Is Farcry 5 Still Worth Playing in 2021?

There's Still A lot to do In Farcry 5's Hope County

It's been three years since Ubisoft Released Farcry 5. The epic battle with the evil Doomsday Cult lead by Joseph Seed concluded with a bang and subsequent spin-off title New Dawn. Before we were whisked away to a post apocalyptic world of pink flora and tiered weapons types there was still a few things to be done in the pre-apocalypse Hope County. I myself have done a full playthrough on Playstation 4 and have nearly finished it again on PC. It's anecdotal proof that even in 2021 there's still some fun to be had in the relaxing North American Midwest despite the Joseph Seed menace. 

Here's Seven Reasons to give Farcry 5 another playthrough

Do it Your Way

Farcry 5 is a game that revolves around dismantling the Eden's Gate cult. This isn't done solely by completing story and side missions, but also non-linear attacks on the cultists infrastructure. Things like drug factories, grain silos, fuel trucks and all manner of suspiciously insurgent looking war material an be destroyed in any order without so much as a mission briefing. Unraveling Eden's Gate can be done largely in a non-linear ways. It's the kind of sandbox gameplay that makes the game both leisurely and exciting. 

Outposts

Taking the regions in Farcry 5 means capturing outposts. These enemy bases can be either alluded to by npc's or discovered by accident. Wandering into an enemy outpost and deciding whether or not to try tackling it plays into the randomness and sporadic destruction that makes the game so fun. Once captured, the friendly characters that inhabit these outposts can be leads for more missions, secret stashes and even more outposts. It's not scripted or planned, just something that you can come across by happy accident.

On the Road

Outposts aren't the only thing you'll run into in your aimless quest to accumulate Resistance Points. All manner of convoys, roadblocks and vans filled with non-cultist hostages will appear randomly in your travels and are fair game. Ambushing the cultist vehicles with dynamite or simply blocking their path with a well placed vehicle is enough to put a stop to their cult nonsense and score some more points. If you end up rescuing a Hope County hostage, then there's yet another chance for them to spill the beans on a secret prepper stash. 

Preparedness

Hidden prepper stashes are littered across the map and will appeal to the modern gamers desire to collect all the shiny things. These hidden bunkers and hideouts can be either eluded to by the various good guys in Farcry 5 or simply stumbling upon the abandoned loot stashes. Most of them are either boobytrapped or inaccessible until you solve some puzzle to get inside. It's an addictive cycle of poking around abandoned stashes and being rewarded with perk points, consumables and cash, all without relying on the combat focus of the game. 

Fish and Game

If you're tired of both shooting cultists and raiding prepper stashes, there's yet another non-combat facet to Farcry 5. Hunting and fishing to both relax and scare up some disposable income. You can listen to the platitudes of a friendly fisherman while trying to bag all manner of freshwater fish, or go hunting for fauna, who's pelts can be sold to buy more guns, ammo and vehicles. Just remember, it's only poaching if you get caught. 

Friendship

While poaching won't win you any favors with the Fish and Wildlife conservation staff, you can still win the favor of some non-cultist Hope County residents. Farcry 5 features it's own Guns For Hire system that has players unlocking NPC helpers through various side-missions. Each mercenary has their own challenges to complete, so you can milk each of them for a few perk points. Other than their udders, I didn't find the mercenaries to be all that appealing, though the tamed brown bear named Cheezburger was a thoughtful addition. Unlocking all the Mercenaries was kind of like collecting Pokemon. Even if you don't use them there's still a natural urge to "catch 'em all"

It's a Challenging game

The term "challenge" is loaded when it comes to videogames, more so in the context of Ubisoft's Farcry 5. Here there's not only the newgame+ mode and harder difficulties, but a laundry list of random tasks that involve shooting x number of animals or using a gun to kill some pre-determined number of cultists. Of course the reward to finishing these little challenges is more perk points, the perk point system is yet another facet of the game that has that addictive appeal of full completion. 

Still relevant in 2021

Combining all the satisfying busy work with the beautiful American Southwestern backdrop makes returning to the game both fun and relaxing at times. The case of ugly backdrops and scenery is something that keeps me from messing around in the post apocalyptic sandbox of games like Fallout 3 and 4, but they've got their own appeal. Still, if you're looking for a little forest fun and frantic gunplay, Farcry 5 is still a strong entry in the open-world shooter category.