Far Cry New Dawn – here’s why US nuclear apocalypse has never looked so good
Familiar faces and exciting new additions help make this Far Cry stand out
Far Cry 5 was a very, very good game - offering a huge open world littered with side quests and challenges.
So, it's no surprise that Ubisoft's latest entry in the series - New Dawn - doesn't stray too far away from that formula.
Still, with more weapons than most military forces, a wide selection of vehicles and enemies, and a beautiful post apocalyptic map, New Dawn is arguably the most complete Far Cry experience yet.
The story takes us back to Hope County, 17 years after nukes were dropped leaving not just the US in chaos, but the world.
This is a giant step away from the usually isolated incidents of chaos that we are used to from the Far Cry series.
The setting
A lot has changed in Hope County since the bombs dropped.
People have died, animals have transformed, the planet and communities have only just started to recover.
Luckily, the nuclear apocalypse has never looked so good. Hope County is bursting with colour.
Rather than the drab, lifeless world we typically associate with the subject matter, Ubisoft has bucked the trend - focusing instead on how life, without humans, has thrived.
Flora and fauna are abundant - the colour palate is bright, and as creative director Jean-Sebastien Decant explains, 'it feels like the place from your childhood summer'.
You can read more about what he said in our here
The narrative
The story starts in typical, epic Far Cry fashion, seeing you emerge as the sole survivor of a train crash.
Rallying survivors and rebuilding communities seems to be the main objective throughout New Dawn.
In order to rebuild, the emphasis is on your new home base, which can be upgraded, added to, and expanded as more survivors join your community.
This seems to give the game more meaning as you won't be going from camp to camp, feeling nonchalant towards the NPCs of the world.
The game is definitely at its best when being played cooperatively, however, the guns and pets for hire can step in and be controlled by AI should you have no friends.
What's new?
Expeditions
Arguably the most successful addition to the series.
In New Dawn, you will be able to travel via helicopter to different regions of the US to collect resources, information and liberate the inhabitants of tyrannical regimes.
As the game is very focused on co-op , these missions are best played with friends or with one of the many Guns For Hire (GFH) available throughout the game.
They're a lot of fun - offering a welcome linearity to the sandbox style main missions of Hope County.
Guns and Vehicles
As you can imagine, there are not a lot of salvageable guns and vehicles in the wake of a nuclear apocalypse.
New Dawn focuses on the makeshift when it comes to your weaponry and transportation.
Take the awesome Saw blade crossbow, for example, crafted from spare parts you find in the wild. Simply line up a headshot and fire to be treated to a grisly death.
The weapon wheel has also been developed to make accessing all of your guns and medical supplies far more simple.
This comes in handy considering you'll often have enough munitions to bring a small country to its knees.
The Highwaymen
As we have come to expect from Far Cry games, there is a band of villainous criminals who are out to wreak havoc for their own twisted goals.
In New Dawn, they come in the form of the Highwaymen run by two identical twin sisters who believe there are two kinds of people in the world: ";Problem solvers and problem makers".
If you haven't already guessed, you're the latter.
You can expect to have numerous violent run-ins with the Highwaymen as you liberate Hope County from the modern day pirates. Show no mercy!
Pets for hire
Boomer, the beloved Alsatian from Far Cry 5, unfortunately, met his demise during the nuclear explosions. At least it was a quick death.
However, two new pets for hire are replacing him, in the form of Timber - a giant Shiba dog - and Horatio a wild boar.
The best part is that Timber can ride in the sidecar of your motorcycle. 'Atta boy.
Far Cry New Dawn lands on PS4, Xbox One and PC on February 15.