The main draw of Far Cry 4 is exploration. Thankfully there’s much more to Far Cry 4 than the story, so that no matter what you decide to do, you won’t get bored of the unpredictable environment in which it is set. Pagan Min is by no means as menacing or charismatic as Vaas, but replicating or creating a more shocking villain such as Vaas was always going to be a hard thing to achieve. This is largely due to the characters you meet throughout the game, being nowhere near as memorable as they were in Far Cry 3. While the story has enough to keep you interested, it is not as engaging as its predecessor. You can choose which side to fight for, which will eventually give you two possible endings depending on your actions. Within minutes of Far Cry 4 beginning, all hell breaks loose and Ajay is caught up between a civil war that has been raging between Pagan Min and the rebel army called the Golden Path. The main campaign sees you take the role of Ajay Ghale, a Kyrati who grew up in America, who has returned to his birth land to scatter the ashes of his dead mother. However, Where Far Cry 4 suffers slightly, is in its story and general plot.
Exploring, hunting and raiding this visually stunning land is an utter joy to do. The open-world setting of Kyrat is breathtaking in every aspect. If you enjoyed climbing towers, skinning dead animals, gathering plants, liberating enemy outposts, hunting big game and generally going gun crazy in Far Cry 3, then you’re going to enjoy Far Cry 4. Where Far Cry 3 had the psychopathic Vaas to keep you on your toes, Kyrat is ruled by an equally menacing, yet charming dictator / king – Pagan Min (voiced by Troy Baker). The lavish tropical waters of the beautiful, yet punishing Rook Islands set in the Pacific Ocean in Far Cry 3 have been replaced with the snow-capped peaks and pristine lakes of Kyrat, based on the Himalayan Mountains of Nepal. If you are a custom to Ubisoft’s Far Cry series, most notably Far Cry 3, then playing Far Cry 4 is going to give you many bouts of déjà vu. I come in from the opposite direction, guns blazing, and wipe out the entire outpost with ease, not before I fire a few rounds into my predatory friend as he looks to make me his next victim. It attacks the enemy soldiers and dispenses of each one brutally. Fire! The cage door is released and the deadly predator is set free. I unleash my rifle, line it up, and take aim. Now I know there positions, I spot a cage containing a ferocious tiger and immediately decide how I’m going to strike. As I traverse through the high grass, taking cover behind every towering tree I encounter, I produce my binoculars to get a closer look and to tag each enemy on my map to make my attack easier. Hiding amongst the foliage, stalking the enemy outpost, I circle around its perimeter looking for possible entry points and weaknesses.