83) Far Cry 4 (2014)

Beginning development in 2012, Far Cry 4 was originally going to serve as a direct sequel to 2012's Far Cry 3, set on the same island, expanding on the players' story and bringing back familiar faces such as Vaas Montenegro. After about four days of brainstorming, the team realized that this wasn't the game they wanted to make, and scrapped the idea to focus on a brand new setting and story. While I obviously can't comment on the direction the game didn't take, I can say that I feel this was most assuredly the correct decision. Deciding on a "we want it all" attitude, the team aimed to deliver the experiences they themselves would want, leading to an increased verticallity as well as the ability to ride elephants, which ultimately led to the setting of the Himalayas.

We begin the game as Ajay Ghale, a young man raised in the U.S. that wishes to fulfill his mother's dying wish of having her ashes returned to Lakshmana. This leads him to his mother's native country of Kyrat, which is ruled by the eccentric king Pagan Min. In short order, the bus transporting Ajay is attacked and commandeered by Min's Royal Army, and we find ourselves taken to meet with the man himself. It's here we get to see his casual brutality as he orders our guide to be tortured and excuses himself to tend to some other matters. He leaves us unguarded, showing an unexpected warmth and kindness to Ajay, promising to help fulfill our mother's wish while urging us to sample his chef's crab rangoon. Left to our own devices, we have the option to explore and eventually escape, which kickstarts the game proper, or we can be a polite house guest and remain where we are. Doing the latter actually triggers a secret ending to the game which sees Pagan Min being true to his word before credits roll.

Choosing to escape, or you know, PLAYING the game, has Ajay join up with The Golden Path, a group of rebels once led by his father who seek to free Kyrat from Min's iron fist. At the head of this group are two conflicting egos, Sabal and Amita. Sabal is a traditionalist, wanting to honor the ways of their ancestors, while Amita is more progressive, wishing to move Kyrat forward. As we proceed through the story, we get to learn more about them, seeing the flaws to both approaches as we ultimately decide which of the two will lead The Golden Path, thus determining Kyrat's future. We also get to learn more Ajay's parents, the events that led to his mother leaving the country, and how Pagan Min ties into it all.

What I especially love with the story is how everyone, regardless of how they're built up to be good or evil, comes off as deeply human. Sabal seeks to free the people of Kyrat from Min's rule, wanting to destroy the tools used to oppress the people such as fields of drugs or smuggling rings selling off the history of the people. However, his traditionalism is challenged by Amita, who points out that Sabal would refuse to allow women to serve as soldiers, promote the marrying of very young girls to older men, and would leave Kyrat with no means to support itself financially. Amita, wanting equality for women and to give Kyrat a future, is more than willing to continue with the less savory sides of Min's regime in order to fund much needed infrastructure for the country. Both are presented as being equal parts right and wrong, making the choice between them morally challenging, which is always a plus.

This humanization extends to Pagan Min and his generals, who we also get to learn more about. While some of his people claim to do as they're told to protect loved ones, Min points out that he never forced them to enjoy it the way that they do, allowing the autonomy he grants them to serve as proof of how they truly are. For his part, Pagan Min plays the role of antagonist well, always seeming calm, collected, and methodical. We learn of his ties to Ajay's past, exposing the warmth and kindness that he shows us to have a much more tragic root, and it eventually frames our mother's dying wish in a completely new light.

The gameplay serves as a natural evolution of what we saw in Far Cry 3, giving the player a multitude of options on how best to infiltrate enemy compounds and survive the harsh environments. The skill system is rewarding as each new skill gives us new options in how we play, and I love that the crafting system on display is relatively simple an unobtrusive. The weapons, especially the higher end ones, all feel different and satisfying in their own ways. Likewise, the optional side missions are varied and rewarding, and I especially love how the stats page of the menu will plainly show which missions will reward you with new weapons or achievements. It's very streamlined and user friendly, and that's always a bonus in my book.

There are, however, a few nitpicks that I have to address. While most of the main story missions are fun and give you options on how to proceed, there are one or two that require the use of stealth. While this is fine in theory, I found the stealth sections to be frustrating and annoying as even a minor mistake would lead to an instant failure of the mission. While I certainly don't mind being punished for playing aggressively, the instant failures with no way to save yourself is a bit much.

Likewise, I found myself both baffled and infuriated by what was likely a design oversight that is still somehow present over a decade later. Part of the experience is taking enemy strongholds, either with stealth or by force. Doing so will allow The Golden Path to move in, lessening the presence of the Royal Army in the area. From time to time as you explore, a nearby stronghold that you've liberated will come under attack, giving you a chance to go play the big damn hero and save the day. Great. The problem is that this seems to be prompted by you being in a nearby area, which obviously makes sense, but leads to capturing an enemy stronghold, The Golden Path moving in, and as you walk or drive away from the newly acquired stronghold, the enemy attacks forcing you to turn around and fight them off again. You can't leave your people alone for five freaking minutes without them desperately needing help. You can, of course, ignore their call for help, which has no negative consequences at all. The enemy doesn't regain the stronghold or anything, so it comes off as frustrating and pointless.

Minor criticisms aside, Far Cry 4 serves as a mechanically rich evolution of the foundation laid by its predecessor, and the features within the game work well together to create a fun and dynamic experience. While it lacks what I feel made Far Cry 3's story so strong and complex, the writing on display does an excellent job of making the characters feel human and flawed. Almost every decision I made left me feeling as though I was choosing between the lesser of two evils, and oftentimes even that felt incredibly subjective. Where Far Cry 3 excelled as an amazing story that forces the players to confront how they themselves interact with the digital world, Far Cry 4 is content to have players question their own morality while also allowing them to ride around on elephants.