Far Cry: New Dawn Review – Glorified Add-On or Standalone Survivor?

It’s hard not to look at Far Cry: New Dawn, and have a sense of déjà vu. Released less than 12 months away from it’s predecessor Far Cry 5, Far Cry: New Dawn brings gamers back to the setting of FC5‘s Hope County for a colourful, apocalyptic romp; but is this a simple retread of familiar ground or something revolutionary for the series.

New Dawn picks up 17 years after the events of Far Cry 5 – and for those who did played it, they’ll know that things ended with a bang, literally. A nuclear attack has left Hope County, Montana, reshaped and rejigged, with destroyed buildings, irradiated animals, and hostile survivors now roaming the surprisingly-pretty wasteland, and it’s up to you to take them on as a new character in the mix. It’s a refreshing setting for the Far Cry series, which does seem strange at first when you’re picking up a DIY saw-blade launcher rather than an SMG (as per the usual fair of all things Far Cry), but thankfully the gameplay brings you back to what makes the franchise so great.

The loop of taking out enemy outposts, managing interesting fetch-quests, and hunting down VIP targets is as enjoyable as ever. New Dawn‘s new weapons, overly-bizarre and spray-painted vehicles, and new Expedition missions (sending you to an isolated location for an objective) do a great job at spicing up the familiar formula.

You’ll feel at ease with New Dawn if you’ve played any Far Cry game before, and in no time, you’ll be into the flow of jumping into missions, crafting weapons, and hunting down side-quests or hidden items within the map – which is great, because more Far Cry is always a good thing. That said, the enemies in New Dawn are some of the most uninspiring of the series, with the cannon-fodder soldiers being very run-of-the-mill, and the main villains (who are usually a highpoint with any entry in the series) are very forgettable.

What exactly Far Cry: New Dawn is can be debated. Half sequel and half epilogue, New Dawn feels like a continuation of Far Cry 5‘s formula but spins it in a new direction. For newcomers who didn’t play Far Cry 5, New Dawn will feel incredibly fresh and new, but those who played the last instalment will enjoy the breadcrumbs of revisiting familiar yet derelict locations from Far Cry 5, all with a Mad Max-style wrapping around them.

Far Cry: New Dawn is available on Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

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