It’s clear that millions of gamers worldwide are waiting for Far Cry 6. After all, the Far Cry series is one of the best-known this side of Call of Duty when it comes to delivering exciting first-person action, so a new entry in the series is bound to get plenty of attention.
However, Far Cry 6 missed its original February release date this year (COVID-19 pressures are likely to blame), something which left series’ fans and newcomers looking to dive into the game wondering when they would get to play Ubisoft’s upcoming shooter.
Well, this has finally been clarified as Ubisoft recently revealed that Far Cry 6 will be hitting shelves on October 7 this year, meaning Far Cry 6’s release is little more than four months away now.
We also got to see a rather lengthy gameplay video of the upcoming shooter, which as fans of the series likely know takes place on a Caribbean island named Yara, where a rebellion is about to erupt with the goal of overthrowing corrupt dictator Antón Castillo, who’s played by none other than Breaking Bad actor Giancarlo Esposito.
The last Far Cry game to feature an island setting was the superb Far Cry 3, while Far Cry 6’s Caribbean island sure is a big departure from the rocky landscapes seen in 2018’s Far Cry 5. Also, the theme of having to overthrow a dictator might bring back memories of Far Cry 4 to some, where you had to take down strongman Pagan Min, surely one of the most colorful villains in the series to date.
It remains to be seen whether Giancarlo Esposito’s character will be a great villain as Pagan Min was, plus there’s also the tantalizing possibility that top Far Cry villain Vaas will return in some capacity here too… There are rumors online claiming that Antón Castillo’s son Diego is related to Vaas, or that he might be a younger version of Far Cry 3’s antagonist, something we’ll find out when the game ships this fall.
Also, a difference here is that there will be a big urban area to fight in, as part of the action will take place in the capital city of Yara against Antón Castillo’s government forces. Apparently guerrilla warfare will be a big part of the game as narrative director Navid Khavari says in the gameplay video above. And like in the earlier Far Cry games, there will also be plenty of enemy outposts to take over based in realistic locations such as schools as was the case in the earlier Far Cry 5.
Another interesting thing regarding this preview is that Ubisoft has decided to focus on a female protagonist who’s named Dani Rojas. This will be a fully voiced character unlike the silent protagonist of 2018’s Far Cry 5, but hopefully Rojas won’t end up being as annoying as Jason Brody (the protagonist of Far Cry 3) was for so many people.
Judging by this gameplay video, though, it appears there’s a male version of lead character Dani Rojas too, with Ubisoft following the same pattern as with last year’s Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which offered both male and female versions of lead character Eivor, both fully voiced, to play as.
Ubisoft focusing on a female protagonist for this preview in what has been a typically male-centric series is interesting, and might have to do with the scandal which hit the company last year. Several top-ranking executives had to leave the company by the back door in late 2020 after accusations of harassment and other misconduct were leveled at them, mostly by female Ubisoft employees.
Aside from lead character Dani Rojas and the high-profile villain played by Giancarlo Esposito, this will have Far Cry’s usual assortment of colorful characters such as revolutionary Juan Cortez, who’s introduced at some point in Ubisoft’s gameplay reveal video. Also, Rojas will have a pet alligator at her disposal which can pounce on her enemies, helping her out in Far Cry 6’s enemy encounters, which are bound to be as plentiful as in the previous games.
So here’s hoping that Far Cry 6 turns out to be another great game in the series and another solid game from Ubisoft, although it remains to be seen whether it can top the series’ best entry to date (Far Cry 3) when it hits shelves later this year.
Note: Far Cry 6 will be released on October 7, 2021. Available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Google Stadia and Amazon Luna.