5 Differences Between Far Cry & Far Cry 5

It’s been 14 years since the original Far Cry was released, showing off what Crytek's shiny CryEngine could do. 14 years and seven games - yes, the latest one is Far Cry 5, but Primal and Blood Dragon count too. So I got to wondering what’s changed over the past decade and a half, and figured I’d put them down in a neat little list for you all to see.

I’ll try to skip over the obvious ones, like graphics, because anyone can see that those have certainly changed. Now, on with the list:

Setting

The original Far Cry took place on a tropical island, which limited the environments you would come across. Sure there was a swamp and a volcano, but compare that to the mountains, rivers, woodlands and such that Far Cry 5 features, thanks to its placement in (albeit fictional) Montana, USA, it’s somewhat lacking.

Animals

Well, the original didn’t have any wildlife. So when it comes to variety of animals, with moose, bears (both black and grizzly), birds, skunks and wolverines - as well as farmyard animals! - Far Cry 5 has a clear advantage. I believe a recent patch nerfed how powerful the turkeys were, if that’s any indication of why you need animals in this series.

Companions

Far Cry saw you going up against mercs and monsters (don’t get me started on the story) practically solo. You had some help in the form of Valerie Constantine, but she was left up to her own devices for the most part. Far Cry 5 sees you rescuing loads of people which you can recruit on the fly, but also six specialists and three animals. You can tell them where to go or whom to attack, and they’ll help you up if someone runs you over. Also, Boomer is best boi.

Vehicles

There were four usable vehicle types in the original Far Cry - hang glider, boat, 4x4 and a forklift truck. Far Cry 5’s Hope County however, due to its size, is home to a variety of vehicles from small to huge. Trucks, helicopters, planes, cars, dune buggies and even Optimus Prime a lorry. They also handle quite a bit better than the ones in the first game.

Weapons

In Far Cry you could carry three weapons at a time, and had to choose one of the 10 available guns, or a machete. One pistol, one shotgun, one machine gun, two submachine guns, three assault rifles, a sniper rifle and a rocket launcher. You also had a frag and smoke grenades.

Far Cry 5 blows it out of the water, with an upgradable ability to hold five weapons. Four pistols, a bow, seven submachine guns, four shotguns, six assault rifles, four sniper rifles, two machine guns, two rocket launchers, a grenade launcher and a flame thrower - most of which are customisable. That’s more than triple the amount of guns (not including any that will be added as DLC). What’s more, what used to be two grenades has been upped to include dynamite, molotov cocktails, pipe bombs and both remote and proximity explosives!

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So clearly there have been some changes in 14 years. Which one is your favourite? Or do you prefer one we didn’t list?