Summary
Ubisoft’sFar Cryseries has had a storied journey throughout its 20-year history in the gaming world.Far Cry’s evolution from an early open-world FPS prototype to being one of the most recognizable and successful franchises in the genre is well-noted. After six main entries and a handful of expansions and spin-offs, though, the series has started to seem stretched thin over the last few years, with the very open-world formula it helped solidify becoming all-too-familiar, sometimes feeling repetitive and less inspired than its predecessors in these and other ways as well.
Far Cry 3, often rated as the most memorable and regarded entry, stuck out for many reasons, not least of which was for one of its main villains,Vaas Montenegro. Among his other traits and designs, one that sets Vaas apart was a traditional boss fight against him in the course of the story, where protagonist Jason Brody came face-to-face and went toe-to-toe in a climatic duel. While otherFar Crytitles featured fights against their respective antagonists, they were more often than not easily dispatched in a hasty final confrontation (sometimes via indirect means) after not having as much interaction with the main character in the same way as Vaas.Far Cry 7could thus contribute to a return to form for the franchise by bringing this element back to the forefront for its villain.
Far Cry 7has been surrounded by rumorsand leaks, but little to no official information has been forthcoming thus far.
Far Cry 7 Should Have a Real Boss Battle Like Vaas in FC3
Far Cry’s Villains Were Usually More Bark Than Bite After Vaas in FC3
Following thepopularity of Vaas inFar Cry 3, the studio took note and began to build villains intended to recapture the dark charisma and powerful presence he displayed. However, while their larger-than-life antics were indeed apparent throughout the subsequent games' plot, they seemed to lead from the back more and more, relying on their henchmen etc. to do their dirty work instead.
They began to increasingly pontificate at length to the protagonists, but not antagonizing them as directly as Vaas. This facet was most glaring inFar Cry 5, when its family of cult leaders would abduct the Junior Deputy at various points and force them through elaborate death courses or expose them to mind-altering substances multiple times. Players did not actually fight them directly until much later, and even then these fights lacked the intensity and personal stakes ofFC3’s Jason vs. Vaas one.
Far Cry 7 Should Channel FC3’s Vaas Boss Battle With its Big Bad
Though Ubisoft has provided scarce updates about it to date, it’s nevertheless a good bet thatFar Cry 7’s villainwill inform many of its other surrounding elements, as this aspect has become such an expected cornerstone of theFar Cryexperience. In the most recent entry,Far Cry 6’s Presidente Castillo was almost entirely behind the scenes, due to the nature of his condition, and his lieutenants were similarly more removed from the action. This created a bigger distance between the player protagonist and the games' baddies, and blunted portions of their intended impact on story and gameplay, thus diminishing one ofFar Cry’s major elements.
If any of the additionalinformation aboutFar Cry 7that has unofficially come to light is accurate, though, it also looks to be attempting to introduce some bigger shakeups to the series beyond just fresh (and hopefully compelling) villains. With notable items like the rumored time limit, as well as possibly pulling from previous games by altering/recombining designs from them into a new core gameplay loop, it may be just the angle needed for the nextFar Cryto give fans one or more new villains who might rival Vaas, and specifically his spectacular boss fight.
