Far Cry 5 is an upcoming first-person shooter action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It is the eleventh installment and the fifth main title in the Far Cry series. It is scheduled to be released on February 27, 2018.
1 Gameplay
2 Premise
3 Development
3.1 Writing
3.2 Music
4 Reception
4.1 Controversy
5 References
6 External links
Gameplay[edit]
Similar to its predecessors, Far Cry 5 is an action-adventure first-person shooter set in an open world environment which players can explore freely on foot or via various vehicles. Unlike previous titles in the series where players take on the role of a set character, the game features a new character creator, which players can use to customize their character's appearances, gender and skin tone.[1][2] Players have a variety of ranged and explosive weapons to fight against enemies, while the game will place a renewed emphasis on close-quarters combat compared to previous Far Cry titles by introducing a wider range of melee weapons.[3] The game will also feature a recruitment system, in which players can recruit locals in the county to fight alongside them similar to the "Buddy" system used in Far Cry 2. In this "Guns for Hire" system, players need to convince other locals to join their cause, and every companion fighter has their own unique skills and personalities. Players can also tame wild animals through the "Fang for Hire" system, previously introduced in Far Cry Primal. The tamed wildlife will assist the player in combat and follow the players' orders. Different wildlife will have different combat patterns.[4] A fishing mechanic will also be introduced.[5] The campaign can be played individually or with a partner through the game's cooperative multiplayer mode.[6] The game will also feature a map editor, whose features have been expanded from previous titles.[7]
Premise[edit]
The game is set in the fictional Hope County, Montana, where a preacher named Joseph Seed has risen to prominence. Seed believes that he has been chosen to protect the people of Hope County from an "inevitable collapse" and has established a congregation called Eden's Gate. Ostensibly, this is to fulfill his mission of leading the people to salvation;[8] in reality, Seed is a radical preacher and Eden's Gate is a militaristic doomsday cult. Under his rule, Eden's Gate has used both coercion and violence to forcibly convert the residents of Hope County, and intimidation to keep them from contacting the outside world for help. When an attempt to arrest Seed ends with the deaths of several lawmen, the player is swept into the armed conflict between Eden's Gate and the remaining Hope County residents, who are organizing themselves into a resistance movement.[8]
The player takes on the role of a sheriff's deputy who is part of the task force sent to Hope County to arrest Seed. Seed has assumed the title of "the Father" and maintains control over Hope County with the aid of his siblings, known as "the Heralds": Jacob, a former military officer that oversees their armed soldiers; John, a lawyer that has been able to acquire much of the land in Hope County for Eden's Gate; and Faith, who acts as a pacifist to bring the people to believe and trust in her older brother.[8] The residents of Hope County opposed to Seed include Pastor Jeffries, a local church leader that has seen his congregation taken by Eden's Gate; Mary May, a bartender whose father was driven to suicide by the cult; and Nick Rye, a cropduster pilot who wants to eliminate the influence of the cult in order to build a better future for his children.[9]
Development[edit]
The game is being developed by Ubisoft Montreal, with Ubisoft Toronto, Ubisoft Kiev, Ubisoft Shanghai, and Ubisoft Reflections offering assistance.[10] Dan Hay, who was lead producer for Far Cry 3, was the lead director, with writing led by Drew Holmes, who had previously worked on BioShock Infinite and its downloadable content.[11] The game will continue to use the Dunia Engine, a modified version of the CryEngine which the Far Cry series has used for several titles.[12] The team chose Montana as the game's setting, as the state lies on the frontier of the United States. To create a realistic environment, the development team visited Montana for fourteen days to collect information regarding its biomes, environment, and the "self-reliant" nature of the locals, who do not want any authority or outsider to intervene in their life. The development team had previously carried out a similar research excursion to Nepal during development of Far Cry 4.[13] As the development team was no longer satisfied with having one core antagonist in each game, the cast of antagonists was significantly expanded.[14]
After the release of Far Cry Primal in 2016, Ubisoft stated that the next Far Cry title will take more development time and will not be released in 2017.[15] Far Cry 5 was announced by Ubisoft during the company's financial call, alongside two other major titles, The Crew 2 and Assassin's Creed Origins, which are scheduled to be released in fiscal year 2018.[16] Ubisoft released several teaser trailers and the game's cover art ahead of the game's official reveal on May 26, 2017.[17][18] The game is set to be released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on February 27, 2018 with support for PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X. Free skin packs will be available for PlayStation 4 players at launch due to a marketing deal between Sony Interactive Entertainment and Ubisoft.[10]
Writing[edit]
The setting and the tone of the game originated from separatism. According to Hay, when he was young, he often felt unsafe because of the conflicts between the two superpowers during the Cold War. This manifested in the twenty-first century in the form of frequent terrorist attacks such as the September 11 attacks, and financial problems such as the subprime mortgage crisis and in turn caused people to become increasingly protective as they questioned the government. Ultimately the concept of the "global village" began to collapse, which sets the theme of the game and prompted the team to write a story that features a doomsday cult as the game's main antagonist. Hay started writing the story in late 2014; in February 2016, he investigated the details of the occupation and standoff of a wildlife refuge in Oregon, as he wanted to look for evidence that can show the rise of separatism.[8] To create a memorable story, the characters in the game were designed to have different views and opinions on important events, and different ideologies.[19] Despite the dark theme, the team wanted to ensure that the game is still fun and entertaining to play.[20] Therefore, the team implemented a large arsenal of weapons and open-ended gameplay possibilities for players to use.[21]
Music[edit]
