FarCry 3 E3 First Look – Back to tropical paradise

The original FarCry was probably best remembered for its lush, tropical jungle island setting. Crytek developed the game, but instead of moving on to do a sequel afterwards, they made Crysis, which was also set in a tropical island setting.

In the meantime, FarCry publisher and owner made FarCry 2, putting Ubisoft Montreal in charge of development. The sequel ventured away from the tropical island setting, and played out in a fictional war-torn African country.

Original FarCry developer Crytek followed up with Crysis 2 a few years later and surprised fans with its New York setting. This move has left the tropical island setting wide open again. Enter FarCry 3.

Click to see high resolution version

Following months of rumours and speculation, Ubisoft has revealed FarCry 3 and announced that it will return to its tropical jungle island roots. It’s kind of sad to see FarCry leave African soil, but also good to see it returning to the setting in which it made a name for itself.

Ubisoft unveiled FarCry 3 on Monday night, and released this official FarCry 3 E3 trailer:

First things first, It wouldn’t be FarCry if it wasn’t beautifully realized, and that it is. The jungle setting is rendered with stunning detail, and is a vibrant and rich sight to behold.

This time around, players step into the boots of Jason Brody; just a regular guy trapped on a remote jungle island inhabited by crazy people. His girlfriend is missing, and there is no immediately obvious way to get home. The island supposedly hides a dark secret, and discovering it will surely be core to the game’s plot.

FarCry 3: lush jungles, guns, crazy people (click to see in high resolution version)

FarCry 3 will be an open-world shooter with clearly defined narrative paths, which should make it a difficult game to pull off convincingly. Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a FarCry game if it was an open world shooter set in an exotic location. The first narrative walkthrough has Brody being captured by a a rambling, yet very dangerous lunatic named Vass. What struck us immediately is how Vass’ character “popped”. We are spoon fed so many characters on a weekly basis playing games, yet this character somehow manages to be immediately more compelling, engaging and entertaining in his eccentricity.

Lost, anyone? (Click to see high resolution version)

Where FarCry 2 told the story of African rebels fighting for power and wealth, Ubisoft is quick to point out that FarCry 3 will about the internal conflicts inherent in people. It will focus on the insanity of individuals, as opposed to a broader fight.

FarCry 3 is being released for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 sometime next year.