Let's Talk... Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

Whoever thought that Far Cry 3 needed a Terminator inspired standalone was actually kind of right... The game is set in a futuristic 2007 where the player is Sergeant Rex Powercolt- the latest model of heroically determined patriotic Cyber Commandos, voiced by Michael Biehn - as he faces his ex-Commander gone AWOL. The game brings more of the brilliant game-play that made Far Cry 3 such a great title and mixes in some comedy and neon lighting to make a really fun experience.

The opening scene sets the game’s tone perfectly, as you nonchalantly demolish helicopters and slaughter enemies with a mingun. Although Blood Dragon’s charm can be pretty funny at times, the consistent puns and cheesy quips can get a little tiresome after a while. For example, the opening tutorial has you stay in one spot and perform a series of mundane instructions whilst Rex curses indefinitely because he wants to just shoot stuff. It feels like the writers were just trying too hard and the game just feels a little too cute for its own good at times.

Blood Dragons can take quite a beating... oh, and they fire lasers out of their eyes!

The mostly solid writing lets itself down by trying to juggle 80’s action movie references and ridiculous set pieces with being some sort of social commentary on gaming that sneers at action games. Since the nostalgic nods towards the 80’s are likely going to be the main attraction to play Blood Dragon (seeing as the game-play is simply Far Cry 3 re-skinned with neon lighting), it would have made more sense for the writers to have focused solely on that.

The side missions, collectibles, and stronghold takeovers fill the gap between the handful of story missions pretty nicely, but outside rescuing hostages and hunting ‘robo animals’ there is very little to do. It took me a mere three hours to practically 100% the game, including all collectible items. Side missions unlock attachments for your weapons, so there’s good reason to complete them. There’s no doubt that Blood Dragon is lacking in content, but the quality of the content does redeem the game.

Whilst there isn't a great amount weapon variation in Blood Dragon, each has a ton of attachments.

Side missions include hunting and rescuing scientists that try just a little too hard to be ‘nerdy’ with their constant reference to DnD and Video Games, and taking over strongholds has a new added twist to it. Strongholds have so-called ‘mega shields’ that keep the Blood Dragons out, you can sneak into the base to deactivate these shields and watch as the Dragons disintegrate enemies, then you need to either kill them or kite them away using cyber-hearts (looted from humanoid enemies). Far Cry 3’s skill trees have been replaced by skills automatically unlocked through leveling up, and the game offers no real challenge throughout.

The game looks really nice and has a dark (sometimes a little too dark) red filter over everything as you see from the view of Rex. The game’s aesthetic has a scan line-laden look to it, which goes well with the cyberpunk theme. Weapons, vehicles, and people are all loaded with bright neon colouring, which give the game a pretty good retro-futuristic appearance. The soundtrack is also excellent and really captures the 80’s feel that the game desires. Overall, a succinct but thoroughly enjoyable experience that adds a much needed light-hearted addition to the Far Cry series.