Far Cry New Dawn Preview

Far Cry New Dawn Trailer

Far Cry New Dawn release date

Ubisoft has confirmed that Far Cry New Dawn will launch for PS4, Xbox One and PC on February 15, 2019

Far Cry New Dawn Preview

Far Cry 5 made a few noteworthy changes to the series’ established norm, but little that deviated from the tried-and-tested formula we’ve been subject to for the better part of a decade. So, when New Dawn’s sudden announcement came about at The Game Awards 2018, I was left feeling more than a little sceptical.

How will this post-apocalyptic shooter differentiate itself from the series in which it belongs, let alone the slew of other grim outings set for release in the coming months. The answer: it makes subtle strides forward with what I’d come to expect, ushered by a colourful aesthetic that really helps this nuclear wasteland pop.

Acting as a narrative continuation to Far Cry 5, New Dawn will see a few returning faces and familiar locations as you venture through a re-imagined vision of Hope County. It isn’t a stark difference, but altered enough to feel fresh for returning players. That, and you get to run over radioactive deer with a quad bike.

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Taking place 17 years after the bombs obliterated humanity at the end of Far Cry 5, you’re part of the first clusters of humanity to emerge from the underground. The lack of human interruption has given wildlife and fauna a chance to strive. Environments are awash with excessive streaks of colour, while radioactive animals emit a lovingly bright hue visible from miles away.

New Dawn paints a very pretty picture from the outset, gently pulling you into its world before spitting you out into a shower of explosions and gunfire. Despite its newfound beauty, the world Ubisoft has created is far from peaceful. The rise of settlements led to the inevitable emergence of rival factions and outlaws competing for dominance, even if it means murdering countless innocents to get their way.

You’d think that the dwindling population riddled with radiation poisoning would be eager to work together, but judging by the hundreds of people I killed during my three hours with the game, that definitely isn’t the case. Within seconds of leaving my base I was hurling molotovs at enemies and murdering wild dogs with saw blades.

My time in New Dawn began in the peaceful town of Prosperity. This is your point of operations, filled with NPCs going about their daily business and providing for a community that shows constant signs of growth throughout the game. However, it can’t flourish without Ethanol, the primary source of fuel in New Dawn’s world.

This is used for almost anything meaningful, including the upgrade of myriad facilities located across Prosperity. The workbench, garage, healing station and countless other things rely on gathering Ethanol and pouring it into all of the aforementioned places. It makes you wonder what everyone else is doing while you’re busting your butt across Hope County.

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Crafting and collecting resources is one of the major changes this time around, complementing the familiar Far Cry formula with some light RPG mechanics. I haven’t seen its full potential yet, but there’s something undeniably addictive about hoovering up random pockets of materials across new locales I encountered.

It’s a worthwhile change, providing a reason for me to do something more than blindly follow objective icons until reaching completion. Ubisoft seems well aware of this, striking a similar pose with weapon progression. Now, things are given one of three levels depending on power and rarity.

Firearms range from bland-looking assault rifles to fluorescent blade launchers that threaten to tear enemies apart with a single shot. All of these are a joy to use amidst firefights, but for the most part, we’ve seen all of them before. Little has been expanded upon since Far Cry 5, beyond a progression system that makes your growing arsenal mean something.

I’m yet to see how substantial the weapon customisation options are, which could completely transform my current perspective on New Dawn’s seemingly bland array of murderous tools. After being relatively disappointed by what the fifth instalment had to offer, I’m hoping this time around there’s more to love beyond an admittedly fabulous paint job.

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Specialists make a welcome return, acting as recruitable allies with their own special abilities. These can range from gun-slinging mercenaries to bloodthirsty yet adorable canines, happy to rip up a fascist’s throat. They’re brimming with variety, although the writing is once again littered with an abrasive attempt at humour that never quite hits the mark.

Granted, I’ve seen only a few examples, but a scientist obsessed with you obtaining her weed stash from a flooded missile silo is a stark contrast to the absurdly serious main narrative you’re constantly bouncing between. It detracts from the otherwise excellent world Ubisoft has created, and I wish it had stuck to one consistent atmospheric idea instead of trying desperately to be funny.

New Dawn introduces a new duo of villains with The Twins – two sisters who have command over the wasteland’s dominating factions. One scene sees them unpinning a grenade, forcing captured children to grip it tightly to survive. It’s obscenely dark and convincingly portrayed, but you’re pulled away from this illusion the moment gameplay begins.

Thankfully, you can pull yourself away from this and bask in the silliness of Expeditions, new activities that take you across the Northern Hemisphere. The one expedition I played through saw me dropped into a coastal area beside a ruined cruise liner crawling with highwaymen. In the midst of these crazed lunatics lay a supply cache packed with goodies.

New Dawn really comes alive in these missions. I was free to approach this situation whichever way I wanted. Do I scope it out and mark enemies before sneaking in with a stealthy approach? Do I pick them off one by one with a silenced sniper rifle, or go in with an assault rifle and never look back? There are so many options, and such a malleable approach works in its mechanical favour.

Outposts, which have long become a formulaic exercise to expand your overall view of the map, have also been overhauled to encourage experimentation. After one has been captured, you can choose to ransack it for supplies or allow enemies to return at a higher difficulty. Overcoming this challenge will result in bigger rewards and a smug sense of satisfaction.

First impressions

New Dawn is shaping up to be a worthwhile continuation of Far Cry 5, transforming the rural fields of Hope County into one ruined by the apocalypse. It’s bright, colourful and a joy to explore, although we worry we’ve seen much of it before.

In a world where titans such as Horizon Zero Dawn and NieR: Automata have redefined the definition of an immersive open-world, Far Cry feels constrained by the innovative formula it helped to introduce so many years ago.

I’d love to see things evolve significantly with New Dawn, but that really doesn’t seem to be the case here. It’s still immensely enjoyable, but in a way that feels overly similar to all entries that came before it.

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