106.5) Far Cry 5: Hours of Darkness (2018)

The first of three DLC packs available for Far Cry 5, Hours of Darkness is, for my money at least, the hands down best of the bunch. Far Cry 5 definitely went above and beyond in terms of how out there they were willing to go for the DLC, including a zombie storyline and a mission to Mars, but Hours of Darkness stands out for how grounded it is not only in real life history, but also in terms of how it provides context for a minor NPC and the sidequest he sends us on. I don't plan on covering all of the DLC, but Hours of Darkness does so much right in its short run time that I feel not covering it would be a disservice to the game.

In Far Cry 5 proper, there are a number of sidequests that revolve around finding random knick knacks in order to earn in game money and items. Most of these boil down to finding the right NPC, getting a map with the rough location of the items, then finding where they may be hidden in out of the way areas. One of these missions involves finding an old comic book collection, with the comic books being small hints or previews of what the DLC would pertain to. Another of these, and the one most pertinent to this article, is to find a collection of old flip lighters belonging to now deceased Vietnam war veterans. The quest is given to us by an old man named Wendell Redler, who tells us that the lighters belong to the other men in his unit, and he would like them as a way to remember them as he is now the only one left alive. In and of itself, it's a nice quest that adds a layer of context to the numerous bunkers and safe houses we find throughout the game.

Hours of Darkness adds a thick layer of context to this seemingly innocuous fetch quest. Set during the American involvement in the Vietnam war, we take on the role of Wendell Redler as we he finds himself stranded and separated from his squad behind enemy lines. We're tasked with finding and rescuing our squad and making it to an extraction point. While it may sound simple enough, it's anything but, as we must contend not only with enemy soldiers who have us outnumbered and outgunned, the dangerous wildlife found in the region, as well as enemy artillery and biochemical agents that make certain areas nearly inaccessible.

What I love most about the experience from a gameplay perspective is just how harsh and raw it feels when compared to the main game, especially when compared to the one person army you can be in late game. Stealth is not only advised, it's damn near required as ammo and supplies can be relatively hard to come by. Where I played most of the main game just running and gunning like a badass, here, I had to be conservative with ammo, watch and learn enemy patrol patterns, and strategically pick off enemies one by one when assaulting a camp. Failure to do so would make things significantly harder.

From a story and historical perspective, it adds a brilliant layer of context into the people who reside in the fictional Hope County. These are people who either experienced war first hand or grew up with stories from those who had. The brutality of war, especially the horrors experienced during the Vietnam war, make the abundance of bunkers and weapon caches seem less likely paranoia and more like an abundant level of preparedness. These aren't tinfoil hat wearing conspiracy theorists, they're soldiers and survivors who have seen humanity at its worst first hand.

The DLC culminates in a deeply satisfying last stand fire fight as we await extraction. After hours of playing cautiously and being stealthy, we're rewarded with a true Rambo moment, mowing down waves of enemy soldiers while patriotism pumps through your veins. It's a beautiful payoff to an amazing DLC experience. My only complaint is that the experience is so short lived. Even exploring and finding the optional collectibles, it still only clocks in at a couple of hours. I'm not usually one to complain about length, especially if the game accomplishes what it sets out to do, but I would absolutely be down to play a full 10-20 hours of the experience on display here. As is, it's an absolute blast that stands in stark contrast to the gameplay seen in the main game, and I mean that in the best possible way.