Highlights
- Far Cry 7 should bring back radio towers to shake up the formula and address the perception that the series has become stale since Far Cry 3.
- Radio towers, while initially popular in Far Cry 3, became overused and created a feeling of fatigue for many fans in subsequent titles.
- Far Cry 7 could rework radio towers to be more challenging and offer unique rewards, making them longer self-contained missions that require problem-solving and lateral thinking.
Developer Ubisoft's globe-trotting Far Cry series is one of the longest-running and highest-profile FPS franchises. The original title released all the way back in 2004. Though it was decently received at the time, it wasn't until 2012's Far Cry 3 that the series really jumped to the forefront of the greater gaming landscape. FC3 broke new ground for its time and established the IP as one of the premier FPS titles. Critically and commercially successful, it served as the template for every Far Cry since, with each subsequent game attempting to recapture its heights.
With more Far Cry 7 rumors coming out now, it seems a good bet that there is indeed another title in the works. Given the general sentiment that the series has become stale in many ways since FC3's glory days, many fans can agree that the next entry needs to do something to shake up the formula. While it may seem counterproductive, if there is a new Far Cry in development, Ubisoft should bring back the radio towers in it.
Why Far Cry 7 Should Bring Back Radio Towers
Despite Far Cry 3's massive popularity, its influence on the franchise proved to be a double-edged sword in the long run that would eventually cause issues for Ubisoft. As later titles began reusing more of its elements, the studio gained a reputation for copy-paste cookie-cutter design. One of the most recognizable became the "radio tower quest;" having players climb tall structures to reveal missions and other points of interest on the map. This was fine to start, but the obvious overreliance on them quickly became apparent in follow-up titles and created a feeling of fatigue for many fans.
The backlash culminated in Far Cry 5 having an NPC lampoon the overabundance of them in previous titles. While this showed Ubisoft had the self-awareness to take criticism in stride, it did little to actually improve or change them, and they were absent entirely in FC5 and afterward. It almost seemed as if Ubisoft tried to overcorrect its indulgence in radio towers, and gave up completely instead of attempting to find new and better ways of including them.
The use of parkour in Ubisoft titles is another of its design staples. Other games like Mirror's Edge and more recently Dying Light 2 iterated on how parkour mechanics could work in an open world FPS, specifically the vertical scaling of structures. Far Cry 7 could take a cue from these and make the return of radio towers more of a complex climbing challenge instead of a routine chore. Along similar lines, FC7 could also rework radio towers through a combination of Far Cry 5's "prepper stashes" and the treasure hunts from Far Cry 6. They could be longer self-contained missions, tasking players with deeper problem-solving and lateral thinking, and offering more substantial rewards such as unique weapons or other valuable items and resources.
If some of the details of the Far Cry 7 leaks are accurate, it may be live-service. While that comes with its own risks, it could also support the return of a tower mechanic in some form. Ubisoft could even revive Arcade mode, allowing players to build their own radio tower setups, possibly as leader board-driven obstacle courses. They might even feature a radio tower-centered event if it does end up being a live-service game. Though this is all speculation, the case for bringing back towers in some form for a new Far Cry game is strong enough to warrant consideration.
Far Cry 7 is rumored to be in development.