Highlights

  • Far Cry 7 rumored to have non-linear gameplay with 72-hour time limit, a new challenge for fans.
  • Vehicle presence in Far Cry 7 might make time limit redundant, requiring careful balancing.
  • Removing vehicles in Far Cry 7 could alienate fans, push the need for improvement in other game aspects.

Though it still hasn't been officially confirmed yet, Far Cry 7 has been the subject of many major rumors and leaks over the last year or so, some of which claim that the game is going to look quite different from the series' last few entries. By far the most high-profile Far Cry 7 leak came in September of last year, when Insider Gaming's Tom Henderson wrote a report that made some pretty bold claims about the sequel's new features.

Known internally as Project Blackbird, Far Cry 7 is reportedly being developed by Ubisoft Montreal, and will offer players a non-linear open-world experience. According to Henderson, Far Cry 7 will task players with rescuing their kidnapped family members in any order they wish, but will impose a 72-hour in-game time limit on the player. If this time limit ends up making it to the final version of Far Cry 7, then there's one long-standing franchise feature that might not have a place in the new game.

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Far Cry 7 Might Have a Traversal Problem

Vehicles Could Render Far Cry 7's Time Limit Redundant

While it would definitely be a controversial inclusion, having a time limit in Far Cry 7 could be an interesting experiment that injects some much-needed life into the same old Ubisoft open-world formula that fans have been experiencing for over a decade now. A time limit might discourage players from exploring and really immersing themselves in Far Cry 7's open world, but it could just as easily pave the way for the most intense Far Cry campaign yet, with each overblown combat encounter, failed mission, and inefficient base infiltration costing players precious minutes.

But Far Cry 7's rumored time limit wouldn't feel nearly as impactful if players had the same access to vehicles that they've had in previous entries. In recent Far Cry games, players are never more than a few steps away from some kind of vehicle, whether it's a fast car, motorbike, helicopter, or plane. If Far Cry 7 continues that same open-world design, then a time limit could feel pretty redundant, as players would presumably be able to just hop in a vehicle and gun it over to most objectives. This would be especially true if players could keep their air vehicles alive for the duration of the game, meaning that they would have a constant form of fast travel with them at all times.

One of the few ways to combat this is to make Far Cry 7's vehicles much slower than they have been in past games, but this runs the risk of players finding them too cumbersome to even bother using. Alternatively, Far Cry 7 could restrict the type of vehicles that are in the game, but this could feel like a step back from previous entries. Or, there's the nuclear option, which is to remove vehicles from Far Cry 7 altogether.

Removing Vehicles Could Be Detrimental to Far Cry 7

Over the last decade or so, vehicles have become an increasingly integral part of the Far Cry franchise, going hand in hand with the games' ever-growing open-worlds. While it would make logical sense to remove vehicles from Far Cry 7 in order to keep its rumored time limit balanced and suitably intense, doing so would also remove a major part of why players enjoy spending so long exploring these vast environments. If Far Cry 7 is going to remove vehicles, then the pressure would be on for it to greatly improve the other aspects of the series' gameplay, such as its gunplay, survival elements, and crafting mechanics as a way to make up for the removal of such a beloved feature.