. Whether this turns out to be true remains a waiting game for now, but Ubisoft has surprised fans before, and it could do so again by revisiting Far Cry New Dawn's world and premise in a sequel while looking to Primal for some of the best ways to inform and improve upon how one might work.
Earlier this year, Ubisoft released an unexpected update for Far Cry New Dawn, adding in a 60 FPS patch.
Far Cry 7 Should Experiment With a Feature Ubisoft's Other Huge Series Dabbled With Years Ago
Far Cry 7 has a chance to further explore one element that another of Ubisoft's main franchises touched on in the past.
Far Cry Primal Might Be the Best Inspiration for a Potential New Dawn Sequel
Far Cry Primal and Far Cry New Dawn's Visions
As the two entries set the farthest back in the past and future respectively, Primal and New Dawn are outliers in Far Cry' s output that offered players a different experience compared to most other entries. Both their settings were a bigger shakeup, with the former being set in the Stone Age instead of an exotic modern locale, and Far Cry New Dawn taking place roughly a generation after the nuclear apocalypse at the conclusion of FC5. Though seemingly lying at opposite ends of the scale, they also mirror each other in notable ways and were similarly experimental with various mechanics. With Far Cry Primal often the better-received entry, it might thus serve as the best template for a New Dawn sequel.
How a Far Cry New Dawn Sequel Based on Far Cry Primal's Designs Could Work
Far Cry has long had crafting and upgrade systems, and Far Cry Primal's Survival Mode turned things up a notch by making some of these more costly and introducing more difficult parameters. Having another title set after The Collapse could see players managing resources and building more elaborate settlements from the ground up, much like Far Cry Primal's Wenja village. A New Dawn sequel that leans into these survival-based mechanics by having specialized NPCs for players to unlock that provide increasingly better bonuses to help survive in a harsher world would fit naturally within the framework.
Far Cry Primal's beast taming was another standout element, and could be tweaked to allow fans to do so again in a post-apocalyptic setting. Ubisoft also worked with experts to create an authentic-sounding fictional primitive language for Primal, an idea that could be revived in a second New Dawn, in a future where a new tongue may be developing. While this is perhaps more on the extreme end, it was nevertheless an interesting inclusion that would benefit from a new take.
One of its least-liked features was Far Cry New Dawn's weapon tier system. This could be overhauled by altering it to work more closely like Primal's for a followup, allowing a greater range of playstyle preferences while keeping some of New Dawn's core intact. Combined with a modified version of Primal's Survival Mode, both could integrate well, playing into the setting and narrative while evolving the established formulas. Although there are currently no known plans for such a project, Far Cry Primal has numerous aspects that could serve as a good jumping-off point for a possible New Dawn sequel.
Far Cry New Dawn
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 73 /100 Critics Rec: 54%
- Released
- February 15, 2019
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Intense Violence, Mild Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft, Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Kyiv
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter
