The first true sequel in collection historical past, Far Cry New Dawn performs extra like an extension of Far Cry 5. I wouldn’t fairly describe it as DLC, however it additionally feels odd to name it a sequel. It’s nonetheless set in Hope County, solely this time it’s a ramshackle post-apocalyptic wasteland densely full of wildlife, winding dust roads, and decrepit buildings.
The erosion of Hope County following the blast extends to Far Cry New Dawn’s central mechanics. There’s an enormous emphasis on crafting gear and increase the makeshift settlement referred to as Prosperity.
New Dawn doesn’t break into uncharted territory with its setting or mechanics, however it does do sufficient with its programs to pressure you to vary your method to tackling the missions and exploring the open world. It’s a neat trick actually, as primarily that is nonetheless the Far Cry we’ve seen on loop entry after entry.
The predominant storyline is an efficient bit shorter than Far Cry 5, however the setup compels you to tackle some fascinating aspect content material in between missions in a manner the collection has usually did not do. This is a scaled again model of Far Cry, stripped all the way down to the place the small items and elements actually matter.
The story sputters and at occasions it seems like deja vu of a sport that got here out lower than a yr in the past, however New Dawn in the end outshines Far Cry 5 in nearly each manner. It’s not a wholly new sport by any means. It merely makes use of the framework of Far Cry 5 in higher, extra resourceful methods. It all comes collectively to create one of the best Far Cry sport obtainable on PS4 and Xbox One.
Getting artful with it
Far Cry New Dawn takes place 17 years after the nuclear bombs had been dropped on Hope County. Needless to say, mainly all the things was destroyed. The survivors arrange residence in hopes of constructing Hope County again up once more. Your anonymous protagonist — you get to decide on their gender — helps to steer the cost. But if the resistance fighters have any hope of warding off the vultures referred to as the Highwaymen, Prosperity must get a lot stronger.
New Dawn has a cobbled collectively mantra. In the intro mission, you collect elements to craft the Saw Launcher, a crossbow made out of a chainsaw chain, bike handles, a round noticed, and random bits of steel. It’s the best weapon within the sport, because the projectile round saws clang off of partitions and might strike a number of enemies within the course of.
Crafting weapons in Far Cry New Dawn.But it’s not simply untraditional weapons just like the Saw Launcher that require crafting. Everything from SMGs to sniper rifles must be comprised of elements scattered all through Hope County. While you possibly can nonetheless decide up weapons from lifeless enemies, you’re solely going to search out weak, stage one weapons. These merely gained’t do the job in mid to late sport missions. Scavenge for elements or pay the value later.
Certain spots on the map are marked as search places for elements. You want a mixture of parts to create every weapon. Exploring off the crushed path, corresponding to buildings which have been submerged underwater and barns the place solely the roof stays, is a stark change of tempo for the usually over-the-top collection. Sometimes you’ll run into enemies in these areas, however usually occasions it’s quiet.
Even with the overarching deal with crafting, I by no means felt like I used to be doing busywork.
Even the weapons for rent require a cocktail of medication, retrieved from crops, to be revived once they fall. If you neglect the hunt for supplies, properly it’s possible you’ll be combating solo every now and then, and also you additionally could run out of medkits. The weapons for rent and specialists aren’t all the time probably the most useful, although it may well get lonely on the market in post-apocalyptic Hope County and not using a voice in your ear. My favourite companion, Timber, is an efficient boy who likes to take a seat within the cart hooked up to my bike, wagging his tail within the breeze.
Vehicles, from vans to choppers to ATVs, have to be crafted as properly. There are weapons for rent that deliver autos to your location and you will discover deserted vehicles and enemy autos to steal, however they aren’t obtainable in extra.
New Dawn neatly integrates outpost liberation into the crafting system. Each of the eight crafting stations — workbench, explosive lab, storage, and so forth. — might be leveled up 3 times with ethanol barrels to create higher tools and instruments. And it simply so occurs that the ten outposts are one of the best useful resource for ethanol. Liberating an outpost rewards you with ethanol barrels. Then you possibly can “scavenge” the outpost for added ethanol, return and struggle more durable baddies to earn a good higher reward. Each outpost has three problem ranges, and their integration into the general development made me benefit from the collection staple greater than normal.
Even with the overarching deal with crafting, I by no means felt like I used to be doing busywork. I feel that’s primarily as a result of New Dawn slyly will get you to care concerning the much less shoot-y actions. I used to be overjoyed once I realized I might stage up the cartography station to get new treasure maps. Treasure places are multi-step occasions that job you with eliminating a handful of baddies after which discover away into the locked treasure room. On one treasure hunt, I needed to ring a bell atop a dilapidated church to summon a bear who was sporting the important thing. I used to be rewarded for my efforts with sufficient elements to create an elite SMG which helped me recover from the hump on a boss I used to be combating.
And for these frightened about any potential boringness with facets like treasure hunts. I shot the bear with a rocket launcher and watched it fly about 20 toes. This continues to be Far Cry. You can nonetheless create your personal over-the-top explosions, whilst you partake within the smaller occasions.
Plenty of New Dawn’s missions have a weapons blazing perspective.
