Far Cry 5 – Everything You Should Know Before Purchase

With Far Cry 5 right around the corner, set for release on March 27th, many of us are still wondering if we want to pick it up. For many Far Cry fans, Far Cry 4 was a step down from 3 and Primal strayed yet further away in gameplay variety. Over the last year we’ve heard all kinds of promising and worrying tidbits about the fifth entry in the popular franchise. Here’s a concise breakdown of what to expect this time around so you can figure out if it’s worth your hard earned cash.

Far Cry 5 - Everything You Should Know Before Purchase

Campaign Length – How Long Will The Game Last? 

Far Cry 5 - Everything You Should Know Before Purchase - ATTACK!

For an open world game, we all know this is a fairly open ended question. Yet the question remains – how much dev time has been put into the main story, aside from the plethora of other things to do in Hope County? Far Cry 5 Executive Producer, Dan Hay has stated that a “good player” should expect to get through the story campaign in around 25 hours. "What we're seeing is people going into the world and just spending four or five hours fishing or hunting, or just doing stuff that we hadn't really prepared for," Hay said. "So it really depends on how you play."

The Presence of Microtransactions

Far Cry 5 - Everything You Should Know Before Purchase - Micro beer transactions

Yes, they’re here. Best as we may try to avoid them, it’s still important to know what they do and how they affect our game. Microstransactions in Far Cry 5 have been touted as either purely cosmetic or “time savers”. No content in the game will be locked behind a pay wall. What is worrying is the “time savers” part. We’ve seen publishers use this kind of language before and it leads to… odd pacing in the experience of a game. If a game is offering us tools to “save time” or, more accurately – speed through their game, is that not an implication that their game is not good enough to be sat down with for too long a time?

There is every chance that gameplay loops get replaced with pure and simple “busy work” to make that few of us say “Sod it, I’m bored. Fine, have my money, let’s make something happen”. A prime example of this kind of corporate greed affecting our gameplay was found in last year’s Shadow of War. Whether it will manifest in an equally ugly way in Far Cry 5 remains to be seen.

A Big Co op Emphasis

Far Cry 5 - Everything You Should Know Before Purchase - Co op hunting

Wonderfully, it has been confirmed that Far Cry 5’s single player campaign can be played offline. Although, if you want to buddy up with a friend you can. More than ever before, Far Cry 5 will offer you a huge amount of tools for the appropriate wanton destruction of your foes. Alternatively, tools are there for a stealthy run-through of areas. Players need not have reached certain points in the story to cohabit the same server. This is due to the original non-linear story Far Cry 5 offers.

A Big New Push On Exploration And Non-Linear Story

Far Cry 5 - Everything You Should Know Before Purchase - Welcome

Let’s address the elephant in the room. You may still be wondering just what the heck “non-linear” story really means. Big events will reportedly happen around the world as you discover them, meaning the timeline of story beats will likely not be the same for any two players. Quite how this will be compatible in co-op mode without friends playing through spoiler territory remains unclear. Although, with some clever game design, jarringly bumping into moments you’re not ready for could be ironed out. It will depend on how we experience the story in its entirety. With this ethos of how to deliver a story, Ubisoft has famously done away with the Far Cry radio towers of old, pushing for a “go see what’s on the horizon for yourself” approach to player discovery.

Guns And Fangs For Hire

Far Cry 5 - Everything You Should Know Before Purchase - Ass kickers for hire

Those who have played previous Far Cry titles will be familiar with the concept of guns for hire. This time around, they can be given commands. For example, a sniper can be ordered to cover your approach of an enemy base from a water tower. Fangs for hire lends more from what was explored in Far Cry Primal. Players can bring a killer pet along on excursions. It could be a trusty canine, a killer bear or oddly adorable puma (or maybe it’s a cougar).

Far Cry 5 Has An Impressive Season Pass

Far Cry 5 - Everything You Should Know Before Purchase - All the extra stuff!

Far Cry is well known for its generous extra content following releases. In fact, Far Cry 5 may have the biggest set of DLCs the franchise has ever seen. Like Far Cry 3’s Blood Dragon, it looks like Ubisoft are once again going for the outright zany, offering three seperate packages. A zombie experience, a Vietnam experience and a sci-fi space experience. Blood Dragon was a fantastic example of just how applicable the Far Cry formula can be in any setting. These DLCs will prove the same again, three times over. Season pass holders will also get a fresh new digital copy of Far Cry 3!

Amazon Prime TV Show 

If you’re already planning on getting Far Cry 5 for yourself, and have an active subscription with Amazon Prime, you’re in for a treat. A Far Cry 5 short film called Inside Eden’s Gate acts as a prequel to the game’s events. It explores the game’s setting as video bloggers go in search for answers on antagonist Joseph Seed’s cult, Eden’s Gate.

Wrap Your Head Around The Confusing Collector’s Editions

Far Cry 5 - Everything You Should Know Before Purchase - Spoiled for choice

Personally, I never go in for the extra collectible tidbits on offer for games these days. It’s becoming more and more common for collector’s editions to not even come with the game. So if you look into these, take good care to make sure you can actually play Far Cry 5 once you’ve finished your unboxing video on YouTube. But – each to their own. If you choose to get involved with one of these packages, you’ll want to know exactly what you’re getting as there are so many variants.

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