Far Cry 6, the latest entry in the long-running Far Cry series, sure is a game on many people wish lists for 2021. After all, the games have delivered some fantastic first-person action in exotic locales over the years, as well as some larger than life villains too.
And talking about exotic locales, Far Cry 6 won’t buck the trend set by the previous games and takes place on a fictional Caribbean island named Yara, where all hell is about to break loose.
You see, the people of Yara are fed up of ruling strongman and local dictator Antón Castillo, who’s played by The Mandalorian actor Giancarlo Esposito. Far Cry 6’s story deals with a group of rebels which is prepping up to start a revolution, led by the game’s protagonist Dani Rojas, with the goal of taking down Castillo and his trigger-happy son Diego.
The game’s narrative director, Navid Khavari, recently explained on Ubisoft’s website why the game’s story is political, and this stems from the fact that the game centers on revolution as explained earlier.
“Our story is political”, wrote Khavari. “A story about a modern revolution must be. There are hard, relevant discussions in Far Cry 6 about the conditions that lead to the rise of fascism in a nation”, added Far Cry 6’s narrative director.
The point of view of 50’s and 60’s-era revolutionaries is reflected in the game according to Khavari, but the man mentions the game won’t be making simple statements about current politics in Cuba, with the island nation being the main inspiration for Far Cry 6.
“But if anyone is seeking a simplified, binary political statement specifically on the current political climate in Cuba, they won’t find it”, said Khavari, adding that revolution “is a complex subject that should never be boiled down to one quote”.
At least the game will be making some kind of statement, something which the previous Far Cry games, despite being great entertainment, didn’t do. For instance, 2012’s Far Cry 3 (arguably still the best game in the series so far) dealt with some very dark themes like torture, slavery, rape and piracy in the tropics. But these were just things that were happening around the game’s protagonist Jason Brody, with Ubisoft not addressing the issues or making any statements about them in the game’s plot.
And regarding Jason Brody, it’s clear that Far Cry 3’s protagonist rubbed some people the wrong way. So much so that Far Cry 4 had a quieter lead character named Ajay Ghale. Meanwhile, Ubisoft went all the way in Far Cry 5 and made the protagonist an anonymous and silent sheriff’s deputy who had no real presence in the story.
Thankfully, though, Far Cry 6 will have a fully voiced main character named Dani Rojas, whom as was the case in Ubisoft’s 2020 game Assassin’s Creed Valhalla can be either male or female. The game’s gameplay reveal last month focused on the female version of the character, and she did come across as a strong-willed and charismatic protagonist.
Want to know even more about Dani Rojas in #FarCry6 ? Check this out: pic.twitter.com/9XmIPyxKal
— Far Cry 6 (@FarCrygame) June 1, 2021
In a recent video posted on Far Cry’s Twitter account (see above), narrative director Navid Khavari revealed a bit more about Rojas, saying she’s from “the capital city of Esperanza on the island of Yara”, having been born and raised in the city. This contrasts with other Ubisoft games in which the protagonist is an outsider, as was the case with Far Cry 3’s Jason Brody. Nonetheless, Khavari also added that it was important for the developers at Ubisoft Toronto “to have someone who is from Yara, is local to Esperanza”.
Another detail revealed by the game’s narrative director in the Twitter video is the fact that the game’s story won’t change regardless of whether you’re playing a male or female character, with the plot staying the same in either case.
“After talking to several members of our team, something that was clearly important was not to try and create two different storylines. If you pick male or female, that choice is for you to make, and that journey of Dani will be one and the same”, said the Ubisoft man.
Nonetheless, Far Cry 6 is looking like it could be another cracking entry in the series when it ships in October this year, so hopefully Ubisoft can get the formula right and deliver another great Far Cry game this fall.