Some of the music in the game was written and composed by Dan Romer.[22] According to audio director Tony Gronick, the team desired to have music in the background through much of the game world, but want it to reflect on the nature of the cult, so that the player would be experiencing the cult's messaging throughout the game and tie it to the narrative. To do this, they create hymn-like gospel music, but with lyrics that described the cult's end-of-the-world teachings. Further, extending on the idea of multiple antagonists, the style of the music shifts as the player enters regions of the world controlled by the different cult members, from country to glam rock to industrial music, representing how the hymns of Father Seed evolve under his Heralds' personal preferences.[22] The game will also use licensed music tracks when the player drives in vehicles, with the type of music played similarly influenced by the area they are in.[22]
Reception[edit]
Controversy[edit]
Far Cry 5's announcement in May 2017 came at a time of heightened political and ideological conflict around the world due to recent political events, such as the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States and the onset of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union. Many journalists opined that Far Cry 5's setting and narrative concept, involving themes of religious fanaticism and the rise of the far-right within the borders of the United States—as opposed to the more exotic locales depicted in other Far Cry titles—would likely make the game highly controversial in the current climate.[2][12][23] These journalists noted that due to the long development cycle, it was unlikely that Ubisoft intentionally designed the game's narrative around the political climate at the time of the announcement, adding that Ubisoft had been careful to downplay any perceived connections to then-current real world events.[23][24] Responding to the criticism, game director Dan Hay revealed that the story was written to discuss the consequences of beliefs and ideologies being taken to their most extreme form rather than as a response to a particular political event.[25]
Following its announcement, Far Cry 5 was the subject of an online petition lodged at Change.org by individuals objecting to what they called the portrayal of American Christians as villains and calling for either the game's antagonists to be recast as Muslim or other non-white villains or changing the game's setting to Canada.[26] The petition itself was criticised by industry commentators who highlighted the game's exploration of its themes as being necessary in the contemporary social and political climate, and pointed to video gaming as a medium for social commentary.[24][27] Some publications questioned the authenticity of the petition, suggesting that it may have been intended as satire.[27][28]
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Bell, Alice (May 26, 2017). "You get to customise your protagonist in Far Cry 5". VideoGamer.com. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b Robinson, Martin (May 26, 2017). "Far Cry 5 introduces airplanes, muscle cars and far-right fanatics". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
Jump up ^ Sullivan, Lucas (May 26, 2017). "Far Cry 5 – trailer, villainous cult-leaders, and a 2018 release date: everything you need to know". GamesRadar. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
Jump up ^ Totilo, Stephen (May 26, 2017). "Far Cry 5 is a game about resisting an American militia, will be out in February". Kotaku. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
Jump up ^ Davenport, James (May 26, 2017). "Far Cry 5 first look: Taking on doomsday preppers in backwater Montana". PC Gamer. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
Jump up ^ Saed, Sherif (May 26, 2017). "Far Cry 5 has a character creator, campaign fully playable in co-op – watch the reveal trailer". VG 247. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
Jump up ^ Dornbush, Jonathon (May 26, 2017). "Far Cry 5 release date announced, first story details revealed". IGN. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Takahashi, Dean (May 26, 2017). "Far Cry 5 focuses a terrifyingly realistic armed cult". VentureBeat. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
Jump up ^ Hall, Charlie (May 26, 2017). "Far Cry 5 coming February 2018, watch the debut trailer". Polygon. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b Makuch, Eddie (May 26, 2017). "Far Cry 5's first trailer, release date, and many more details revealed". GameSpot. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
Jump up ^ McKeand, Kirk (June 8, 2017). "BioShock Infinite writer Drew Holmes is penning Far Cry 5’''s story". PCGamesN. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b Mackovich, Sam (May 26, 2017). "Far Cry 5 takes series to deadliest land of all: Disenfranchised America". Ars Technica. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
Jump up ^ Reynolds, Matthew (August 7, 2014). "Exclusive: Far Cry 4 behind-the-scenes trailer sees developers visit a Hindu temple". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
Jump up ^ Reparaz, Mikel (May 26, 2017). "Far Cry 5 – what awaits you in Hope County, Montana". PlayStation Blog. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
Jump up ^ Chalk, Andy (September 29, 2016). "Assassin's Creed and Far Cry may not return for 2017". PC Gamer. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
Jump up ^ Kato, Matthew (May 16, 2017). "Ubisoft announces Far Cry 5 & The Crew 2". Game Informer. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
Jump up ^ Carter, Chris (May 26, 2017). "Far Cry 5 is coming in February, watch the full trailer here". Destructoid. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
Jump up ^ Vazquez, Suriel (May 24, 2017). "Far Cry 5 art reveals more about setting, characters". Game Informer. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
Jump up ^ McCaffery, Ryan (May 26, 2017). "Far Cry 5 first look: a Montana uprising". IGN. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
Jump up ^ Hall, Charlie (May 26, 2017). "Far Cry 5 asks you to kill thy neighbor". Polygon. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
Jump up ^ Takahashi, Dean (May 26, 2017). "The dread, the separatism, and the coming collapse of America that inspired Far Cry 5". VentureBeat. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b c Kelly, Andy (September 28, 2017). "The apocalyptic music of Far Cry 5". PC Gamer. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b Plante, Chris (May 24, 2017). "Far Cry 5 promises to be controversial, but not for the usual reasons". The Verge. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b Rivera, Joshua (May 30, 2017). "Far Cry 5: the video game controversy America deserves right now". GQ. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Far Cry 5 game causes online outcry". BBC Technology. BBC. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
Jump up ^ "Petition Calls for Ubisoft to Change Far Cry 5 Villains to Muslims or Change Setting to Canada". comicbook.com. May 30, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
^ Jump up to: a b "There's no way this "Cancel Far Cry 5 petition" is actually real". Forbes.com. May 31, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
Jump up ^ "The 'Cancel Far Cry 5' petition is almost certainly a hoax". Techspot. May 31, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
External links[edit]
Official website
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