Highlights

  • Far Cry 6 struggled to replicate past success with its antagonist, indicating a need for a new direction in storytelling for Far Cry 7.
  • Prior Far Cry installments have relied heavily on a single, charismatic villain, but it might be time to explore a strong, antagonistic group dynamic.

There's so much that goes into crafting a memorable antagonist beyond lore development, and Far Cry has been one of the better franchises in terms of giving its villains that deadly eccentric aura. Far Cry 6 tried to replicate this winning formula with its depiction of Anton Castillo, but it didn't enjoy success to the same degree as its predecessor. It might be time for Ubisoft to go in a new direction and possibly give its antagonists an equal footing in Far Cry 7.

In the case of Far Cry, the lead villain has typically taken the brunt of its storyline needs, and although Ubisoft has tried to ease this burden by introducing more antagonists to installments of the franchise, it's expected for one character to be the front and center focus of any given adventure. However, after the last few releases that have shared a similar premise, the formula has run its course and it may be time for Ubisoft to try something different to stick the landing with Far Cry 7's storytelling.

Far cry 3 key art Vaas holding gun to head
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Far Cry 7's Antagonist Should Borrow One Trait That Made Vaas Special

Far Cry 7 will very likely feature another charismatic villain, one that should follow in FC3's Vaas' footsteps in one particular area to stand out.

Far Cry 7 Needs to Tow a Different Path from Previous Editions

The Far Cry franchise's best villains all have one thing in common: their ability to control their video game's overarching narrative with their charismatic personas. Ubisoft has an admirable hit rate in this regard, but given the storytelling burden, cracks were bound to appear in this strategy.

Far Cry's Villains Have Run into a Brick Wall

After Far Cry 5's thrilling tale with the Seeds; Joseph serving as the main course, but John, Jacob, and Faith also holding up their end of the bargain, Far Cry 6 split fans right down the middle by setting El Presidente on a pedestal above the likes of McKay and the Admiral, and the franchise might need to abandon the villain-above-others premise in favor of Far Cry 5's harmonic basis in future editions. Far Cry 6's storytelling problems are numerous, and they largely stem from the perceived impersonality of the Anton Castillo experience.

Granted, the antagonist was well into his middle years, riddled with cancer, and had a country in Yara to run, logically excusing his scant appearances in the game. Still, the Far Cry franchise has built its reputation on feeling the effects of its villains even when they are off-screen. For instance, Pagan Min's appearances in Far Cry 4 were just as sparse as Anton's, but his expanded backstory and the visibly fierce loyalty of his subordinates spoke volumes. In contrast, El Presidente's motives and backstory are hardly explored in detail, and these oversights led to Far Cry 6 missing the x-factor that other installments have enjoyed in abundance.

Far Cry 7's Storytelling Could Do With Extra Villainous Hands

Given the bumps in the road that Ubisoft has seemingly run into with the singular fear-inspiring antagonist gimmick, the time has come for the Far Cry franchise to truly diversify to make its villains interesting again. There's a sense that the solitary distant leader trope with less relevant sub-villains has been undercooked, and one thing Far Cry 7 can take away from previous games is the need to place a group of villains on equal footing.

The shared antagonist formula may have appeared in Far Cry New Dawn , but the spin-off didn't live up to expectations.

The twins, Mickey and Lou, featured the same disliked aloof leadership style that appeared in Anton Castillo two years later, and the last-minute insertion of a backstory that had little to do with their motivations fell on its face with Far Cry purists. That said, the multiple antagonist formula could be exactly what Far Cry 7 needs, albeit with a few tweaks to prevent a New Dawn repeat, since it's more logical for a group of antagonists to be actively involved with the player character instead of a single villain. Fully fleshed-out backstories of villains are what Far Cry has missed lately, and spreading the antagonist persona into multiple characters gives Ubisoft a much-needed solution.