Far Cry 5 preview, release date, pre-order info, trailers and latest
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At Paris Games Week, Ubisoft revealed a brand-new trailer for Far Cry 5 taking a look at the “Friend for Hire” system, showing off the series’ expanded co-op mechanics for players to cause chaos together.
Far Cry 5 release date – When’s it coming out?
Far Cry 5 launches February 27, 2018 on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
-Far Cry 5 Trailers
Take a look at the co-op trailer from Paris Games Week:
Far Cry 5 gameplay
Back at E3, Trusted got the chance to experience a snippet of Far Cry 5 using one of the “Guns for Hire” characters. This let us see how much mayhem we could cause in Hope County while liberating the town from the terrifying Seed cult. More recently, I got the chance to replay the same mission a few times, using each of the three friends for hire to see how differently the madness can play out.
One thing Ubisoft always does with Far Cry is create an incredible hook. From Vaas’ definition of insanity to Pagan Min’s incredible eccentricity and now we arrive at the Seed’s. Every villain has done enough to have me excited to jump into the latest open world, but the idea of causing absolute anarchy in the heart of America feels all the more enthralling.
The mission is to liberate the town of Fall’s End, which you’ll have probably seen in the trailers, as it plays home to the Whistling Beaver Bar – a pun as unsubtle as it is quintessentially American – and serves as the perfect explainer for what to expect in this entry.
Starting atop a hillside with my first Gun for Hire – Nick Rye, the town pilot who will watch over you from above and drop bombs on targets you designate – a quick look through the binoculars shows townsfolk being dragged from their homes and bound against their will by crazed cultists.
It’s up to me to save them, and I can do so by going down either the stealth or guns-ablazing route. This being Far Cry, what’s the point of making a low-key entrance? First I climb the nearby water tower and pick off some enemies with the conveniently-placed sniper rifle while Nick drops some hellfire on targets. The explosion from the bombs is nothing short of spectacular, and as over the top as the best 80s action movies. Considering there are only a dozen-or-so enemies in the immediate vicinity, the carnage that ensues is as entertaining as it is hilarious, and it’s classic Far Cry.
In fact, once the proverbial hits the fan, everything feels familiar. The core action feels very Far Cry, in the sense the enemies behave in a very distinct manner, running straight towards you with little regard for self-preservation. Everything is done with an acute self-awareness and a little tongue-in-cheek. Some may be saddened by things feeling like they have done for a while, but I slip right back into the game like a comfy pair of slippers.
hat separates this entry from its predecessors is the setting, which does make things feel interesting and fresh. All of this action taking place in America makes it seem more tangible, “real” somehow, especially in light of how mad the real world has got in recent years.
After liberating the town, things get a little weird, as I’m asked to go and visit Nick Rye in his hangar, the same Nick Rye who’s been hovering above me and ‘bringing the noise’ for the past ten minutes. Once I reach the hangar, Nick’s hangar is overrun by cultists, and after helping him out, I speak to Nick about taking out a bunch of silos in the local area using one of his planes. I should point out that while talking to Nick face-to-face, another Nick was still flying above, a funny bug that will of course be ironed out by launch, but in a small demo built to show off both this mission and the Guns for Hire mechanic, one that’s hard to avoid.
Flying the plane was great fun, and surprisingly easy to handle considering how much that can be done within it. I’ve always found flying planes in the likes of Battlefield incredibly tricky, and always feel bad for teammates who opt to be passengers as I quickly descend to our death, unable to inform them of my incompetence on the way. But in Far Cry, everything is simple. There’s a button for the machine gun, one for rockets, another for dropping bombs, and even an alternate camera angle to aim where the bombs are going to land.
Controlling the plane is super easy, and when one of the members of the Project at Eden’s Gate decides to chase me in their own biplane for some dogfighting, it’s an intense and fun battle to round off the demo.
Then of course, I jump straight back in with the next character – Grace Armstrong. Unfortunately, this mission didn’t really help show off Grace as a character, rather show off how fiddly it can be directing your AI partner around the map.
