Open-world games are most of the time thought to be games that give you the freedom to do as you want. But in reality, this isn’t the case. You don’t have the freedom to do whatever you want to do even in the best open-world games. In fact, you are restricted by what the designers have put in the game. Besides that, you are also limited by the virtual environment you find in the game – the world that surrounds you in the game. When mentioned, these games discussions are centered around the “open” part but most times the best open-world games can be differentiated from the mediocre ones by their compelling world.
Just looking at Far Cry 3 reveals the nature of what we can call a great open-world game. The Rook Islands contain great and rich detail that makes it very enjoyable. You can even call the islands “characters”. Talk of a tropical paradise, rich jungle, undulating rivers, and rolling hills. The evolving nature of these places gives you the feel of being in a place that has long existed and continues to develop.
You play as Jason Brody with a mission to rescue your friends from a dreadful pirate called Vaas. During the course of the journey, Jason Brody gets involved in drugs and longing to be spiritual. Jason’s friends are like those friends that you can tag as shallow (this is the way the game paints them). Due to his friends’ shallowness, Jason falls into the hands of the local Rakyat tribe who messes him and is made subject to them. Events continue to unfold and you’ll find scenes that move from reality to Jason’s occasionally drug-influenced imagination.
You still have to come to terms with the narrative oddities. Jason’s friends get horrors thrown at them but they are unaffected. The game has you playing some scenes that might make you emotional and some events are shocking. Playing Far Cry 3 will make you understand that the game isn’t so much about the story but the focus is placed on its world and the way you turn it around for your personal enjoyment. You get involved in a story that requires that you go into direct shootouts with enemies and navigate caves. Outside that, there’s an entire paradise for you to control.
The game is based on the first-person shooter style coupled with some amounts of linear levels, vehicle sequences, and straight-out firefights. Jason can climb old radio towers that are in different locations across the islands to survey the land and look out for roads, plant locations, and weapons. Pirate camps can be attacked by Jason and won over to the Rakyat tribe. There are several ways to undertake missions; you could disable the alarm and then attack, free a wild animal in a cage in the camp to cause confusion or even attack head-on. The missions bring out the uniqueness of the open world. It could be bad when your plans and strategies do not go as planned like when you stumble unto a wild animal, but you could be lucky if you launch an attack as you sight a tiger wandering into the enemy’s camp.
You have many motivation to subdue and control camps apart from OC-tendecies; you have the weapon shop at your disposal, you get money and XP, unlock missions, and reduce the number enemy patrols present on the road.
Even though you may find some inconsistencies in the game, Far Cry 3 has a world that you’ll long to come back to even if it’s been long you played the game. You know why? The environment with its great detail will make you dream about playing it again.
