Released just under a year ago, Ubisoft’s fifth instalment in their open world FPS series Far Cry once again proved that sandbox games focused on chaos and mayhem are hard to turn down. Despite the mixed reviews on Steam, the general consensus seems to be that Far Cry 5 is an excellent addition to an already well-respected franchise.
While they’ve always been known for their slightly off-color sense of humor, Ubisoft’s second-newest outpost liberation extravaganza dials things up to eleven and asks the player to stop taking things quite so seriously as they ramp a flaming eighteen-wheeler off of a cliff. A majority of the player-base may have abandoned it for the new sequel/spin-off New Dawn, but there’s a handful of relatively obscure stuff left in FC5 that may make the trip back to pre-apocalypse Hope County worth it.
Live Events
Like many triple-A games these days, Far Cry 5 encourages its community to take on a series of ridiculous tasks and earn both communal and personal rewards based on performance. Previous events have ranged from hunting down animals with flamethrowers and taking on bears with nothing other than a pistol to beating down cultists barehanded and sniping people from a certain distance.
This may sound like old news, but the feature wasn’t in the game when it was first released, so those who sprinted through the main story and haven’t bothered with it since may have missed out on this.
Wild Glide
Available in the Renegade section of the skill tree and purchasable for ten points, the Airdrop perk allows players to spawn a few hundred feet above their intended fast travel point. This may sound like a bit of a nuisance, especially for those who still haven’t gotten a hang of the awkward wingsuit controls, but this perk can definitely come in handy. It’s possible to glide for at least a few hundred meters in most cases, which usually eliminates the need to travel to your destination on foot. Spawning in mid air can come as a surprise if you accidentally hit the wrong button, but it usually ends up as a major time saver regardless.
Mad Scientist
Far Cry 5’s Hope County is absolutely brimming with weird stuff to encounter, a great example of which would be the area’s resident madman Larry Parker. A sidequest can be triggered by hearing about him on the radio which will mark a location on the minimap close to Fall’s End. After rescuing Larry and carrying out a series of increasingly strange tasks on his behalf, you’ll be given access to his Magnopulser.
This weapon looks like it might be an homage to the thundergun from Call of Duty’s zombies mode, and it can definitely pack a punch. It has the ability to topple enemies from a distance, and, at closer range, it quite literally vaporizes targets.
Dashboard Bobbleheads
While collecting little figurines of Cheeseburger the bear for Dave Fowler so he can sell them online can be fun (and just a little bit tedious), they aren’t the only such bobbleheads available in the game. Observant players may have noticed that the interiors of certain vehicles are decorated with similar bobbleheads which represent various iconic Ubisoft characters.
The most notable one is a small bust of Vaas, the villain from Far Cry 3, but there’s also a rabbid from the Rayman games among others. Plus, when ordering a vehicle from a shop, these are sometimes available as extra customizable features.
Perfect Assassin
Most of the fun in Far Cry 5 revolves around the amount of destruction the player is able to cause, but that doesn’t mean that raiding a compound with guns blazing is always the superior option. Stealth isn’t the most refined system in the game, but it’s easy enough to sneak through a cultist base and bring down most of the peggies from the shadows. What’s easier, however, is taking both Boomer and Peaches along for the ride. Boomer can spot enemies, and Peaches can take them out—all with minimal action on the part of the player. In fact, using this method, it’s entirely possible to take down a cultist stronghold without firing a single shot.
We All Float Down Here
Far Cry 5’s map is absolutely littered with small Easter eggs and references to other games and the wider world of pop culture. There are small nods to The Legend of Zelda, Firewatch, Left 4 Dead, and many other famous video games scattered throughout the world, but the coolest has to be this small homage to Stephen King’s novel-turned-movie It. Found along a river just to the west of Fall’s End, players can stumble across a red balloon conspicuously tied to a large sewer grate.
Needless to say, this is a reference to Pennywise the Clown and his sinister red balloons. It may have been a somewhat obscure reference were it not for the thrilling 2017 film adaptation.
Death From Above
The wingsuit and parachutes of Far Cry 5 may allow for an incredible amount of mobility when in the air, but resourceful players know that they aren’t always necessary. As demonstrated by YouTuber COGconnected, players can avoid a visceral meeting with the ground should they land on someone and perform a quick stealth takedown. In that case, all of the player character’s momentum will be canceled, and they’ll simply slip right into the takedown animation. It’s a neat little trick that’s actually been pulled off in multiple different games, but that doesn’t means it’s all that easy to execute. This one takes some practice and dedication, but nailing it will definitely earn you some bragging rights.
Far Cry Arcade
Far Cry 5’s multiplayer-focused arcade mode might seem like little more than a momentary distraction, but it’s actually a worthwhile stop on your journey to take down John Seed and his twisted cult. Though just about everything available in this component of the game is a wacky mashup of assets and gameplay mechanics, skill progression and cash earned while playing these modes can actually be utilized in the main campaign, which is useful for those tired of living the redneck lifestyle of hunting and fishing to grind for in-game currency. It probably won’t be necessary for those looking to speed through the game’s main story missions, but it’s a great way to incentivize arcade play for the otherwise uninterested.
This Is My House
Open world games are often praised for their expansiveness, but that often comes hand in hand with a lack of detail. For instance, while the city of Los Santos might be a joy to explore in Grand Theft Auto V, it would be so much more amazing if players could actually visit the interiors of most of the city’s buildings. There are mods for that, sure, but it isn’t a feature of the base game. Far Cry 5, on the other hand, is so detailed that just about every structure is fully modeled and furnished on the inside. Often complete with authentic country decor, knowing that the interior of every house is accessible can come in handy during a tense firefight.
Customization Is Key
Far Cry 5 is innovative in that it finally allowed players to customize the appearances of their character. While every other mainline Far Cry title forced players into the shoes of a pre-established, pre-rendered person, this installment allowed users to design their own. After the initial selection screen, the game warns players that they won’t be able to make further adjustments to their character once in-game, but that isn’t quite true.
While some features are set in stone following the tutorial, heading over to the customization tab in the pause menu will allow Far Cry 5 players to make some superficial adjustments to their character’s model.
