While the Far Cry games never had such an aggressive release schedule as Assassin's Creed titles, the upcoming Far Cry 6 feels like it has the same problems that Assassin's Creed did before its redo, and it doesn't bode well for the game's long-term success. For a publisher as big as Ubisoft, sequels are inevitable. Assassin's Creed was released on a yearly basis at one point to diminishing results, adding system after system that changed the core of what the franchise was all about, and it looks like Far Cry may be having a similar problem now.
At its core, Far Cry 6 still has a lot of ties back to Far Cry 3, the game that really established the modern formula for the series. The campaign takes players through the main story and the open world, opening up more to do as time goes on. Outposts provide more opportunities to experiment with the game's combat sandbox, and a few other side activities dot the landscape. There's no doubt these aspects have seen significant improvement since 2012, but the biggest true innovation is the removal of the tedious radio tower climbs in Far Cry 5. Next year will mark a decade since Far Cry 3 released, and Ubisoft's developers are essentially still making the same game.
This isn't to say that Far Cry 6 needs to completely upend its core systems to be a hit, but it does feel like it has a similar hook to every other Far Cry released in the last decade. This will be the seventh game in the series since Far Cry 3, and there are only so many times that Ubisoft can offer a dangerous antagonist that enjoys pompous speeches about philosophy and an exotic locale to shoot through. The best games in the series have had a hook beyond this basic idea that Far Cry 6 simply lacks. The original Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon was a wild dose of '80s nostalgia squeezed into a short but sweet runtime. Far Cry 5 brought open-world warfare to American shores and promised interesting commentary on real-world issues, even if it didn't end up delivering.
Far Cry 6's Mechanical Overload Isn't The Answer
Outside of cosmetic changes and new characters, the one new thing Far Cry 6 brings to the table is a pile of systems and inspirations that borrow freely from other popular titles. There are named special weapons and ultimate moves that overtake the traditional Far Cry shooting. Mission givers will now talk directly to the player in a briefing screen that will seem awfully familiar to Destiny 2 fans. The Amigo animal companions are a toned-down take on Far Cry 5's Guns For Hire that can't compare with what came before. There are even a set of treasure hunts that feel straight out of the modern Tomb Raider series.
All of these are fine distractions on their own, but they feel like individual systems working alone. Whereas the best open-world games have mechanics and systems that work together to create one cohesive vision, Far Cry 6's disparate systems make the game feel less like a mainline sequel and more like an expansion pack set on a new island. While players don't yet have the full picture of Dani's rebellion against Anton Castillo, Far Cry 6's story has to pull a lot of the weight for this particular sequel.
Even with an engaging premise and plenty of worldbuilding, Far Cry 5 felt like an afterthought only a few months after it debuted, and stale gameplay that hasn't changed in years is undoubtedly part of the reason for that. Fans have seen Assassin's Creed mostly throw away the chaff and emerged as a streamlined and enjoyable series of adventures, and Far Cry is long overdue for the same rebirth. As of now, it doesn't seem like there will be many surprises when Far Cry 6 makes its debut this October.