The Far Cry franchise has caught a lot of flak in recent years for feeling too formulaic. There's certainly some truth to that criticism, with the Far Cry formula having stayed largely the same since 2012's Far Cry 3. Ubisoft hasn't helped matters either, with it using Far Cry's formula for most of its other open-world franchises as well.
But every Far Cry game has its own unique set of mechanics and features its own distinct setting. That's especially true of Far Cry's several spinoffs, most of which offer quite a major departure from the core mainline series in terms of mechanics, setting, and story. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is a great example of this dramatic shift, offering fans a tongue-in-cheek 80s action movie-inspired Sci-Fi romp. Far Cry Primal is another unique entry in the franchise, taking players all the way back to the dawn of humankind. It might be time for Ubisoft to deliver another significant shake-up to the usual Far Cry formula, though it shouldn't come in the form of a direct sequel to Far Cry Primal.
What's The Best Order to Play the Far Cry Games?
The Far Cry games have been around for more than 20 years, but that means there's a lot of games to play through for newcomers to the series.
A Medieval Setting Would Be The Perfect Backdrop for a Far Cry Primal Successor
A Medieval Setting Offers Something The Far Cry Franchise Has Never Seen
The biggest appeal of Far Cry Primal, at least on paper, was the game's setting. Taking place in 10,000 BC, Far Cry Primal's backdrop offered something completely different to the rest of the franchise's present-day settings, and experimented with an era that's rarely explored in the wider gaming world.
Far Cry Primal embraced the franchise's crafting and survival mechanics, and adapted them to fit this distinct setting. Hunting and foraging were promoted from optional activities to core components of the gameplay loop, and wildlife wrestled the spotlight away from faceless goons and henchmen. Though many critics took issue with Far Cry Primal's story, the prehistoric world Ubisoft created felt rich and well-realized.
But rather than return to that prehistoric setting, a Far Cry Primal successor should look to a new era, albeit one that's still drastically different from the series' mainline offerings. A medieval setting could serve as a good evolution of Far Cry Primal's core premise, delivering a completely different set of environments and character archetypes than fans of the mainline series are used to. That said, a medieval Far Cry spinoff could still easily retain core aspects of the series' identity, such as tasking players with gradually removing a tyrannical antagonist's control over the map.
Ubisoft already has some experience with a range of different historical settings thanks to Assassin's Creed and For Honor, with both taking direct inspiration from the medieval era.
A Medieval Setting Would Retain Far Cry Primal's Melee Focus
Another big draw of Far Cry Primal was its shift in focus from ranged combat to melee combat. Though players still had access to bows, Far Cry Primal's historical setting obviously restricted them from using firearms, which normally play a key role in Far Cry's gameplay formula. Instead, players needed to rely on spears, clubs, and other primitive makeshift tools and weapons to bring down large beasts and take out rival tribesmen. The arsenal wasn't expansive, but it still provided a nice shake-up to the usual formula.
A medieval Far Cry game could offer a similar gameplay shake-up, one that puts even more emphasis on brutal and grounded melee combat. Though players would still have the use of crossbows and other era-specific ranged weapons, they'd be encouraged to use swords, maces, flails, and other melee-focused weapons, which would go a long way in making the hypothetical spinoff stand out.
Far Cry Primal
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 77 /100 Critics Rec: 60%
- Released
- February 23, 2016
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montreal
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
- Engine
- Dunia 2
- Franchise
- Far Cry
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Playable
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Open-World, Action
