‘Far Cry New Dawn’ is a Weirdly Colourful, Standalone Sequel to ‘Far Cry 5’

Tom Regan
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After yesterday’s tantalising tease, Ubisoft took to the stage at this year’s Game Awards to fully reveal its mysterious new title – Far Cry New Dawn.  Even more intriguingly, gamers won’t have long to wait before they get to experience New Dawn, with the game arriving on the 15th February 2019.

Set 17 years after the events of Far Cry 5, this new standalone sequel sees players struggling to survive in a post, post-apocalyptic wasteland. And no, that isn’t a typo. On this return trip to Montana, players will be tasked with hunting for resources, upgrading their new base, embarking on cross-country expeditions, and cobbling together makeshift weaponry.

Given that we only got Far Cry 5 this February, the news of a standalone sequel comes as somewhat of a surprise. Yet, New Dawn isn’t just developed by Ubisoft Montreal, with the standalone sequel also being worked on by Ubisoft Shanghai, Ubisoft Kiev, and Ubisoft Bucharest. After being given a sneak peak at the game’s sizable map, we’re optimistic that New Dawn will be a fairly generous adventure in its own right.

A New Day Dawns on Hope County

Far Cry new Dawn environment
Hope County looks a bit different these days...

Warning: Far Cry 5 spoilers here, proceed at own risk.

With a nuke triggered at the end of Far Cry 5, unsurprisingly, Hope County and the rest of the world isn’t exactly in the best of shape. Yet, despite causing millions of deaths and bringing about the complete collapse of society, it turns out that a bit of nuclear destruction really brings out the best in America’s plant life. Who knew?

End of spoilers.

Unlike most post-apocalyptic shooters, New Dawn spurns the traditional grey-looking Fallout aesthetic completely. Based on the bizarre – but very real – phenomenon of “super bloom.” Montana’s once-charred land has now blossomed, bathing New Dawn’s landscape in a strikingly bright colour palette. Yet, while this new Montana may look more picturesque than ever, it’s still just as dangerous to roam as it was in Far Cry 5.

With Joseph Seed’s Doomsday cult finally getting what they wished for, they’re naturally nowhere to be seen in New Dawn. This time, the Mad Max-esque Highwaymen are the main threat you’ll be facing in this new frontier. Led by the sinister twin sister duo of Mickey and Lou, their collective of rag-tag ravagers sport a mix of helmets, goggles, and shoulder pads – which basically sees them looking like a really, really, overcompetitive Paintball team.

What’s New in ‘New Dawn’?

The Brawler is one of 4 new types of enemy you'll have to face in 'New Dawn'.

Put in the shoes of Carmina (the daughter of Far Cry 5’s friend for hire Nick Reyes), New Dawn sees players once again roaming an open world either alone or with a friend. Yet, while weapons, vehicles, and your outpost are all upgradeable, this time around any outpost you liberate can actually be re-captured by The Highwaymen.

For many, the adorable little fang for hire Boomer was the indisputable highlight of Far Cry 5 – and it seems like Ubisoft has heard fans’ yelps of glee loud and clear. As well as having six new guns for hire to recruit while you’re battling against the Highwaymen, players will also have the option to recruit two new fangs for hire to their cause – Timber the Shibu, or Horatio the boar.

If that wasn’t enough animal action for you, this time around your pet will no longer be abandoned by the roadside, with your new critter companion now able to ride alongside you in vehicles, too.

Expect to be attacked by all kinds of mutated wildlife.

Players won’t just encounter new friendly creatures in the newly irradiated Montana though, with the fallout mutating once-harmless wildlife into unrecognisable and terrifying new foes.

Perhaps one of the coolest new features teased for New Dawn though, is something of a first for Far Cry – cross-country expeditions. While other games in the series have kept the action localised, these special missions will see Carmina and her allies hopping into a helicopter and embarking on special missions across the U.S.

So far, Ubisoft has revealed that players will be able to explore the Florida Bayous and the Grand Canyon, with these new environments covering around 1km (0.6 miles) of in-game map.

We’ve yet to give it a go, but it’s interesting to see Ubisoft stick to its tradition of releasing experimental titles under the Far Cry banner. Will it be different enough to warrant another return to Hope County? Only time will tell.

Far Cry New Dawn launches on PC, PS4, and Xbox One on 15th February.

Tom Regan
Having written for everyone from Trusted Reviews to The Guardian, Tom is a London based writer who can't stop talking about games.