ITWire

A bunch of rich kids literally drop onto the wrong tropical island as they are captured by a nasty gang of people smugglers.  Jason Brodie is Far Cry 3’s main protagonist, and unlike his military serving brother is not familiar with jungle warfare, but he needs to learn fast as the need to free his siblings and friends on Rook Island becomes top priority.

Far Cry 3’s story weaves around Brodie’s coming of violent age, clanging into a number of mystic hurdles and rudimentarily formed “you are just like me” discussions between the good and bad guys along the way.  But it all serves well as the structure to this excellent sand-box game.

Whilst the game has been incorrectly described as Skyrim with guns, there is plenty to do here.  There are a number of mechanisms that combine to force players into all facets of the game.  Hunting is integral to progress here:  In order to carry more money, ammo, weapons or loot Brodie must craft items out of the various fauna that infests the jungle.

For example, a bigger wallet requires the skin of a boar, and wild dog, Komodo dragon or tapir skins can also be utilised to create better equipment.  The more dangerous the animal, the larger the capacity of device can be constructed, though it must be done in order.  I needed a goat skin at one point and tracked one that walked into a nearby river, presumably drowning.  Wading into the river to skin the hapless beast I was immediately set upon by a fresh water crocodile, scaring the grit out of me.  To survive the game prompts me to mash the ‘A’ button, difficult to do when the controller is on the other side of the room.

Then there is the syringe crafting from native plants that can boost your ability to hunt, survive and combat your fellow (but evil) man.

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