Far Cry New Dawn

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Title: Far Cry New Dawn
Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
Website: https://far-cry.ubisoft.com/game/en-gb/home
Genre: Shooter, Action, FPS
Platform:Xbox One, PlayStation, PC
Audience: For ages 18 and up
Release Date: 15/02/2019
Price: £39.99

What the Developers say

Dive into a transformed vibrant post apocalyptic Hope County, Montana, 17 years after a global nuclear catastrophe.
Join fellow survivors and lead the fight against the dangerous new threat the Highwaymen, and their ruthless leaders The Twins, as they seek to take over the last remaining resources.

FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL IN A POST-APOCALYPTIC WORLD
• Take up arms on your own or with a friend in two player co-op in an unpredicatable and transformed world.

COLLIDE AGAINST TWO ALL NEW VILLAINS
• Recruit an eclectic cast of Guns and Fangs for Hire and form alliances to fight by your side against the Highwaymen’s unruly leaders The Twins.

BUILD UP YOUR HOMEBASE AND THE SURVIVORS
• Recruit Specialists to upgrade your homebase, who will help unlock all new features including crafting weapons, gear and more.

BATTLE FOR RESOURCES IN HOPE COUNTY AND BEYOND
• Engage the Highwaymen in Turf Wars and venture on Expeditions to memorable locations across the USA.

Introduction

For me, the Far Cry series did not get a grip of me until the third instalment where I was utterly addicted to the open world gameplay and the endless side missions, since then I was hooked on each game that came out. Each one with slightly different mechanics and stories to tell. Far Cry New Dawn set in the same place as Far Cry 5 immediately drew me back in, I just knew with the vibrant colours and the fact that Ubisoft was going back to the importance of crafting, that I would have so much more fun.

Looks and Sounds

Far Cry New Dawn is more colourful than the last major game, and it has a Blood Dragon feel with the bright neon colours. This works well with the story when a nuclear explosion and wildlife and foliage are rebuilding. The same can be said for weapons and vehicles. For Xbox One X/PS4 Pro users there is an upgrade with higher pixel count and better draw distances. In the aftermath of the nuclear fallout, the animal’s characteristics and appearances change. For example, they get more substantial, and their colours change. Each weapon used sounds as accurate as expected, and the voice acting is more convincing than Far Cry 5, I felt more invested in each of the characters stories and beliefs.

Gameplay and Replayability

I have clocked in 15 hours of gameplay in New Dawn, each hour felt like minutes playing. Not once did I feel that I was bored. There are so many elements in the game that keep you coming back day after day, opportunities to upgrade your weapons, bolster your Homebase and to make new friends who will fight side by side. Amongst the story missions which are a real treat, your Homebase is key to making sure you have all you need to complete your game. Crafting new weapons, vehicles and upgrades to your team and stats never seem like a chore.

You can play in co-op which gives even longer life to New Dawn. As I am a completionist, I spent a lot of time reading notes lying around getting to know every last bit of Hope County and observing the wildlife wondering how they cope in this apocalyptic world. Not many games get me immersed in the world, and New Dawn sits in my top 10 of all time. The only gripe I would have with the gameplay is the switching between weapons and crafting, a lot is going on often in tough battle scenarios, and the last thing I needed to do was fight around with my bumpers on my controller, figuring out how to craft health packs or Molotov cocktails.

Conclusion

In my opinion, Far Cry New Dawn offers an experience that compliments Far Cry 5 and offers improvements that justify a full price release rather than an expansion. While ideally this should be played after completing Far Cry 5 to get a better understanding of some of the backstory, it isn’t essential to do so. Gameplay is fluid and smooth to get used to, and the reliance of crafting is a welcome return to a series that was not seen as necessary in the last game. The story is enjoyable, and there is enough content there to keep you playing either on your own or with friends for a long time. A must buy!

Rapid Reviews UK Rating

You can purchase Far Cry New Dawn at the Microsoft Store on the following link, https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/far-cry-new-dawn/c1ddw4prf6k5?activetab=pivot%3Aoverviewtab

You can purchase Far Cry New Dawn at the PlayStation Store on the following link, https://store.playstation.com/en-gb/product/EP0001-CUSA13885_00-FARCRYBOWMORE000