●●●○○

Far Cry 4 is Ubisoft’s latest first person fever-dream action game, this time taking us to the distinctly Nepalese fictional state of Kyrat rather than the depths of the jungle like in Far Cry 3. Unfortunately, the differences between the games stop shortly thereafter.

You could be forgiven for thinking that Far Cry 4 is just a particularly meaty expansion of the previous game, as it runs off of the same engine and has an extremely similar feel. The game also boasts the same “fish out of water” story with a charismatic insane villain to boot. Pagan is more memorable and dynamic than Vaas was, and the scenery of Kyrat is much more varied and appealing. The art design of the game as a whole is much better, but its secondary characters are extremely forgettable and all pale in comparison to Troy Baker’s beautifully acted Pagan.

The mechanics are the Far Cry ones that we all know and love: shooting and scavenging are as tight and well-implemented as ever and the fusion of stealth and high-octane shootouts holds up as a thrilling experience all-round. The most notable change is a minor one to the driving controls that make them clunky and awkward, but this is forgivable.

Altogether, Far Cry 4 is not a major departure, but it didn’t need to be. If you liked the previous game you’ll love this one, but maybe hold off on buying a one way ticket to Kyrat otherwise.