Sandbox games have always grabbed my interest. Whether they be in a fantasy or realistic world, the chance to just go bananas in an open-world location is something I cannot pass up. This is why I am a fan of the Far Cry series, especially Far Cry 3. The game showed a great sandbox experience which featured alongside fantastic characters and a naturally developing environment. At EGX the sequel, Far Cry 4, was available to play showcasing the art of stealth, offence and the new mini-copter. Does it surpass the last game in the series? Time to mount an elephant and find out.
Taking place in Rata Ghadi, the demo gives the player three options right off of the bat, which can change your starting position and equipment. First was stealth, which gives you a silenced sniper rifle and a crossbow to take out enemies from afar. Then you had offence that gives you a shotgun and a heavy machine gun. Lastly you had the mini-copter which, you guessed it, let you fly this new aerial vehicle. The objective is to simply take over the nearby stronghold using what you have available. How hard could it be?
Remember this? Here is where the demo lets you go wild
The area you are thrown into, even though it is small demo, is still beautiful to look at. The gamewas running on the PS4 and it looked great, let’s hope the quality keeps on the PC and Xbox One. If you chose the offensive route you will also see wild elephants having fun in a nearby lake. Everything feels natural in this environment, a definite plus to the game. Along with the gorgeous view are the great controls. These are still tight and easy to work with. Which is great to see as they are the same as Far Cry 3’s controls
I chose to take the offensive route in the demo and discovered that you can ride elephants. By mounting this beast, I was able to smash straight through the front doors of the stronghold and start to create some havoc. Taking pot shots at enemies whilst on an elephant’s back is great and you don’t even need to fire your gun. Just point your new friend in the right direction and watch as enemies get crushed and start running for their lives. The battle ended up in very tight areas, which required me to get off the animal. As the adventure continued on foot, the elephant kept going wild inside the stronghold, knocking over cars and even crushing more enemies around me. Not only was this badass, but it also makes me wonder what other animals will do in a similar area.
The experience was backed up by a great use of sound effects. This is especially helpful when playing in stealth. Just creeping around the area trying to find a way into the fortified position allows you to listen in on what the guards are talking about. This could come in handy in the full release if the guards end up talking about what they are hiding in these strongholds of theirs. As an added bonus to stealth, players can also throw rocks in certain areas to distract enemies allowing you to get by or move a guard out of position. The sound design also helps with identifying where in the stronghold certain enemies are, so you can either avoid or get the drop on them.
If this is how fun the single player is, I cannot wait to see what a buddy can help me achieve
Lastly we had a chance to play around with the copter, and it was good fun. Seeing the world from above changes how you can play the game completely, giving you either a new line of sight to spot enemies or a new vantage point to take them out one by one. I will say however that the chopper is very hard to control. In comparison to a car or an elephant you have to keep your wits about you whilst flying this thing. Especially since you can end up as an easy target for guards underneath you.
Overall, Far Cry 4 is looking to be a great game. With the demo showcasing the gameplay and how intelligent the AI is, I am now curious to see how the story and the characters are going to fare. Hopefully they match or even surpass Far Cry 3, but for now the gameplay has definitely got me interested in exploring the new area of Kyrat.
What do you think of Far Cry 4? Would you rather fly a mini-copter or ride an elephant? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments and keep your eyes peeled for more coverage from EGX 2014.
