Far Cry: New Dawn: PS4 Review

Far Cry: New Dawn: PS4 Review

Platform: PS4
Released by Ubisoft

17 years after the end of Far Cry 5, when the world went boom in a nuclear dawn, a new world has arisen.

Confined underground, the residents of Hope County have lived in bunkers awaiting the time it's mostly safe to emerge in the post Joseph Seed world. And so it is that Ubisoft returns to Montana for the spin-off to Far Cry 5, a game that in all honesty, does little to mess with the formula, but tinkers around the edges to engage you further.

As usual with Far Cry, you are the protagonist, facing off against a hopelessly written antagonist -
and given a bit of grind work to do to unlock perks, and upgrades for weapons.

The chief antagonists in the post-apocalyptic world are the Highwaymen, a group of gaudy gangsters who are largely dressed in motocross gear and led by vicious twins Mickey and Lou. Your mission is to pull together a resistance, build up your base of Prosperity, explore the world and of course, save the day.

The interesting thing about Far Cry New Dawn is that the tinkering around the edges actually engages, even if occasionally it feels repetitious.

From clearing an outpost to deciding whether to let it loose to your enemy again before trying to take it back, New Dawn brings a harder edge to some of the proceedings, forcing you to rethink some of your actions and strategies. It's a clever touch that adds much to the game, and makes you think tactics, rather than just killing.

It's also good that New Dawn has a few familiar faces throughout to make it feel like the world's still there - and while the more colourful edges of pinks and graffiti hide some of the darker edges of the story (survivors eating dog meat etc), the familiarity of the world from Far Cry 5 is a nice touch. But equally, if you didn't play that, it's not alienating.

On the down side, parts of the game do feel repetitive, meaning missions are a necessity rather than a joy. And micro-transactions are a disappointment too.

The twins are such blank slate characters, not a patch on prior villains from the series, making every encounter feel rote and yawn-worthy.

Ultimately, Far Cry: New Dawn works if you want to put your mind at the door and fight on for what you're after - it offers hope for the future installments, and is still worth immersing yourself within.