Far Cry New Dawn
- February 15, 2019
- Ubisoft Kiev
- 22h median play time
Far Cry New Dawn brings the solid gameplay you’d expect from the franchise alongside some welcome gameplay tweaks and additions that undoubtedly make it the best Far Cry game in years.
Far Cry New Dawn is a first-person shooter set in a post-apocalyptic world. Players must survive by scavenging resources, crafting weapons, and battling hostile factions. The game features a new co-op mode, allowing players to explore the open world and complete missions together. As players progress, they can upgrade their home base and recruit specialists to aid in their fight for survival.
Reviews
- story5,956 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The story of "Far Cry New Dawn" serves as a direct sequel to "Far Cry 5," exploring the aftermath of a nuclear catastrophe in Hope County. While some players appreciated the continuation of familiar characters and the vibrant post-apocalyptic setting, many criticized the narrative for being short, shallow, and lacking depth, with underdeveloped antagonists and repetitive missions. Overall, the game is seen as a fun experience with engaging gameplay, but the story fails to reach the heights of its predecessor.
“The story is a satisfying continuation of the events from Far Cry 5, providing closure to the narrative and characters.”
“I really enjoyed the story, the tempo, the continual action, and being able to explore everywhere.”
“The story is engaging and ties up loose ends from Far Cry 5, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the series.”
“The story feels like a weak excuse to push you from one outpost to another.”
“The story is short and that's a godsend because I'd rather do my summer reading for school than play another minute of this game.”
“The story is especially poor though it starts off well enough, but any hint that you might claw back some measure of revenge for what the highwaymen do to your people is handled in a rushed and cliched way.”
- gameplay1,897 mentions
- 32 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "Far Cry New Dawn" is largely a continuation of the mechanics established in "Far Cry 5," featuring familiar elements such as open-world exploration, outpost liberations, and crafting systems. While some players appreciate the introduction of RPG mechanics like enemy health bars and weapon tiers, many criticize these changes for making the gameplay feel grindy and less engaging. Overall, the game offers a visually appealing experience with solid gunplay, but it suffers from repetitive gameplay loops and a lack of depth in its story and character development.
“The gameplay is a lot like Far Cry 5 but with better takedowns; it does feel more like Far Cry 3 and Far Cry 4 than it does Far Cry 5 though.”
“The gameplay loop works like a charm and there are always things to do in the open world.”
“The gameplay is fun as hell.”
“The gameplay felt repetitive and uninspired, and the story lacked depth, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“The gameplay is very generic and the villains are bad because they can be.”
“The gameplay is slow and boring.”
- graphics1,020 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics in "Far Cry New Dawn" have received widespread praise for their vibrant and colorful aesthetic, which effectively captures the post-apocalyptic setting. Many players noted the game's stunning visuals and artistic design, often comparing them favorably to its predecessor, "Far Cry 5." However, some users reported performance issues, including crashes and graphical glitches, which detracted from the overall experience.
“The graphics are absolutely stunning, and the cinematics are beautifully crafted, pulling me into the game’s story with impressive visual flair.”
“The graphics are gorgeous, alright, but the gameplay is just repetitive.”
“The graphics are beautiful and the flair of the 'new' hope county is likeable.”
“The graphics feel like they were taken from an Xbox 360 game.”
“The graphics are starting to be dated ... the story line is boring ... and to find quests to start takes forever ... meh waste of $60 :(”
“This game is full of bugs and broken models/systems/etc, isn't optimized whatsoever, and even at the highest graphic levels looks flat and undetailed, more becoming of an early-gen PS2 game or mobile game than a PC developed game.”
- grinding402 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 89 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it excessively tedious and repetitive. Critics highlight the need for extensive resource farming to upgrade weapons and bases, often feeling that the grind detracts from the overall enjoyment and pacing of the game. While some players appreciate the grinding as a core part of the gameplay loop, others express frustration over the forced nature of the mechanics and the integration of microtransactions to alleviate the grind.
“Awesome game, lots to do, not too grindy.”
“An absolute blast to play and the new RPG mechanics have been done right as well (not too grindy but just the right amount).”
“It's not that grindy, unless you just really hate liberating outposts (which is kinda the point of these games).”
“It's just unfortunate that this game requires resource grinding to the degree that it feels like Assassin's Creed: Origins mixed with a base building game.”
“Everything has been designed to be as grindy as possible; you need multiple resources to craft pretty much every piece of equipment you need. If that's not bad enough, they also have three different levels that you need to upgrade before you can even remotely consider putting up a good fight against the enemies.”
“The grinding is insane.”
