Summary
TheFar Cryseries has been around for over 20 years now. Since its original inception from Crytek, the game has become a flagship series for Ubisoft, which bought the rights to the series in 2006. Since then, Ubisoft has created an entry or two in the series every console generation, and many inspired game developers have taken a crack at the formula, or have taken elements ofFar Cry’s design.
Each of the games in this list will in some way be related to the gameplay, gameplay-fantasy, or mechanics of games from theFar Cryseries. Essentially, this means they’re open-world shooters with a reliance on either sandbox elements, stealth elements, or both to vary their gameplay.
Developed by Avalanche Studios, and with help from id Software,Rage 2is an open-world game that blends the combat ofDOOM(2016) with the open-world structure of theFar Cryseries. The game has many mechanics that are similar toFar Cry 5and 6 in particular. These include the ability to collect vehicles by returning them to a garage, as well as a map separated into progressing three different storylines (though more linear inRage 2).
Forgoing stealth almost entirely,Rage 2instead gives players a large suite of abilities that allow them to zip through the battlefield, allowing them to take more and more control over the environment.
This entry is made by Ubisoft, and probably as close as one can possibly get to an originalFar Crygame. Taking place in James Cameron’sAvatarfranchise, this game plays, feels, and often even looks like aFar Crygame, save for a few minor differences. As a player created Na’vi captured by human forces, players use their leverage as a perceived extinct to assist and unite other clans against human invaders who want to steal the resources found on Pandora.
The gameplay is quite similar to a typicalFar Crygame in terms of there being a big map with markers, strongholds to take over, and many different weapons and vehicles to use. However, each of these is translated in a way that commits to the franchise. Vehicles are the many animals of Pandora, and many of the weapons aren’t guns but rather bows and traps.
Dying Lightis a very purposeful game. While many of Ubisoft’s projects can feel bloated with how many mechanics they have or how much content they offer,Dying Lightis very much not. Aside from maybe a stingy XP system that makes getting skills in the early-game more difficult,Dying Lightis a focused take on a parkour zombie game. There’s a map, markers, and sandbox elements, but each of these are beholden to bolstering either the zombie part ofDying Light,or the parkour part.
There are no vehicles in the base game, because the fastest way to move around the map is tofree-run across the rooftops. With so manycraftable weapons, parkour moves, and environmental hazards to take advantage of, there is plenty of room for sandbox experimentation.
The firstHalogame to go completely open-world,Halo Infinitemarries the seamless vehicle combat and armor abilities of the original trilogy andHalo: Reachwith an open-ended structure. The product is a game that plays similarly toFar Cry, but in a way that’s not completely separated from the universe of Halo. It’s reminiscent ofHalo 3’s “Believe” marketing, where a spread-thin UNSC faces dire circumstances, hoping to be saved by some miracle.
As Master Chief, players provide that miracle, swooping in with tanks, warthogs, grappling hooks and an extensive suit of weapons to provide relief for the stranded marines of Zeta Halo. The real standout is the game’s grappling hook, which, when upgraded, turns the game into a first person Spider-Man.
This entry is probably the least likeFar Cryin terms of its structure, asDishonoredisn’t really an open world game. It has levels, and while they are incredibly dense with things to discover, not all of them can be returned to. But whatDishonoredlacks in kilometers of space to traverse, it makes up for in density.
Dishonoredis widely considered animmersive sim game, which means it was designed with sandbox elements in mind. Objectives are laid out, but it is up to players to solve them using their own tools. The creative freedom allotted to players in how to complete these objectives is so varied that it might take multiple playthroughs to see each.
Just Cause 3has easily the most comical sandbox on this list, and is up there withGoat Simulatorin terms of goofy sandbox experiences. For those that haven’t played, its gameplay is similar tosuperhero gameslikeSpider-Manand theArkhamBatman games, despite how it may look.
Players can use grappling hooks, gliders, thrusters, and tether cables to cause utter chaos on the fictional island of Medici, located in the Mediterranean. The game is open-world, and with so many abilities, weapons, and vehicles to use on top of being able to fly, there is a lot of sandbox to dig into.
While it is the onlyindie gameon this list,Blood Westis probably also the hardest game on this list. The game is set in an alternate 19th century America ravaged by paranormal creatures, ghosts, and other occult abnormalities. Players take control of a man recently risen from the dead, unable to return to death unless he finds the corrupting force of the world and puts a stop to it. The game is a mix of first-person stealth and action, as players use different weapons and items to clear out the map as they complete certain objectives.
This game plays a lot likeHunt: Showdown, with its clunky firearms and its suffocating stamina system, but is entirely PvE with freaky enemies and buildcrafting using weapons and items with borderline 4th-wall breaking gameplay modifiers.
