Just Cause 4
- November 6, 2019
- Avalanche Studios
Just Cause 4 is a title that is worth experiencing for anyone who just wants to have a good time watching explosions and flying around a beautiful world.
Just Cause 4 is an action-adventure game starring protagonist Rico Rodriguez, who travels to the turbulent South American world of Solis. Equipped with a wingsuit and customizable grappling hook, Rico embarks on a mission to fight against oppression and extreme weather conditions, causing chaos and destruction along the way. This game offers a vast open world and a multitude of tools for players to wreak havoc and explore at their leisure.
Reviews
- Just Cause 4 offers a fun and chaotic sandbox experience with exciting gameplay and creative destruction.
- The game features beautiful graphics and an impressive weather system that enhances the overall experience.
- Rico's traversal abilities and the variety of tools available make for an exhilarating and empowering gameplay experience.
- The mission design is repetitive and uninspired, leading to a lack of engagement over time.
- Technical issues, including crashes and poor graphical performance, detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- The story and character development are weak, making it hard to stay invested in the narrative.
- story20 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 35 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The story in the game has been widely criticized for being forgettable and uninspired, with many reviewers noting its repetitive mission design and lack of innovation compared to previous entries in the series. Players feel that the potential of the game's mechanics, such as the extreme weather system, is underutilized, leading to a campaign that fails to engage or excite. Overall, the narrative and character development are seen as bland, contributing to a lack of motivation to continue playing.
“The story is predictable and only mildly interesting, doesn’t do enough to evolve the franchise, doesn’t use the awesome weather effects enough.”
“The characters are bland, the story relatively uninteresting, the concept of weather manipulation is wasted.”
“Even ignoring the bugs and glitches, replacing the chaos meter with a mission-focused war doesn’t really work for Just Cause - especially when those missions repeat a lot.”
“What's the point in giving players an array of tools that lets them cause wanton destruction on a gargantuan scale, and then designing a campaign full of drab, copy-pasted missions that barely require you to use them?”
“The story is predictable and only mildly interesting, doesn’t do enough to evolve the franchise, and doesn’t use the awesome weather effects enough.”
“Playing with the possibilities of the physics engine as you zip across Solis, trying to take down yet another dictator, is as much fun as ever, but that 'more of the same' sentiment is present everywhere in Just Cause 4, from the technical issues to the repetitive mission structure and generic story.”
- graphics11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 45 % negative mentions
Overall, the graphics have received largely negative feedback, with many users describing them as outdated and in need of significant improvement. While some noted minor enhancements after updates, issues like technical instability and odd graphical glitches persist. The consensus suggests that the visual presentation detracts from the overall gaming experience.
“Seems alright after update 1.05, pretty good graphic improvement but still from time to time crashes on small screen effects.”
“Top tier graphics, explosions that would impress even the best action movie directors.”
“The graphics are visually appealing and enhance the overall gaming experience.”
“The graphics belong back in 2007.”
“Graphics need improvement.”
“Just Cause 4 suffers from having little to no meat on its bones and a very poor graphical presentation.”
- gameplay10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The gameplay in Just Cause 4 is characterized by its fast-paced, action-packed nature and a satisfying progression system, offering a fun and fluid experience with impressive weather effects and a creative sandbox environment. However, it suffers from repetitive mission design and some technical issues, including graphical glitches and physics bugs. Overall, while the core mechanics provide enjoyable moments, they lack significant innovation compared to its predecessor.
“Fast-paced, action-packed, hilarious gameplay; new tools and gadget customization is a game-changer, conquering Solís is much less grindy than Medici was.”
“Fantastic weather effects, incredibly fun and fluid wingsuit and parachute gameplay, malleable sandbox with a large number of toys to play with, solid framerate performance despite chaotic gameplay, fluid grapple hook tethers and a plethora of mods.”
“The gameplay is trash.”
“Beautiful, explosive, and endlessly creative - but hampered by similarities to its predecessor, some repetitive mission design, and not many leaps forward in its core mechanics.”
“Just Cause 4 is an enjoyable ride with a memorable and exciting campaign, full of thrilling gameplay moments.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is mixed; while some players report solid framerate performance and enjoyable gameplay mechanics, others experience technical issues such as poor console performance and framerate drops during intense moments. The mission design is considered outdated, which detracts from the overall experience.
“Rico’s abilities are hugely empowering, beautiful and varied setting, gameplay is pure, unadulterated fun, steadier performance on console.”
“Fantastic weather effects, incredibly fun and fluid wingsuit and parachute gameplay, malleable sandbox with a large number of toys to play with, solid framerate performance despite chaotic gameplay, fluid grapple hook tethers and a plethora of mods.”
“However, the rest of the game is a compilation of outdated mission design and poor technical performance.”
“Controls are a bit awkward, performance and framerates drop a bit in heavy situations, story is forgettable.”
“Forgettable story, poor console performance, average voice acting.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted as a standout feature, with players finding it to be both hilarious and entertaining, thanks to its over-the-top action, funny physics interactions, and engaging weather effects. The combination of satisfying gameplay and comedic elements contributes to a fun and immersive experience, making it a memorable entry in the franchise.
“In moments, though, it’s also the most hilarious and entertaining game you’ll ever play.”
“Just Cause 4 is another solid entry in a franchise that continues to bring me hours of over-the-top, hilarious action.”
“[fast-paced, action-packed, hilarious gameplay, new tools and gadget customization is a game-changer, conquering Solís is much less grindy than Medici was.]”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the game accessible and enjoyable, though it involves a significant amount of grinding. The fast-paced and action-packed gameplay, along with new tools and gadget customization, enhances the experience, making the grind feel less tedious, especially in the new area of Solís compared to Medici.
“Easy to get into as a new player and is fun, but grindy.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has been criticized due to numerous bugs and glitches, which detract from the overall experience. Additionally, the shift from a chaos meter to a mission-focused approach has not resonated well with players, leading to repetitive gameplay and a lack of excitement compared to previous installments.
“Even ignoring the bugs and glitches, replacing the chaos meter with a mission-focused war doesn’t really work for Just Cause - especially when those missions repeat a lot.”
“Replacing the chaos meter with an emphasis on missions is a big misstep. It's generally not as good as Just Cause 3. Every moment of excitement is accompanied by frustration, and it doesn't go crazy or exciting enough. There are a lot of bugs and glitches right now, and driving is a nightmare.”
- music1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its great soundtrack, which enhances the overall experience, while the weather effects add an immersive layer that players find enjoyable to interact with.
“The soundtrack is fantastic and really enhances the overall experience.”
“The music perfectly complements the gameplay, making every moment feel more immersive.”
“I love how the soundtrack sets the mood and keeps me engaged throughout the game.”
Critic Reviews
Just Cause 4 Review - Summer Blockbuster: The Video Game
Just Cause 4 is the most essential game in the series, perfecting years of blowing things up in the most creative ways. While the narrative doesn't have any lasting impact, the overall package delivers as video game comfort food.
85%Just Cause 4 Review
Just Cause 4 more often than not feels like an average open world third person shooter than it does the explosion filled bonanza that it should be.
60%Just Cause 4
An Explosive Sandbox Of Possibilities
80%