Far Cry New Dawn is an excellent game. In the lead up to release concerns were raised about the map being reused from last years Far Cry 5. There was also some unease about it being a shorter experience than the base games and then shortly before release when it was announced that Ubisoft would be including some RPG mechanics that also appeared to be under scrutiny.
Well I am here to tell you that despite the scepticism, all the potential issues going in ended up being a positive for the overall experience. I spent ample time with Far Cry 5 (review here) when it released back in March 2018 and despite the map being lifted from the previous entry it has undergone more than just a minor makeover. In truth revisiting some of the old landmarks from the previous game and seeing what the damage from a nuclear explosion and seventeen years of recovery has done is one of the best things about New Dawn. The world is beautiful and vibrant. It is bursting with colour and surprises.
I also found the shorter narrative a breath of fresh air. The campaign comes in at around 10-12 hours but with side content you can easily double that game time. I will say however while the shorter run time was a bonus, the actual story itself was as run of the mill Far Cry as you can get. That’s four out of the last five Far Cry titles (Primal being the obvious exception) that have followed a ludicrously similar path, complete with an interesting and over the top set of villains that aren’t seen or heard from enough, a back story that isn’t as fleshed out as you would hope and tedious drug/dream sequences that feel tacked on.
The RPG mechanics are a welcome addition and add some depth that left the series when we stopped having to skin three sharks to fashion a new wallet that could hold an extra thirty bucks. It is an RPG-lite experience but hopefully Ubisoft dipping their toes in the this direction leads to them exploring it more thoroughly in the inevitable Far Cry 6. The biggest detraction from the game is that they didn’t go far enough in the post apocalyptic direction. Many, including myself had hoped for more of a Fallout experience with Far Cry mechanics but instead we got a standard Far Cry game with a half baked post apocalyptic theme.
Overall though, Far Cry New Dawn for me improves on it’s predecessor in every way. The graphics are stunning, the gameplay is more refined than ever, the map is still huge but is condensed enough to make it more manageable, the weapons are more varied and while we are still stuck with the drugged out dream sequences they are less prominent than ever. All of this adds up to a massive win for a franchise that continues to be one of the very best out there. Considering the budget price given to the game as well I cannot recommend this highly enough. Even if you are new to the series, this is an excellent entry point. Just watch the FC5 story in one minute video here to get you up to speed.
Review code provided by Publisher. Game reviewed on PS4 Pro.