Far Cry 6Â was originally due in just a few months at the beginning of 2021 before being pushed back due to COVID-19 restrictions, similar to other highly anticipated titles. Likely because of this, marketing for the upcoming anarchy-stricken game has been on the lighter side since its reveal. Between interviews with Giancarlo Esposito and cinematic trailers though, much has been theorized about the games' villains, but what about the protagonist?
The protagonist of Far Cry 6 is going back to a named character, unlike Far Cry 5, but can be played as either a man or a woman. Not much is known about Dani Rojas due to the light marketing, but one thing is for certain: Dani is fighting for freedom in their home country an element that hasn't been seen in past mainline Far Cry installments. This could be a major turn for the series in terms of narrative, a franchise that is notorious for repetition.
Past Far Cry Games
While the Far Cry spinoffs are their own thing, the main series games all feature an outsider coming into a foreign land for some reason. With Far Cry 3, it was Jason, a tourist frat boy who was captured by pirates and joined the fight with the Rakyat. In Far Cry 4, the player assumed the role of Ajay to overthrow the tyrannical, self-appointed king Pagan Min (Ajay was born in Kyrat but was taken out of the country at the age of 3). In Far Cry 5, the unnamed deputy must stop a religious doomsday cult, who didn't even have some background and was just a blanket outsider.
With each of these games, the main character comes into new territory and rises against a faction that is shaking up the status quo and order of the land. The protagonist gets unintentionally swept up in the area's politics and society as a stranger, unfamiliar to the oppressive rulers that threaten its people. But Dani Rojas' background, on the other hand, will be a leap from Far Cry's norm.
Who is Dani Rojas?
At this point, very little is known about the protagonist of Far Cry 6 other than the fact they were born and raised in Yara, specifically in the capital city, Esperanza. They didn't want anything to do with the revolution against Anton and Diego Castillo, but gets swept up in the guerrilla movement known as Libertad. And interestingly, this time, this role will entail a full performance capture and voice acting.
So despite much of the spotlight currently being on the Castillos, Dani Rojas will have a major role in the story's direction, but this means that the story will also have a huge impact on Dani's character because this is their home territory. They may still be "swept" up into the events of the game, but it is still their home. In other words, there may be a more compelling narrative under the surface than shooting and fighting out of a bad scenario.
Far Cry 5 leaned into that potential for a strong narrative, much with its conversation on an armistice doomsday cult and radical beliefs, but many criticized the game for not taking the discussion a step further by roping in modern real-world issues. It stopped short, in other words. This was a missed opportunity on Ubisoft's part, but Far Cry 6 has the opportunity to make amends in this area, and Dani's character background is key.
Who Dani is, from the circumstances of their upbringing to their beliefs, can shape the through-line of Far Cry 6 because perspective is exceptionally important when telling a story. Did Dani's joining the revolution have something to do with their short-lived experience in the military? How will their background as a Yaran citizen culminate into decisions throughout the game? This could even lead to an ending where Dani becomes a new leader of Yara, but that will have to wait until the game's full release.
Far Cry 6Â is currently in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
