Far Cry 4 Preview: To The Snow Topped Mountains And Deep Into Shangri-La.

Following on from the successes of Far Cry 3, a sequel to that game was a no-brainer. It did so many things right, taking the common world creating elements of practically every Ubisoft open world game and blending them to a first person shooter in such a beautiful setting. Naturally, Far Cry 4 won’t stray too far from
what made that one so compelling, but will instead add new ideas on top of it.

The shift from some tropical islands to the foothills of the Himalayas and the fictional region of Kyrat is a great change because it actually seems to broaden the horizons that the game can explore. Where Far Cry 3′s two islands were bordered and enclosed by water, giving you hard limits on where you could go, the Himalayas not only allow Ubisoft to have the landscape stretch off into the distance, but also give some much more extreme changes in elevation, with deep valleys thousands of feet below the mountain tops.

Of the two sections of the game that I sampled, the first explored the most extreme of these locations. It dropped me into the freezing snow near the top of one of these mountains, but actually does so by breaking out of the open world mould. Rather than letting you take on the arduous task of clambering up the sides of the gigantic mountains, you have to hitch a ride in an ally’s helicopter. It’s bound to break the seamless flow of the open world, but could be considered more of a fast travel system, as you hop off the helicopter on a mountain peak near to the enemy base you’re attacking.

Tying into the story, this mission sees Ajay Ghale trying to strike a blow against the pink-suited Pagan Min and his army that have invaded Kyrat. The objective was to find the lieutenant of the band of troops patrolling this remote outpost, kill him by using a knife and take a photo of his corpse. A little like a stereotypical Mafia hit, designed to send a message and intimidate.

 It’s still a similar set up to the      base capturing that we saw in Far  Cry 3, but with a slightly different  end goal. It’s by far the best  method to find a weak spot and  methodically take out enemies on  the quiet, to give you a much b  etter chance when it all kicks off. I  failed a few times, getting  discovered early, as well as  failing to identify the lieutenant and mistakenly shooting him, but this just gave me opportunities to explore the area and try different things.

Ajay’s crossbow, for example, is the perfect tool for stealthy take downs, quite effectively supplanting the bow and arrow from Far Cry 3. I was also witness to a snow leopard’s ire being raised by the guards and their subsequent mauling by the angry cat, but once it was done with them it turned its attentions to the next nearby human, and came straight for me. Without any other choice, I had to pull out my submachine gun and take its life, to see my prediction come true, that you will be able to skin these majestic animals. I know it’s a video game, but even so.

Once I did successfully complete my mission, I was treated to another fantastic stint with the wingsuit, zipping down a long raving at ludicrously high speed, skimming past the sheer faces of other mountains, flying above and below rope bridges with RPG-toting goons on them before they could even see me coming and dodging past enemy helicopters going on patrol. Again, it’s a case of Far Cry 4 taking something from Far Cry 3 and pushing it a little bit further, making the use of the wingsuit something that could be much more commonplace than it was previously.

And it even has its counterpart to the bizarre and otherworldly drug trips that you were witness to in the last game, as you can delve into the history and mythology of the region and the fabled Shangri-La. As Ajay meditates, he awakens the memories of Kalinag, a warrior sent to find and protect Shangri-La from the demonic powers that are attacking it.

In stark contrast to the greens of the valleys and the blank canvas of the snow capped peaks, Shangri-La is full of surreal autumnal red, oranges and browns. It’s here that Kalinag teams up with The Protector, a pretty awesome magical tiger who really shows off some fantastic fur effects and who will fight by your side. Kalinag’s weaponry is understandably pared right back compared to Ajay’s, relying on a more traditional bow and arrow – albeit one that can slow down time – and knife with which to dispatch enemies, as he fights off demons, opens and goes through portals and endeavours to free Shangri-La’s Bells of Enlightenment.

Between the two scenarios, it really feels like Ubisoft are pushing the game and setting into some pretty cool new areas. While the mountain top missions are nice diversions, throwing up a slightly different objective from the usual and giving you a pleasing change of scenery, it’s really the wonderfully vibrant tonal shift of the Shangri-La section which grabbed my attention, and it’s here that I’m really looking forward to diving in and seeing some more, in addition to the fun that’s bound to be had in the main game with elephants and co-operative play.