Summary
TheFar Cryseries has long stood as a great example of what Ubisoft can do with an open world, known for its exotic settings, charismatic villains, and chaotic gameplay. Over the years, theFar Cryfranchise has taken significant evolutionary leaps by introducing new mechanics and expanding its world design. Unfortunately, this evolution hasn’t always been welcomed with open arms by its fans. With each new installment,Far Cryhas faced nearly insurmountable criticism as it attempts to offer something both veteran fans and newcomers alike can appreciate, but that’s difficult to do when nostalgia is often at stake.
As Ubisoft begins implementingnew formulas with its upcomingFar Cry 7, it’s worth questioning whether the series might one day revisit its roots, asAssassin’s Creed Miragedid for its brand. IfAssassin’s Creed Miragedid anything for Ubisoft, it’s that it showed that the developer is willing to reflect on its past and go back to what once made its franchises so appealing to players. For a series as iconic asFar Cry, the potential to reignite its popularity by embracing a more nostalgic approach seems awfully tempting for Ubisoft.
Ubisoft Could Eventually Bring Far Cry Back to Basics
Assassin’s Creed Mirage Recently Took the Series Back in Time
Assassin’s Creed Miragedidn’t end up being one of the best-reviewedAssassin’s Creedgames ever released, but its launch marked a very significant moment for the franchise and Ubisoft alike. Rather than continuing to innovate the series withAssassin’s Creed Mirage, Ubisoft chose a more nostalgic approach with its gameplay mechanics, effectively takingAssassin’s Creedback to its rootswith a renewed emphasis on stealth and parkour that more recent entries, likeAssassin’s Creed Valhalla, had largely neglected.
Assassin’s Creed Miragealso moved away from the sprawlingRPG elements of titles likeOdysseyandValhalla, which had alienated some longtime fans of the series. Since theAssassin’s Creedseries initially grew in popularity on account of its more deliberate gameplay, where stealth and strategy were keys to success, many fans who had remained with the franchise into its modern era began to drift away as combat and grinding for levels seemingly replaced the series' original identity. However,Assassin’s Creed Mirageopted for more story-driven gameplay that reflected the classicACexperience fans once knew.
Assassin’s Creed Miragedidn’t end up being one of the best-reviewedAssassin’s Creedgames ever released, but its launch marked a very significant moment for the franchise and Ubisoft alike.
Again, these elements didn’t automatically qualifyAssassin’s Creed Miragefor a glowing reception, but it did show a better side of Ubisoft than what fans had been seeing for quite some time. Newer fans of the series might have felt thatAssassin’s Creed Miragewas more of a departure than anything else, whereas veteran fans more than likely appreciated the game and the nostalgic experience it offered. Nevertheless, asUbisoft had been regularly criticizedfor bloating and oversaturating theAssassin’s Creedformula, the developer chose to take a drastically different approach withAssassin’s Creed Mirage, and it seemed to reignite hope in Ubisoft, at least for a time.
Ubisoft Might Try a “Back-to-Roots” Approach With Far Cry at Some Point
Now, while Ubisoft is reportedly continuing to innovate itsFar Cryformula with the release ofFar Cry 7, it wouldn’t at all be surprising if the developer eventually chose to take the series back to its roots in a future entry, just as it did withAssassin’s Creed Mirage. It would make complete sense if, at some point, Ubisoft launched aFar Crygame more reminiscent ofFar Cry 3, which is widely considered to be the bestgame in the series. This would not only offer a more nostalgic experience for longtime fans, but potentially restore some goodwill in the process.
Since the release ofFar Cry 3in 2012, the series has undergone some significant changes that haven’t been all that well-received by fans. Most notably is the expansion ofFar Cry’s open-world formula, which offers players greater freedom in exploration and mission completion but simultaneously leads to bloated world design where the story is largely overshadowed. This modern approach toFar Crygameplay has resulted in its more recent installments feeling formulaic, with a repetitive “clear the map” approach with outposts, resources to collect, and more than enough fetch quests.
The new formula Ubisoft is apparently constructing forFar Cry 7may or may not sit well with fans, but the developer will more than likely release aFar Crygameat some point that offers a more classic experience than the modern installments as of late. The probability of this happening will increase all the more if Ubisoft’s innovative approach toFar Crydoesn’t succeed, but it seems like it’ll happen regardless. Ubisoft currently seems to be doing whatever it can to restore the faith its fans once had in it, and a “back-to-roots"Far Crygame would be a noble attempt at doing so.
Far Cry 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Play as Dani Rojas, a local Yaran and become a guerrilla fighter to liberate the nation. Welcome to Yara, a tropical paradise frozen in time. Far Cry 6 immerses players into the adrenaline-filled world of a modern-day guerrilla revolution.
