The world’s greatest vacation quickly turns into a fight for survival and a plot for revenge.
“Far Cry 3,” developed by Ubisoft, is an open world, first-person, RPG shooter starring Jason Brody, a young man stranded on a bizarre island who must rescue his friends and family from a gang of deadly pirates.
The game takes place on the beautiful and luxuriant retreat of Rook Island. Jason, after witnessing the death of his older brother and narrowly escaping the clutches of the mentally unstable pirate leader, Vaas Montenegro, is introduced to the Rakyat, the pirates’ rival group. An allegiance is soon formed between Jason and the Rakyat; they are his only hope of locating his friends and family before they are killed or sold into slavery.
But before that, Jason must first learn about survival. Rook Island is infested with exotic animals to skin and plants to harvest which supply you with things like crafting materials and medicine. However, the choice is yours whether or not to take advantage of the wildlife.
As you progress through the story, Jason undergoes a series of changes both physically and mentally. It won’t be long till you begin to notice his rapid transformation from innocent pretty boy to savage killing machine, though the circumstances of his situation allow plausible cause for the sudden evolution – the loss of his friends, plus the number of lives he has taken to find them is more than enough to justify the removal of his sanity.
“Far Cry 3” constantly encourages you to make use of the environment in order to survive. When taking over an enemy camp, using the front door is a sure way to sound off the alarms, forcing you to deal with reinforcements. Stealth is key, you must try and find another way in, sneak your way through and disable the alarm system. Then it’s time to kick some ass.
The wildlife is also useful when taking over a camp. There will be times when you notice that a tiger or a bear has been captured and trapped inside a cage. All you need to do is shoot the cage open and let the little guy do the rest of the work for you.
If stealth isn’t your preference, there is always the option of running in guns ablaze and hoping for the best, though this strategy may not always work.
There are plenty of weapons to be attained in “Far Cry 3” and there are plenty ways of attaining them; you can purchase them from weapon shops, receive them as a reward by doing favors for the shop owners or you can always just “borrow†one from a deceased pirate.
Traveling Rook Island is simple yet enjoyable, with quite an impressive selection of vehicles to choose from while you do so. You might find yourself driving around in a dilapidated jalopy or sailing in a machine-gun-rigged Zodiac for no purpose other than it being a hell of a lot of fun. Other means of transportation include a wing-suit, zip lines, jet ski’s, gliders and many more.
Killing enemies and completing tasks or missions earn you XP for leveling up. Each time you gain a level you acquire a skill point, which allows you to unlock new abilities separated into three categories: The Heron, The Shark and The Spider. The Heron focuses on long range takedowns and mobility; The Shark, assault and healing and The Spider, stealth and survival. Your skill preference will likely impact the way you play the game, whether your plan of attack is from long distance, short range or the shadows. It is completely up to you to decide, so choose wisely… your friends are counting on you.
“Far Cry 3” is a shooter like no other. The story can be a bit weak at times, but its clear that Ubisoft’s focus was on their characters and creating a sandbox title rather than making a captivating tale. Still, there are many intense moments and surprises to keep you hooked as you lean towards the end of the game. This is one vacation you do not want to miss.
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