Far Cry 4 ¦ Game Review

Fulfilling death-bed promises can be a tricky thing. Especially when that promise is to return your mother’s ashes to your home country, which just happens to be under the control of an unhinged king with very little impulse control, a tendency towards stabbing, and a romantic history with your mother.

Kyrat, set in the Himalayas, is a perilous place, and its leader Pagan Min is colourful, flamboyant and dangerous - a heady combination. From the moment he forces you to take a blood spattered selfie with him, you’re hooked.

The story revolves around Kyrat and the rebel group the Golden Path, which just happens to be founded by the father of Ajay Ghale, your character. That makes you both a target and a hero. Escaping from Min’s compound and into the arms of the Golden Path requires both stealth and cunning, distracting guards while sneaking past instead of relying on a shoot out that your - initially at least - poorly armed character will lose.

Animals can be used to dispatch your enemies with a little bit of persuasion; a well-aimed rock or two to lure them closer, a chunk of meat as bait to direct them, and all you have to do is sit back and watch the results. Predators aren’t the only ones who can be of use; elephants are more than a mode of transport, they’re a battering ram capable of clearing a path.

To say there's a lot going on is a bit of an understatement. Far Cry 4 feels relentless. Although there's a story to follow, it's easy to get sidetracked into quests and missions that have only a tangential association with the campaign. There's a slight twist to the plot, but it risks being overshadowed by the volume of missions

Sadly, one of its strongest assets – Min himself – is woefully underused. A little more Min would have gone a long way, but his involvement past the initial dramatic entry, is limited.

Brilliant in some ways, flawed in others, Far Cry 4 is still worth going along for the ride.