Perk factors, which can be utilized to buy new expertise like takedowns and enhance your stock slots, usually occasions go hand in hand with crafting. Certain challenges solely unlock as you stage up stations in Prosperity, and also you’ll want greater stage gear to finish a large portion of challenges to earn factors to spend.
Crafting in Far Cry New Dawn is built-in in a manner that will get you to take a look at all the things it has to supply. From treasure hunts to outposts to expeditions to the myriad of random loot places, I needed to discover the open world. New Dawn offers you tangible causes to take action, and the result’s a higher appreciation for a strong new weapon or devastating explosive machine.
Explosively quiet
While a lot of the actions talked about above are optionally available, they develop into moderately vital in the long term. The 22 story missions begin off considerably benign. Once you hit the later missions, you’ll be up towards excessive rank enemies with robust armor that requires armor piercing ammo that’s reserved for greater tier weapons. The last couple of missions function some difficult boss fights that basically reinforce New Dawn’s reliance on increase Prosperity to stave off the imposing risk.
Liberating an outpost in Far Cry New Dawn.Plenty of New Dawn’s missions have a weapons blazing perspective, with waves upon waves of enemies, a myriad of explosions, and an aura of improbability round them. That’s nice for followers who’re on the lookout for a conventional Far Cry expertise. These missions work properly, particularly the late sport ones. But there’s additionally numerous missions that have you ever holster your weapons.
In one mission, you impersonate a prisoner, creating bullets by hand alongside different prisoners earlier than sneaking your manner by the ability to eradicate your mark. In one other mission, you clear up a collection of puzzles with the steering of a well-recognized face. And in one other, I competed in a gladiator model enviornment, no weapons allowed.
New Dawn’s plot feels tacked on, although Far Cry video games aren’t significantly identified for high quality tales.
The new expeditions take you away from Hope County. All of them are heist missions that play out like extra elaborate variations of outposts. The change of surroundings and rewards are good, however they don’t introduce something really new to the method. That stated, replaying them for higher rewards, very similar to the outposts, proved to be a surprisingly enjoyable problem.
New Dawn strikes a pleasant stability right here by permitting gamers to utilize the stellar first individual gunplay in ample doses whereas additionally remaining grounded in the truth that this world is extra desolate and slower transferring than it was in Far Cry 5.
Highwaymen, New Eden, doesn’t matter
I’ve waited this lengthy to speak concerning the precise storyline of Far Cry New Dawn as a result of, properly, it winds up as little greater than background noise. The aforementioned resistance fighters of Prosperity are up towards the Highwaymen, led by ruthless twin sisters Mickey and Lou.
Their causes for wanting management of Hope County should not totally clear. After all, the place is in ruins. It’s quite a lot of land after all, however the individuals of Prosperity are solely occupying a small chunk of it. New Dawn makes use of some flashbacks to aim to humanize Mickey and Lou and inform different plot factors. None of it ever actually quantities to something noteworthy, although.
Eden’s Gate, Joseph Seed’s cult, additionally makes a fumbling return. The two teams, New Eden and the Highwaymen, in the end drive the story to its conclusion. Part of the rationale why the story falters is as a result of neither group has motivations that make sense. We already know Eden’s Gate’s followers are extraordinarily misguided, however why on the earth are they nonetheless collectively 17 years later?
Far Cry New Dawn Compared To
New Dawn’s plot feels tacked on, although Far Cry video games aren’t significantly identified for telling high quality tales. New Dawn’s is well one of many worst as a result of the principle antagonists aren’t even developed sufficient to care about. Usually I can not wait to lastly kill the principle antagonist in a Far Cry sport. In New Dawn, I simply needed Mickey and Lou to go away so I might scavenge for elements in peace.
Since Far Cry New Dawn solely touches on the principle plot each few missions, it was pretty straightforward to disregard it altogether. The surrounding programs, the act of increase Prosperity and serving to the characters who’re extra absolutely realized blocks out a lot of the frustration. It’s a disgrace, although, as a result of New Dawn might’ve been among the best in collection historical past if it had a extra fascinating narrative.
Our Take
Far Cry New Dawn doesn’t really feel like a real sequel to Far Cry 5. Instead, it repurposes the map as a post-apocalyptic wasteland and cleverly locations the deal with scavenging for assets to make Hope County new once more. The overarching emphasis on crafting compels you to discover the map far and huge, finishing aims each large and small. The result’s a extra rewarding Far Cry with a greater variety of missions and a deeper problem. The story is unhealthy, however it doesn’t get in the way in which. Overall, it’s one of the best Far Cry sport obtainable on PS4 and Xbox One.
Is there a greater various?
New Dawn is one of the best Far Cry sport since Far Cry 3, however open world video games like Far Cry are a dime a dozen. From Horizon Zero Dawn to Grand Theft Auto V to Red Dead Redemption 2, there are undoubtedly higher choices within the style. But New Dawn is one of the best Far Cry sport on present era consoles.
How lengthy will it final?
It took us about 20 hours to complete the principle story, however we additionally accomplished a bevy of aspect aims in that point. It’s shorter than Far Cry 5.
Should you purchase it?
Yes, in the event you’re a fan of Far Cry, you can purchase New Dawn.
DT Gameplay