In 'Far Cry 5,' when the going gets weird, the game gets awesome
Will Far Cry 5 go down as the weirdest video game of 2018? It sure is the front-runner right now.
In the original reveal, Ubisoft sold it as a mature, grounded look at cults in America. Dan Hay, the game's creative director, told me as much in May 2017.
"We're trying to build a world that is real. [This is] something that could happen," he said at the time. "So we built a situation where we've got this cult and it's got ... this section of [America] underneath its boot heels. And then you go into it in a very real way and try to take America back."
As most anyone who has played Far Cry 5 no doubt knows, the reality of the game is quite different. There's one mission built around tracking down what is strongly suggested to be the infamous "Donald Trump 'pee tape.'" Another tasks you with harvesting bull testes and bull semen, for Hope County's annual -- I swear this is what the game calls it -- Testy Festy food festival.
That's just the scripted stuff. Far Cry has always been a sandbox-first game, where the vast, freely explorable world is driven by self-governing systems that are meant to make the world feel alive.
Practically speaking, that means different types of animals and factions of humans think and act for themselves. Fires, once lit, spread naturally. Physics affect everything from the bullets fired out of your guns to the way a spiraling plane crashes into the ground.
When all of those interconnected systems crash up against the human ingenuity of a living player (not to mention each other), chaos follows. That's where the Far Cry magic really comes from. It's not about the story that's written, it's about the story that writes itself as you play.
Sometimes, this translates into epic set piece moments that are entirely of your own design. The game really sings around these sequences. And at other times... well... shit gets weird. Really weird. It happens with every Far Cry, and Far Cry 5 is no exception. One player's "this stupid game is broken" is another player's "OMG I need to capture and share every moment."
I could easily lose hours browsing through the Far Cry subreddit, just digging up increasingly bizarre GIFs. (Some of these shares are embedded, some of them just link out. It's for your protection from sound-enabled autoplay, dear reader.)
When you pull the lever too hard
Nick Rye is a useful ally and an ace pilot in Far Cry 5
Doors are for suckers anyway
Bears, y'all.
Just... bears.
That poor bison
That-- that is not a skunk, friend.
OK, yes. That is -- or was -- a skunk.
The subreddit keeps going, too. This game is an absolute delight, once you get past the fact that there's nothing serious or grounded or real about it.
Hey, Ubisoft. Next time you want to hype a new Far Cry game, just grab a bunch of weird footage captured during QA sessions. These games aren't about their stories; they're about moments.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