- music368 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in "Far Cry: New Dawn" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the soundtrack to be a significant downgrade from its predecessor, "Far Cry 5." While some appreciate the vibrant and energetic tracks that fit the game's post-apocalyptic setting, others criticize the heavy reliance on modern rap and hip-hop, describing it as annoying and repetitive. Overall, the soundtrack's reception varies widely, with some players enjoying the music while others feel it detracts from the overall experience.
“The soundtrack is some of the best of any games and the stories and side missions are also top-notch storytelling.”
“The music sets the tone perfectly, whether it's the serene tunes accompanying exploration or the adrenaline-pumping tracks during intense battles.”
“The soundtrack is killer and the atmosphere oozes post-apocalypse.”
“What really turns the game down is the absolutely horrible music.”
“The music sucks and you can't sex Joseph Seed 2.3/10.”
“The soundtrack for this title says a lot about the quality of the game itself.”
- monetization243 mentions
- 2 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy in this game has drawn significant criticism, with many players labeling it a blatant cash grab due to the pervasive presence of microtransactions in a full-priced single-player title. Reviewers express frustration over the game's design, which seems to encourage grinding and purchasing in-game currency for progression, undermining the overall experience. While some acknowledge that all items can be obtained through gameplay, the intrusive nature of the microtransactions detracts from the enjoyment and immersion of the game.
“This game has microtransactions which are really unnecessary since you don't need to access them to get any of the content, but it's very distracting, particularly if you play on the hardest difficulty.”
“The microtransactions are here, but you can easily get the premium stuff through the game.”
“Could've been decent if they removed the enemy/weapon leveling system and the whole collect parts (which was very obviously added to make purposely rare just so they can add microtransactions) and instead just used the classic different enemy classes.”
“The entire game seems geared towards forcing you to consider microtransactions to purchase skill points or building materials rather than actually being fun.”
“This game clearly is a cash grab trying to ride the coattails of the better Far Cry games.”
“Microtransactions should have no place in a single player game like this and from now on I will not buy a game with them in it.”
- stability193 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 93 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant bugs and glitches that detract from the overall experience. Common issues include crashes, AI malfunctions, and graphical errors, leading some to label it as a "buggy mess." However, a minority of players have reported smooth gameplay with minimal issues, suggesting that experiences may vary based on individual hardware and playstyle.
“The game looks great, runs great, and their take on the end of the world is refreshing and unique.”
“New Dawn is not a bad game; it's functional, pretty much bug-free, and streamlined.”
“The game engine is very well made and optimized; it runs great on AMD graphic cards.”
“Broken, unstable game, only buy on a sale, 0 replayability and a buggy mess, took me 30 min to get the game to even start only to crash after 5 min.”
“The game's buggy as shit, the dialogues are even more boring than last time around and the tiered weapon system is so unbalanced in the beginning that all you have to do to make it through this game is run in circles with wrath after maxing out your takedown skills and just double jump on enemies that your weapons are too weak to cope with.”
“This game was filled with near game-breaking glitches with co-op.”
- humor179 mentions
- 97 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding it both entertaining and frustrating. While some moments, particularly involving quirky characters and chaotic gameplay, elicit genuine laughter, others suffer from forced or repetitive jokes that fall flat. Overall, the game's comedic elements shine best in co-op play, where the absurdity of situations and character interactions can lead to memorable and hilarious experiences.
“My friend and I had to take breaks because of how much we were laughing while playing this game.”
“With a villain so over-the-top evil, he makes Darth Vader look like a kitten, and a story so bonkers it could only come from a fever dream, this game will have you laughing, crying, and questioning your life choices in equal measure.”
“The usual hilarious NPC routing, dialogue, and physics abound.”
“I honestly don't blame the voice talent either; the acting was fine. It's just that literally every line in this game is a cliché, unfunny, boring, and tedious.”
“Many tend to go on long unfunny tangents, and you’re going to get the joke, but the joke just isn’t funny.”
“New Dawn is just a more colorful rural Montana, with many of the same characters, and a lot of cringey, tacked-on humor that just isn't well-received.”
- optimization159 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its smooth performance and good graphics, while others report significant issues such as FPS drops, stuttering, and poor CPU optimization. Many users noted that despite having high-end setups, they experienced unplayable performance, leading to frustration. Overall, while some found the game well-optimized for lower-end systems, others felt it was poorly optimized, particularly in demanding scenarios.
“In terms of optimization, it's been running pretty well and the Ubisoft app has been unintrusive so far, so nothing too bad when it comes to that either.”
“The graphics look great, and I can play on complete ultra with constant 100 fps and no drops. I think this game is even more optimized than Far Cry 5.”
“This is probably the best optimized game I've played all year.”
“Absolutely terrible optimization!”
