Far Cry 4
Ubisoft
Four stars
At a time when many first-person shooters seem to have run out of ideas, the keepers of the Far Cry franchise have cleverly added elephants that can be employed as makeshift tanks in the latest instalment of the freewheeling action series.
It's just one of many inventive flourishes that players will stumble across in the chaotically fun Far Cry 4.
This latest entry once again starts with players in the shoes of an outsider. This time, it’s Ajay Ghale, an American who has ventured to his parents’ homeland in the Himalayas for the first time to deliver his mother’s ashes. While there, he becomes entangled in a long-simmering civil war between a ragtag rebellion called the Golden Path and tyrannical leader Pagan Min.
The setting is a violent and vivid place where forests, wildlife, temples, lakes, caves, mountains and humanity swirl together like watercolours.
The developers have wisely opted to keep the liberating open-ended gameplay from Far Cry 3 wholly unchanged. Whether players have a hankering to hijack enemy outposts, hunt treasures, disarm bombs, race cars, free hostages, fight propaganda, skin critters or embark on hallucinogenic journeys, the choices are theirs – and there are a lot of them.
Unlike previous Far Cry outings, players must navigate towering peaks instead of sweeping Pacific islands or African locales. Thankfully, new modes of transportation have been introduced, including a sputtering gyrocopter and a handy grappling hook that gives Ghale the ability to ascend or descend mountains at certain rocky junctures.
The nation’s landscape is unfortunately more interesting than its population. The over-the-top Min serves more as maniacal background music rather than the headliner, while Ghale is never developed as the game’s leading man.
Luckily, the serviceable but unsatisfying plot doesn't detract from the overall experience. A few multiplayer modes, notably the chance to play cooperatively online, keep Far Cry 4 fresh after the credits roll.
• Far Cry 4 is available for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC. Visit far-cry.ubi.com for more information