While aiming, tapping the D-Pad will send your Friend to attack a particular enemy, or to a location, while holding orders them to return to you. Grace holds a rifle, so I wanted to place her in the water tower to pick enemies off while I attacked up close. Unfortunately, this proved impossible, and in the end the mission devolved into another shootout where Grace ran off and did her own thing.
However, I did appreciate how different the combat played out. Rather than running straight down the middle of the street and taking on enemies as bombs rained from above, this time I was more tactical. I snuck through buildings and popped out from cover to take out enemies as they approached. I also discovered on this run that I had dynamite, and things got very interesting once again.
As enemy trucks pulled into town, I tossed the dynamite under the vehicle before enemies had a chance to get out, making a HUGE explosion, which was very satisfying indeed.
After liberating the town once again, it was Boomer’s turn to shine. I don’t know what it is about video game animals, but I always care about them more than any artificial human, and as soon as it became apparent that I could pet Boomer as and when I pleased, he immediately became my favourite Fang for Hire. Nick may have the explosives, but he doesn’t lick my face the way Boomer does.
Boomer can be ordered to attack a single enemy, and while this doesn’t prove hugely beneficial when it all kicks off, it can help whittle down the numbers by silently removing baddies on the outskirts of a command post, so for those wanting the silent approach, Boomer is a great choice. Even when I run down the far side of the terrain and spot a mounted gun to mow down the cultists, Boomer is on-hand to take out those I can’t reach.
First Impressions
Gameplay-wise, this still feels very much like the Far Cry you know, but the setting and narrative make it possibly the most intriguing and exciting entry to date. I enjoyed the combat I played, but what I’m really looking forward to is experiencing the story, coming face-to-face with the Seed family, and witnessing firsthand the destruction they cause to Hope County and the people within.
Far Cry 5 characters – Who are they?
As well as Joseph Seed, he has three siblings known as “The Heralds” who also lead The Project at Eden’s Gate.
Not much is known about each family member yet, but considering the Far Cry series’ excellent history with memorable villains, we can’t wait to see each cult leader’s dark tale.
As well as the villains, we also got a glimpse of three key allies whom we’ll meet during the campaign.
Up first is Pastor Jerome, a preacher of Hope County who has lost his followers to The Project at Eden’s Gate. A teaser trailer shows Jerome quoting the Bible, Jeremiah 23:1 – ”Woe to the man who leads my flock astray, says the Lord”, before picking up a gun and leaving his now-decrepit church to (presumably) take on the Seeds.
We also have the owner of the local bar, Mary May. Mary May says The Project “took” her mother, father and brother, but it’s unclear whether the Seed’s killed or converted her family. Now she’s no the warpath for revenge. Oh and the bar is called “The Whistling Beaver”, because of course it is.
Finally we have Nick Rye, a family man with a passion for planes. His father and grandfather were pilots in World War 2 and he hopes to pass on the passion for flight to his unborn son, but fears the Seed’s are destroying everything, so is taking up arms, with his biplane now equipped with a gatling gun.
Far Cry 5 animals – What can we hunt and kill?
Considering the Far Cry series is known for including a wealth of flora and fauna for us to forage and hunt to craft new and better items and equipment, it’s natural to be interested in what we can be chasing down in Far Cry 5.
While Ubisoft hasn’t released a complete list of the animals in the game, but bears, cows and deer as well as birds are present in the trailers and vignettes released thus far.
It’s not an extensive list, but a quick search online shows that lynx, gray wolves, bighorn sheep, elk, moose, mountain lions, mountain goats and many more mammals are indigenous to Montana, so hopefully Ubisoft adds the whole lot to Far Cry 5.
Far Cry 5 vehicles – What can we drive and fly?
The early trailers have given a glimpse of some of the additional ways players will be able to traverse Hope County. A brief tease of a muscle car shows they will be featured in the game, but also players will be able to fly around the terrain with the help of Nick Rye and his planes.