“Optimization sucks, fps drops a ton even though you have a god tier gaming setup, just like everyone says about this game making it unplayable.”
“The game is horribly unoptimized, unpolished and heartless.”
- replayability133 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate a mixed reception regarding replayability, with some players praising the ability to replay outposts and expeditions at increasing difficulty levels, which adds to the game's longevity. However, many others criticize the linear story and lack of engaging content post-completion, leading to a consensus that overall replay value is low. While some players find enjoyment in replaying certain aspects, the game is often viewed as lacking sufficient content to warrant multiple playthroughs.
“These are pretty difficult and offer quite a lot of replayability since you can do them multiple times with increasing difficulty and very good rewards attached to them.”
“The only negative that comes to mind is that the story is not that long (15-30 hours), but the game has a ton of replayability due to the large variety of weapons.”
“Outposts and expeditions to remote places in America are infinitely replayable, yielding resources and infinite perk points.”
“The game has 0 replay value, with most linear storytelling.”
“There just isn't much replay value once you have finished the game.”
“The lack of replayability and high cost means I can't recommend this game.”
- emotional82 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 35 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game receives mixed reviews, with some players expressing deep immersion and emotional connection to the story and characters, particularly those familiar with "Far Cry 5." However, many others criticize the narrative for being shallow, lacking depth, and failing to evoke genuine emotional investment, leading to moments that feel forced or cringe-worthy. Overall, while there are touching scenes and potential for emotional engagement, the execution often leaves players feeling disconnected and underwhelmed.
“I played this game before Far Cry 5, and despite that, I cried several times thanks to the plot and its many connections to the fifth game.”
“The bond between the player character and the supporting cast adds an emotional layer to the story, making every mission feel personal and impactful.”
“The story isn't the best in the series, but the ending made me literally shed a tear or two because of how sad it was.”
“A terrible, dreadfully boring story, nowhere near as humorous as the previous Far Cry games, or even as good.”
“Played through the whole game, honestly sucks, only redeeming factor is that it's nice to see how all the characters from Far Cry 5 end up, but once you get your closure, you're left with a boring story and meh gameplay.”
“Boring story, poor antagonist designs but we don't play Far Cry for the story anyway, right?”
- atmosphere66 mentions
- 62 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its vibrant visuals and immersive environments, with many reviewers highlighting the stunning graphics and dynamic weather effects that enhance the post-apocalyptic setting. While some players feel it lacks the depth and immersion of previous titles, others appreciate the unique art style and lively atmosphere, describing it as a captivating blend of beauty and chaos. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered a significant improvement, offering a colorful and engaging experience that stands out in the series.
“The game's dynamic day-night cycle and weather effects further enhance the atmosphere, creating a truly immersive post-apocalyptic setting.”
“Easily the biggest improvement from 5 to this game is the incredible atmosphere, which is just dripping with equally beautiful and haunting environments brought to life by eye-catching colorful environments and evocative imagery.”
“The atmosphere is fantastic and the story is ok.”
“A vast and beautiful world of pure boredom and dead atmosphere.”
“Characters don't have any depth, and the post-apocalyptic atmosphere isn't well developed.”
“The most prominent issues in New Dawn are the poor writing, lack of control, and boring atmosphere.”
- character development39 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
Overall, character development in the game has been widely criticized, with many reviewers noting a lack of depth and engagement among characters, particularly the antagonists and the silent protagonist. While some players appreciated certain aspects of character arcs, such as that of John Seed, the consensus leans towards disappointment, highlighting predictable narratives and one-dimensional characters. Many felt that the game failed to deliver the rich character development expected from the franchise, leading to a disjointed and unmemorable experience.
“Great story, great character development, great graphics (for the time), and great character development.”
“Looking for an innovative and immersive experience with a good story, excellent character development and perfect gameplay?”
“There is character development and history that's built up and played out in this game and I think the player would find that worthwhile.”
“Story, character development, and dialogue is subpar; you will find yourself skipping past the cut scenes which are beyond predictable.”
“Very little character development and not enough interaction between the characters.”
“The story was boring and the character development was next to nothing.”
Critic Reviews
Far Cry New Dawn Review – Rise of a New Dawn
Although it plays it a little safe, Far Cry New Dawn is an enjoyable entry into the franchise that should go over well with fans.
80%Far Cry New Dawn Review
Frustratingly, Far Cry New Dawn doesn't deliver in any real way. It doesn't pay off Far Cry 5's ending. It doesn't offer new spins on the Far Cry formula. It doesn't even offer players an escape from money woes. It's just another Far Cry, and that's just not enough anymore.
65%Far Cry New Dawn
A Paint-By-Numbers Sequel
70%