Giancarlo Esposito's “El Presidente” Antón Castillo, the dictator in control of the fictional Carribbean island nation of Yara, features heavily into the marketing for Ubisoft's upcoming franchise title Far Cry 6. As well he should. Having played an iconic TV villain in Breaking Bad / Better Call Saul, Esposito's involvement as the villain of the piece brings a world's worth of gravitas without him ever saying a word. However, the struggle in Far Cry 6 is not with him, but against him, and that's what today's gameplay reveal focused on.
Eventually.
Ubisoft opted to start with 30 minutes of a pseudo-tourism video for Yara, which was more of a slideshow revealing the nation's past and present. That's a nice way to introduce players to the setting, but it's decidedly not gameplay. Much like Guerrilla Games decided to run hours upon hours of environment shots of their upcoming game Horizon: Forbidden West before showing 20 minutes of gameplay, this propaganda for Castillo's rise to power and the unstable current climate of Yara played as the run-up to the actual gameplay itself ... they just didn't tell us that ahead of time. C'mon, Ubi. (They almost saved themselves with a hero shot of Chorizo the companion wiener dog alongside a crocodile Fang for Hire, so that's something.)
When we did actually get some gameplay, after another 5-minute trailer chock full of cutscenes and more exposition setup for the game's plot, narrative lead Navid Khavari finally took the stage to walk us through some gameplay. Eventually. First, however, there was yet more backstory on Castillo's reign, further detailing everything we just saw over the previous 30+ minutes... Thankfully, Khavari utimately got to the player character Dani Rojas, presenting as either male or female, who leads the guerrilla fighters against the government regime. We also met some other characters, like Juan Cortez, a master inventor who's our "guerrilla teacher." And that's where the gameplay finally friggin' started.
- Rule #1 - A good guerrilla is a hidden guerrilla
- Ruld #2 - A good guerrilla masters their environment.
- Rule #3 - Fucked-up situations call for fucked-up solutions.
- Rule #4 - A good guerrilla always brings a friend along for moral support.
The Fangs for Hire, DIY Vehicles, and unique bootleg weapons look awesome and we can't wait to see them in more detail. But beyond that, we got a good look at Dani's approach to fighting an asymmetric war, from taking the fight directly to Castillo's forces to hitting them hard and fast from the shadows, to hiding in plain sight for recon and intel-gathering. (Oh and we can't wait to hang out with Chorizo and whatever the croc's name is!) Everything looks fun so far, not to mention the Supremo backpack, a back-mounted missile launcher that Dani gets to carry around. But we'll have to wait until we get a little closer to the October 7, 2021 release to find out more.
Check out the gameplay trailer below:
In Far Cry 6, players are immersed in the adrenaline-filled, chaotic world of a modern-day guerrilla revolution. Welcome to Yara, a tropical paradise frozen in time. As dictator of Yara, Anton Castillo is intent on restoring his nation back to its former glory by any means, with his son, Diego, following in his bloody footsteps. Become a guerrilla fighter and burn their regime to the ground.
Far Cry 6 features include:
- IGNITE THE FIGHT FOR FREEDOM - Dive into a blockbuster experience as Dani Rojas, a local Yaran defending their country from a tyrant’s rule. Join the revolution to push back against the oppressive regime of dictator Anton Castillo and his teenage son Diego, brought to life by Hollywood stars Giancarlo Esposito (The Mandalorian, Breaking Bad) and Anthony Gonzalez (Coco).
- YARA TORN APART - For the first time in Far Cry, experience a sprawling capital city: Esperanza, the most expansive Far Cry playground to date. Take down Anton in the seat of his power by staying hidden or engaging Anton’s army in an all-out firefight in the streets. From taking the reins of a horse to commandeering a tank, choose your favorite ride to fight against the regime or to just travel Yara in style.
- BECOME A GUERRILLA - Jump into the action and chaos of guerrilla combat at the heart of a revolution. Employ an arsenal of unique and surprising new weapons, vehicles, and animal companions in a fight against an unyielding military regime. No guerrilla should go it alone, so pair up with an all-new animal companion like Chorizo, the adorable wiener dog who’s as cute as he is lethal.
Far Cry 6 is coming to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Amazon Luna, Google Stadia, and Microsoft Windows.