Far Cry 3 (PS3)

Far Cry 3 - copyright: developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft

Open world games become a regular category in the modern consoles. They can be settled in modern cities, ancient civilizations and even in outer space. These games normally share a main characteristic: the possibility to freely explore the game virtual world. Actually, more than just free exploration, open world games commonly offer non-linear plots and lots of customization, allowing the player to advance at his/her own pace.

Among many open world titles, one of the best titles is called Far Cry 3. Developed by Ubisoft Montreal and released on the end of 2012, this game is the third (not obviously, as some games have spin-offs) installment in the Far Cry series. It is set on a tropical archipelago called Rook Islands, where the protagonist, Jason Brody, must survive a war between the Rakyat, a native people of the island, and a group of invading pirates.

Far Cry 3 game cover (in case you are wondering, Jason is buried and Vaas is staring at you)

The game story begins with Jason and his group of friends enjoying their vacations in the region. After a skydiving trip, they were captured in the Rook Islands by a group of pirates, led by Vaas. Separated from his friends, Jason and his older brother Grant escape the prison. However, Vaas kills Grant, leaving Jason completely alone in the tropical island. After some struggle in the jungle, Jason is founded by Dennis, a member of the Rakyat. Dennis gives to Jason the Tatau, the tattoos that are the symbol of the Rakyat warriors. While helping the Rakyat in some missions, Jason discovers that his friends may be still alive in some part of the Rook Islands. After that, the plot is divided between Jason helping the Rakyat people and trying to save his friends.

You and your friends before the game really begin

One famous quote of the pirate Vaas is about insanity. "Did I ever tell you the definition of insanity? Insanity is doing the exact... same fucking thing... over and over again…” According to that, Far Cry 3 is a completely healthy game: it offers lots of different missions and things to do along the story, from completely destroying enemies’ bases to stealthy stealing secret information from the pirates and exploring lost civilizations temples.

Assault an enemy camp with a sniper rifle is really satisfying (and safer)

Moreover, the Rook Islands are full of wild animals, such as leopards and Komodo Dragons, which, summed with the large number of invading pirates, makes the game full of surprise encounters and fierce combats. Excluding some missions where you must act according to specific instructions, such as “use this weapon” or “kill the pirates without being noticed”, the game allows you to play freely, according to your own combat and exploration styles.

The temples explorations are one of my favorite parts of Far Cry 3

There is a large set of weapons and items to use during the game. Most of the guns can be upgraded and customized, adding extra bullets, special scopes and fancy paintings. Want to crush your enemies with rocket launchers, shotguns and assault rifles? Or do you want a stealthier approach, using snipers rifles and bows? Maybe you prefer a combination of machine guns and pistols? Far Cry 3 gives you freedom to buy and equip up to four different weapons, alongside with grenades and other interesting items, in order to explore and survive the tropical adventure.

Shoot the vehicles to create explosions and put your enemies on fire

As you progresses the game and receive experience points by killing enemies, saving the local people and finding hidden treasures, new tattoos are added to your Tatau. Each new drawing gives you some new ability, such as increased maximum health, improved gun handling, faster healing, longer breath for running and diving, among many others. Besides the tattoos, you can collect better weapons, hunt animals to craft new items and learn to medicine recipes from local plants. These crafted syringes can temporarily improve your health, breath, hunting abilities and even make you invulnerable.

The Tatau is divided in three groups of abilities: the Heron (long-range moves and mobility), the Spider (stealth and hunting) and the Shark (health and takedowns)

The plot goes nicely most of the time, with interesting surprises, such as a new bad pirate boss arise. However, the final of Far Cry 3 is the great con of this great game. Without any spoiler, you will need to make a hard decision in the plot end, which involves your new life as a Rakyat warrior and your “old” life with your friends. Each decision leads to a different ending: one is ridiculous and the other is just lame. I expected that the plot would not end with a simple “happily ever after”, but I believe that something better could have been planned to end an epic game.

 

Every dog has its day: be ready to hunt the predator before they hunt you

Far Cry 3 is an open world game that makes you live a thrilling tropical jungle adventure. Help the local people to fight a group of bad pirates, and learn new abilities from their “magical” tattoos. Be aware of wild bears and snakes, and remember to explore everywhere for treasures. Collect and customize weapons and craft new items, in order to create your own personal arsenal.  And remember: this is a game recommended only for sane people. Wait, did I ever tell you the definition of insanity?