Welcome to Real America: Far Cry 5
From merely observing the concept art, Far Cry 5 was bound to generate serious controversy from a specific portion of the political electorate.
Let’s be honest, though: “Far Cry” and “controversy” have gone together since the earliest numbered games. The first two titles weren’t hesitant to tackle mercilessly violent themes, which was a fairly common FPS critique at the time. But Far Cry 3 received early controversy for the protagonist being Caucasian, while many enemies were brown-skinned. The main game, however, wasn’t too controversial in nature — outside those who enjoyed the previous games feeling they dumbed down some mechanics. Far Cry 4 also generated early upset over potential racism and homophobia hinted at through the promotional art, but again, the main game wasn’t quite that bad. Again, most of the complaints were gameplay-related, from those who felt it was too similar to the last game.
Given that, the mere act of Far Cry 5 generating controversy is the least surprising aspect. It’s who the themes are pissing off that’s the big change; precisely, it’s the crowd that thought people were overly sensitive to get upset about Far Cry 3 and 4’s possible early themes that’s foaming at the mouth.
From seeing the above art and the teasers (which are unlisted now, for some reason), it was easy to tell the main villains would be American extremists. That it will take place in the overwhelmingly rural state of Montana further confirmed this. They voiced (and are voicing, in some cases) colorful opinions about the game I’d rather not repeat here, but if you’ve ventured into any alt-right or Trump supporter discussions, you already have an idea of what was said. That it’s coming soon after Watch Dogs 2, which contained a multiracial cast, only made the reactions worse. What a goddamn time we live in, huh?
It’s ironic that they’re the group being considered overly sensitive at the moment, because now that the full game has been unveiled, it’s not quite as controversial as expected. Far Cry 5 will take place in the fictional Hope County, Montana, which has been overrun by a religious extremist group known as “Eden’s Gate.” They’re led by Father Joseph, and believe the end is near, but think they’re doing the right thing to cleanse the country. The trailer makes it clear that the game isn’t dealing with white supremacists, as black people are scattered among the group. Of course, that also raises the question of why so many black people would be among such a group in Montana. (Note: The state is only 0.4 percent black.) Perhaps the game will answer that, or it could be as realistic as the original Watch Dogs’ unlively Chicago.
Those who liked the concept wondered if Ubisoft would drive this further and have a minority protagonist, but that’s actually up to you. The main character will be a junior deputy whose race and gender will be of your choosing, though whether this will change in-game conversations and story developments is unknown — and unlikely. The player will be joined by other characters in the Resistance, who thus far include Mary May, pastor Jerome Jeffries, and Nick Rye. More will be introduced between now and the release date.
The core gameplay will be similar to previous Far Cry games, with some necessary modifications. It will be an open world title where players will work with Resistance members of the citizenry to take down cult members, and venture from place to place using a variety of vehicles. New to this game will be the ability to fly to those places, which should save even more time in travelling between locations. While citizens will be available for recruitment, the player will also be able to tame animals like bears and cougars for help, a returning fan-favorite feature from last year’s Far Cry Primal. The map editing feature will also return for players to create their own stages. In another first for the series, the entire campaign can be played with a friend, though whether it will be online-only has not been confirmed.
Far Cry 5 is following the franchise’s tradition in not being quite as controversial and realistic as it let on, and it would be best for everyone to expect the final game to follow suit. It would be welcome for a video game to tackle America’s currently tumultuous political climate, but a AAA game that has to sell to the largest audience to make a profit is the last kind of title that will handle it. Despite that, I’m hoping the final game will take some unforeseen risks with its material.
We’ll get a better feel for the themes the game will tackle at its showcase during Ubisoft’s E3 2017 conference in a little over two weeks. Unlike the last three numbered games, Far Cry 5 will surprisingly miss the Christmas season, and will instead launch on February 27th next year. But it shouldn’t have a problem selling given how well Primal did early last year.
About The Author
Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
