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By now, you’ve probably seen the Far Cry 4 E3 demo where Ajay uses a combination of jeep, wingsuit and automatic weaponry to kill tremendous amounts of people before gliding away through the steep valleys of the Himalayas. If you haven’t seen it, check it out.
Anyway, it should surprise no-one to find out that the demo I played wasn’t anything like that, in either looks or gameplay. Instead we had, as the Ubisoft rep put it, Far Cry 3 with elephants. He wasn’t wrong. Jumping onto the back of one such beast, I smashed into a fortified compound and started laying waste to everyone in there. As with its predecessor, you’ll have to take these bases to gradually drive out the enemy presence, and it’s just as fun here as it was previously.
Along with the elephants, there were a few new weapons, including a massive shotgun and a grenade launcher. Moment-to-moment play is the same: there’s still an emphasis on constant movement, takedowns and – if necessary – all-out force. It’s also still up to the player as to how they approach these situations: I used the elephant to go in the front door, but you could just as easily grapple your way in via a rocky outcrop, or steal a gyropcopter, or grab a co-op buddy to help you take everyone down.
Graphically, what I played (on PS4) wasn’t as impressive as what was shown at the conferences, so let’s hope that Ubisoft has learned something from the Watch Dogs debacle and the release build isn’t a (comparative) disappointment. That aside, it’s fair to say that the breadth of options and solid shooting that made the last game so fun are all present and correct. It’s Far Cry, with elephants. You probably already know if you’re in or out.
