Far Cry: New Dawn brings colour to the end of the world

It might share a setting with Far Cry 5, but Ubisoft’s newest game has thrown a few new elements into the mix — and it’s a whole lot of fun.

Ever wished Mad Max had more colour in it? Evidently the developers of Far Cry: New Dawn did, and will be bringing a different view of the post-nuclear apocalypse to gaming platforms on February 15.

Developed by Ubisoft, Far Cry: New Dawn is a stand-alone sequel to last year’s Far Cry 5, which ended with nuclear war breaking out and atomic missiles landing on the game’s setting in Hope County, Montana, USA.

Fast-forward 17 years and Hope County (and other parts of the world) have somewhat recovered — people have emerged from fallout shelters, animals have returned and plant life is blooming again.

It wouldn’t be a Far Cry game without interesting antagonists, though, and in this case it’s twin sisters Mickey and Lou, leaders of a vicious outlaw gang called The Highwaymen, who have descended on Hope County with plans of looting it and generally wrecking the place.

The hands-on preview I enjoyed at Ubisoft’s offices in Sydney a few days ago skipped some of the introduction elements and began with my character — a security expert called in to help with the situation — in the settlement of Prosperity, in the southwest of Hope County.

The fundamental gameplay is unchanged from previous Far Cry games, but the aesthetic is unusual in that it’s “after the apocalypse IN GLORIOUS EXTRA COLOUR”.

Rather than the usual brown and grey and black maybe some dull yellow, Hope County is experiencing a superbloom with bright pinks and greens and blues and all sorts of other colours not usually associated with the aftermath of World War III.

This game kicks off 17 years after the last one ended.

Given the post-apocalyptic setting, some of the guns are a bit more cobbled together than in traditional games too, including sniper rifles with telescopic sights made out of old torches, pistols with suppressors made from car oil filters, and even a weapon that launches buzz saw blades. Yes, it’s exactly as fun as it sounds.

Guns come in different tiers, too, and will be more effective against different enemies. For example, a rusty M1911A1 pistol is a Tier 1 gun and will be very effective against Tier 1 enemies, will be OK against Tier 2 enemies, and will largely annoy Tier 3 enemies. Move to Tier 2 with a Sig P226 pistol with an improvised suppressor attachment, however, and you’re now highly effective against Tier 1 AND 2 enemies, and OK against Tier 3.

The enemies I encountered throughout my playthrough were mostly Tier 1, and I didn’t have enough materials to craft any Tier 2 guns, so I don’t know how well the system will work in the full game, but it’s an interesting idea.

Also new this time round will be escalating outposts. Liberating an outpost will provide a base and resources, but scavenging it completely will yield more resources. If you abandon the base, allowing the Highwaymen to retake it and fortify it even more, this will make it harder to retake, but also yield a much better loot.

Guns come in different tiers and certain firearms are more effective against different enemies.

Hired Guns are back this time, including some characters from Far Cry 5, and they bring more benefits than just “being there” and “shooting things” — Carmina Rye will bring a car with her when summoned for example, and follower skills can be upgraded too. When your companions get totally incapacitated, reviving them will require certain ingredients — so you can’t just shrug and wait for the cooldown timer to run out.

Crafting is also important — you’ll need to scavenge resources from the world to build vehicles, weapons and equipment. Perhaps the biggest addition, however, is that the game will have areas taking place outside the main map area for the first time in the series.

Once you liberate outposts and get enough fuel (ethanol is a major element of the game, it seems), a Quebecois helicopter pilot at Prosperity will fly you to various locations elsewhere in North America where you must infiltrate a base (the level I played was on a wrecked aircraft carrier), secure a package of materials, then escape to an extraction zone while the pilot comes back for you and every enemy in the area continuously attacks.

It was a good change of pace, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the other expeditions play out in the full game.

The games is set to drop in less than three weeks.

Narrative director James Nadiger said the team were excited to return to Hope County and the idea of a lush post-apocalyptic setting had some factual basis, depending on the circumstances, location and situation.

“We consulted with meteorologists who work with governments, and studied models from a (single) bomb all the way up to ‘all the bombs’,” he said.

“When there’s no more people, nature thrives.”

Having two antagonists is also a new approach for the series, and Mr Nadiger said rather than trying to create someone bigger and more memorable than the previous game in the series, they focused on ensuring that first and foremost the antagonists were believable people.

“We don’t set out to out-Vass Vass (the antagonist in Far Cry 3) or out-Joseph Joseph Seed (the antagonist from Far Cry 5),” he said.

He said having twins as the antagonists also changed the dynamic of the game, noting how as players progressed in the story they would see Mickey and Lou’s differing responses.

Twin sisters Mickey and Lou are the antagonists this time around and determined to make sure you don’t interfere with their operations.

Mr Nadinger also stressed the game was stand-alone and did not need any previous Far Cry games to play — so even people who missed the previous game would still be able to play and enjoy the game and its story.

And finally, for fans of the series: Yes, Joseph Seed survived the war and features in the game — as does the Edens Gate Cult, who have reimagined themselves as New Eden and shun technology for reasons I didn’t have time to explore during the preview.

I also saw some tantalising hints as to what might have happened to your character, the Deputy, from Far Cry 5 — but will have to wait for the full release to piece the rest of that mystery together.

Far Cry: New Dawn releases on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on February 15.