Far Cry New Dawn is less than a month away from release, and Ubisoft has begun to tease fans with what sort of new content they can expect to find in the upcoming title. A few days ago, the game’s ESRB rating summary was released, which hinted at the mature content present in the game. Now, the game’s creative director has revealed that the game will feature “light RPG” mechanics; an interesting departure from the norms of Far Cry 5.
Today's Developer Q&A features #FarCryNewDawn creative director Jean-Sebastien Decant! @Battlesand from Twitter asked us "What game mechanics changed over Far Cry 5?" pic.twitter.com/TqhogYJhvf
— Far Cry New Dawn (@FarCrygame) January 21, 2019
“Light RPG” Mechanics Coming in Far Cry New Dawn
The reveal came via a Developer Q&A which was released earlier today by Ubisoft. In it, creative director Jean-Sebastien Decant talks about how the game differs from Far Cry 5. “We pushed what we call the ‘light RPG’ approach in the game to create more depth,” he explains; “so you’ll be able to craft guns that have ranks, and these ranks, they will be useful to fight against enemies that also have ranks. We have the brand-new Prosperity home base in which you will be able to rally your characters and invest in order to get better upgrades.”
This marks an interesting departure for the Far Cry series in general; a franchise which has generally avoided RPG mechanics beyond a simple upgrade skill tree. The addition of weapon and enemy ranks could give the gameplay a very different feel to Far Cry 5; potentially boosting the game’s difficulty and helping to sustain it in the long run. An additional new change is coming to the traditional Far Cry outposts; the ‘Escalation System’. With this system, you can still choose to take outposts in the traditional manner which has been a series norm since Far Cry 3. However, you will now have the option to “squeeze” them instead.
“If you squeeze it,” explains Decant; “you’re going to abandon it. And now that it’s vacant, the enemy is going to come back, put more resources in it, and also more defence, and create a new challenge.”
It sounds as though this new Escalation System could also serve to help Far Cry New Dawn feel sustainable long-term. There certainly was a great deal of content in Far Cry 5. However, players would eventually reach a point where all of the game’s outposts had been liberated and the world began to feel a little empty. With this system, it seems that players can ensure a higher-tier challenge; something which could meld well with the new RPG mechanics. It sounds as though New Dawn will provide players with an interesting new experience when it releases in mid-February. Certainly, more than just more of Far Cry 5.