Viviro, an experimental yet effective anti-cancer drug derived (ironically) from tobacco leaves and developed by Yara’s top scientists, is being hailed by Castillo as the country’s path to salvation, and all the world’s developed nations are waiting in line not only for the drug itself but also the rights to purchase the lucrative patents.īut while the birds-eye view of Castillo’s Yara looks rosy, the reality on the ground is horrifying. Unfortunately for most Yarans, the cure has proven to be even worse than the disease. Anton Castillo, a descendant of the aristocratic family that previously ruled Yara before Espinosa overthrew it in 1967 and erected a trade blockade that cut the country off from most of the international community for nearly 50 years, was elected on a platform to lead the revolution-weary nation “back to paradise”. In Ubisoft’s alt-history version, the recent death of Yara’s leader (as well as former revolutionary and guerrilla legend) Santos Espinosa sparked an economic collapse that resulted in calls for a national election. Not that either of those locales were any less beautiful, but for myself personally, a big part of what made Far Cry 3 resonate so strongly was the bizarre juxtaposition between the inviting sun, sands and blue waters of the Rook Islands. If the above metaphor didn’t make it obvious, a huge part of Far Cry 6’s appeal is its return to its signature tropical island setting, a welcome sight after the harsh, Himalayan climates of Far Cry 4’s fictional Kyrat and the idyllic yet overly-familiar American northwest backdrop of Far Cry 5’s Hope County.
Players who dare take the plunge back into Far Cry’s warm, crocodile-infested waters, as I have, are likely to find that the constantly evolving series hasn’t jumped the shark just yet. After playing the game for a week, I came away with the realization that what little of “the same” that actually remained from the previous games was only more of the good, and that even those familiar elements have taken on a new spin inspired by Far Cry 6’s new setting.