Far Cry Instincts Review

Far Cry Instincts is a completely new game rather than a port of the PC version and it has been built from the ground up to take full advantage of the Xbox hardware. It looks gorgeous and plays like a dream and thanks to a lengthy single player campaign, level editor, and Xbox Live play it will keep you busy for a good long time. Xbox owners, you need to play this game.

Story

In Far Cry Instincts you play as Jack Carver, a retired Navy commando who now makes a living by taking tourists to islands in the pacific on his boat. On one fateful day, his ship is attacked and destroyed by mercenaries and his passenger is captured. He washes ashore on a beautiful jungle island and he has no choice but to explore the island to try and find his passenger but also try and discover a means of escape. The storyline takes many twists and turns – such as the fact that your character gains primal, animal like abilities – and you’ll combat human enemies and much worse as you make your way through the game. The single player campaign is rather lengthy compared to many of today’s action games and it is very well put together overall.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Far Cry Instincts is very different than what you are likely used to with first-person-shooters. The focus here, at least at the beginning of the game, is utilizing the thick jungle so you can sneak past enemies rather than confronting them. You can also set branch whip traps on trees and lure enemies into them. Sneaking through the jungle and taking out enemies with a combination of traps, stealth kills where you sneak up on an enemy and stab them, and good old gun fights give the game a lot of variety and a very satisfying feel.

One thing about Far Cry Instincts is that precision shooting isn’t really a requirement thanks to a very generous auto aim. You can literally just pan your reticle through the jungle around you and pull the trigger when it turns red and kill your enemies without even seeing them. You just sort of point rather than aim in this game. Usually, that would be a bad thing, but in Far Cry Instincts the jungle is so thick that it is actually pretty hard to see. Also, the firefights can get very hectic and disorienting so being able to find enemies in the brush like this keeps the fun level up and frustration level down.

Guns and Vehicles and Primal Abilities. Oh My!

The weapons you’ll find in Far Cry Instincts are typical FPS fare – shotguns, machine guns, pistols, rocket launchers – and many of them can be dual wielded. You can only carry one of each type, however, for a total of only three weapons at any given time. Similar to Halo, this makes you form a strategy and second guess switching to every new weapon you come across.

There are also vehicles spread throughout the levels which include humvees, all terrain vehicles, jet skis, and hang gliders. You can drive and shoot at the same time, but the controls are so touchy that you are usually better off just ignoring enemies and trying to get from point A to point B as fast as possible.

In addition to traditional weapons, one of the major selling points of Far Cry Instincts is that your character gains primal abilities which turn Jack Carver himself into the ultimate weapon. You’ll get enhanced strength, speed, and movement along with the ability to “see” the scent trails left by enemies and much more. The use of these abilities is not unlimited, however, but the combination of the primal abilities and huge arsenal of weapons make Far Cry Instincts a very different but very fun sort of game.

Level Design

A lot of the reason for Far Cry Instincts’ success is in the level design. These levels are absolutely massive and seemingly stretch for miles and miles. There are also multiple paths through the island along with lots of hidden weapon caches so exploration is imperative to your survival. Your next objective is marked on your radar which keeps you from getting lost, but some of the best bits of the game are well off of the beaten path. The levels aren’t completely open and you’ll be bottlenecked into combat situations at several points along the way, but for the most part the jungle is your playground and you are free to move about it as you want. The game isn’t just limited to the jungles, though, and you’ll also explore underground caverns and some creepy buildings, among other things.

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