The Far Cry series rose to mainstream popularity after the release of Far Cry 3, and since then the franchise has focused on providing dense open worlds with a spotlighted antagonist. Before this formula became the norm, there was the very different Far Cry 2.
Far Cry 2 is a lesser-known entry in the franchise, partly because it was released so long ago. However, it has since garnered plenty of loyal fans who prefer its style of gameplay over newer Far Cry titles - and for pretty compelling reasons. As a result, it could use a modern revamp.
The Premise of Far Cry 2
Far Cry 2 takes place in a war-torn country somewhere in Africa. The player is a foreign mercenary on a mission to kill an arms dealer known only as “The Jackal,” who serves as Far Cry 2’s main antagonist. Unfortunately, a severe case of malaria takes hold of the player before they can get to work, and they wake up in their hotel room with The Jackal rummaging through their things.
The antagonist greets players, says he can’t be killed, spews some philosophical passages, and then leaves. Soon after, the player’s hotel becomes a battleground for the two warring groups in the region: the APR and UFLL. Regardless of what the player does, they’ll be taken in by one of the two factions and sent to clear out a safe house. After that, the player is free to explore the game world.
What Set Far Cry 2 Apart
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Unlike more recent entries in the series, Far Cry 2 doubled down on survival elements. For one, the player’s malaria is a real handicap in the game. Every so often, the player will suffer from a seizure, which can only be avoided if they take medication. Failing to do so causes the sickness to worsen, forcing the player to take medicine even more often. If the player fails to take any, they will faint and wake up in a designated safe location.
Passing out wouldn’t usually hamper the player’s progress in a modern Far Cry game. However, Far Cry 2 does not have an extensive fast-travel mechanic. There are bus stops scattered around the map, but given its size these aren’t nearly enough to make traversal easy. This adds to the game’s survival gameplay, forcing the player to plot out their journeys across the map and utilize the save feature whenever possible. Adding to this is a gun-jamming mechanic that causes weapons to malfunction or even break apart.
Finally, there’s the map interface. The open-world maps in newer Far Cry titles are found within a menu, and checking it often pauses the game world so that the player can study the terrain indefinitely. Far Cry 2, on the other hand, provides the player with physical maps and a GPS that they pull out just like any other gun. This adds to the game as it immerses the player in the world.
It’s these survival mechanics that set Far Cry 2 apart from the newer games. Though The Jackal doesn’t get as much love as more contemporary antagonists, he’s still an intriguing character, most notably for the moral gray area he operates in. These elements and more are why many players still love Far Cry 2, proving that a remake of the game is worth the time and effort.
What a Far Cry 2 Remake Could Bring to the Table
All that said, Far Cry 2 is far from a perfect game, so a remake could potentially iron out the flaws and allow its best features to shine. Improving the game’s graphics and stability are a given, because while Far Cry 2’s visuals were excellent for its time, they don’t hold up to modern standards.
Aside from this, many players have expressed that the game world feels somewhat underutilized. Far Cry 2’s missions entail a lot of traveling, which means the player does a lot of running and driving around the map. While huge expanses of deserts, jungles, and tropical savannas remain true to Far Cry 2’s realism, they inevitably make traversal a chore.
As such, it’s worth tweaking the game world to make traveling easier, or at least more interesting. This could mean resizing and relocating key areas, or populating the map with new points of interest - or both. The latter would be an excellent opportunity to integrate newer Far Cry mechanics into the game, such as more wildlife, random encounters, and improved Far Cry companion mechanics. Many players have also complained that enemies respawn too frequently at outposts, and given enemy NPCs do hefty damage, this becomes very tedious on the player’s part. Thankfully, the problem with enemy respawning seems to have been remedied in newer Far Cry games, so it should also be implemented in a Far Cry 2 remake.
Lastly, there are Far Cry 2’s survival elements. One camp argues that the malaria handicap, weapon jamming, and even the lack of fast travel detract from the experience, as they make the game too difficult or tedious. Others believe that these features improve the game, as they make it more challenging and realistic.
Perhaps what a Far Cry 2 remake can do is provide a range of difficulty levels. Lower difficulties can minimize how many seizures and weapon malfunctions the player experiences throughout their playthrough, or even enable fast traveling between liberated outposts. Meanwhile, harder difficulties retain the mechanics of the original Far Cry 2. This way, both older and newer fans of the franchise get to tailor the experience to their preferences.
Far Cry 2 is a great game, and it managed to do something completely different from the rest of the series. Now all that remains is for Ubisoft to announce a remake of the beloved title and appease its dedicated following.
Far Cry 2 is available on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
