Far Cry New Dawn

- Reviewed on PS4 -

Far Cry New Dawn released on February 15th, 2019. 

Far Cry New Dawn is / was a narrative sequel to the previous Far Cry Installment, Far Cry 5. 

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

This game takes place 17 years after the big bomb (Known in-game as "The Collapse") was dropped in Montana (Ending of Far Cry 5) and now the whole state has reformed in a way, and is now a colorful, bright setting for our new Protagonist. 

You have the option to play as a male or female just like in the previous Far Cry 5 game. 

I will start off by saying this, I believe this game should have been a DLC for Far Cry 5, instead of its own game. I still fully enjoyed my experience and I love the nods to Far Cry 5 (Easter Eggs) within New Dawn. 

There are / were new vehicles to drive, new weapons to use, new companions to fight alongside, and new side quests to accomplish. 

The basic / main formula of Far Cry 5 was somewhat duplicated for Far Cry New Dawn, but there was a new cast of characters and new Antagonists to be afraid of in Far Cry New Dawn.

In Far Cry 5, the main enemies were called "Cultists" and in Far Cry New Dawn, the main enemies are now called "Highwaymen". 

I found the Highwaymen to be a big improvement of enemy choice by the Far Cry team and it really made me fear for my life when I would be walking and all of a sudden, a group of Highwaymen would ambush me and my companion(s). 

I did not feel this way about the Cultists in Far Cry 5 because the Cultists were brainwashed enemies and felt like an easy target to get around. 

So, the main enemies were a big step up in my opinion and I had a blast with these enemies more than the previous iteration of enemies in Far Cry 5. 

The Highwaymen are led by two twin sisters and these two sisters play the main Antagonists of Far Cry New Dawn. 

The twin sisters are named Mickey and Lou. I found these two sisters as kind of a downgrade in the state of "main antagonists". 

You don't see these characters as often as the Seed Family in Far Cry 5, and when you do see Mickey and Lou, their always in cut scenes, except for (SPOILER) the final battle with the both of them in which you can decide to spare them or not. 

They were very charismatic throughout the game and on the radio, but in the end, due to the lack of appearance within the game, to me they did not feel like a true threat like the Seed Family was. 

One game mechanic that Far Cry 5 and Far Cry New Dawn both have is Companions. 

This mechanic can make or break a situation you find yourself in. 

These companions (in both titles) can help you with fighting, ride alongside you, revive you, and much more. 

I love the attention to detail and how the two games (Far Cry 5 and Far Cry New Dawn) both stick to the in-game lore / story and keep characters from Far Cry 5 such as Pastor Jerome, Nick Rye, Grace Armstrong, Hurk Drubman Jr., and more! 

Below is the Complete List of Far Cry New Dawn Companions...

    - Carmina Rye
    - Pastor Jerome 
    - Gina Guerra
    - The Judge 
    - Nana
    - Hurk Drubman Jr.
    - Timber (Dog Ally)
    - Horatio (Boar Ally) 

I grew to love these companions and I used them all equally (amount of time for each being mutually the same), but I was a tad bit disappointed with one aspect of the mechanic. 

Far Cry 5 had the ability to play with two Companions ("Guns for Hire") and because I played Far Cry 5 before Far Cry New Dawn, when I noticed you could only have one Gun for Hire or one Animal Ally, I was taken back a little in disappointment. 

However, this aspect of only having one companion did not stop me from enjoying this title. 

Going out to Hope County (name of the location of New Dawn / Far Cry 5) and completing all the Companions quests and then being able to journey with them was a lot of fun and really gave me a sense of what each character was going to act like / fight like (personality). 

Now the last big point of interest I want to discuss is the home base aspect of Far Cry New Dawn, which actually was not present in Far Cry 5. 

Throughout the game you have to get materials in order to get new vehicles, weapons, explosives, etc. 

Far Cry 5 did not have this because all you had to do was level up and buy the new vehicles, weapons, explosives, etc. from stores using money. 

I did not know how to feel about this new mechanic but towards the middle of my playthrough I found this mechanic not that great in terms of progressing along with the in-game difficulty. 

You liberate bases and afterwards you can re-liberate the same base(s) but with higher level enemies. 

If you haven't being scavenging for new materials, you won't be able to progress (base wise) and sometimes side quests require higher level bases and if you're a game perfectionist who wants everything done but doesn't want a hard game experience, you have no choice in this circumstance. 

The home base where you do all the level progression / crafting is called "Prosperity" and it is led by previous Far Cry 5 character Kim Rye. 

If you have played Far Cry 5 and did Nick Rye's mission, you would have met Kim before and you would also help Nick and Kim (SPOILER) drive to a clinic and help deliver Kim and Nick's baby girl named Carmina Rye.

Carmina Rye, as previously mentioned, is one of the available companions in Far Cry New Dawn and I was very happy and excited that my favorite Far Cry 5 characters / family (the Rye's) were making a return in Far Cry New Dawn. 

So, in the end, I still believe this game should have been a DLC for Far Cry 5 instead of its own title because of the short story campaign and lack of content. 

However, I did enjoy this game a lot and it was one of those titles, where once I started, this was the only game I played until I beat it and I had a true blast with this game. 

Far Cry New Dawn definitely has its own charm and atmosphere to it and to some people this can be a good thing or annoying thing due to the extreme similarities to Far Cry 5. 

Pros: 

    - Great Story 
    - Memorable Antagonists 
    - Great Weapon, Vehicles, and Equipment Choices
    - Lots of Far Cry 5 Nods Including Locations and Characters
    - Great Movement and Combat
    - Better Music All Around 

Cons:

    - Materials are Needed to Upgrade 
    - Short Story
    - Antagonists aren't Present that Often
    - Only One Gun for Hire / Animal Ally at a Time
    - Ridiculously Long Installment Times (Digital Versions of Game)

My Rating for Far Cry New Dawn (on PS4):

4 / 5


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All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.



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