Far Cry 5 Arcade Hands-On: Open All Night

Last week, we posted our impressions for Far Cry 5, which promises to be the biggest and gutsiest [...]

By ComicBook.com Staff

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Last week, we posted our impressions for Far Cry 5, which promises to be the biggest and gutsiest entry in the series to date, as you make your way to Hope County and attempt to stop a dangerous cult that's pretty much taken over the city. The game looks to have the same wide-open scope as previous games, but gives you far more to do, as well as the ability to draft secondary help, ranging from wily soldiers looking for a fight to a bear. Yes, a bear. And his name is Cheeseburger.

Anyway, we've talked about that part of the game, but Ubisoft is also adding something a little extra that's bound to boost the community in many ways – Far Cry 5 Arcade. This is completely separate from the main game, though it's included on the disc; and with it, you're able to create your own little challenges and share them with others, as well as see what the developers are up to. And you're free to do it however you please, using a similar map and mission editor that we've seen in prior games, but with a ton more features.

While we didn't exactly get a chance to try out the map editor itself – we'll get a crack at it once the game ships later this month – it does have a lot of potential, based on the two trial levels that we played.

A Taste of What's To Come

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The first level, called the Upside Down, is about as non-traditional as you can get when it comes to Far Cry. That's because you don't actually shoot at anything in this stage. Instead, the goal is to get from point A to point B, through a strange, reconfigured house that seems to have an Alice In Wonderland motif going for it.

The design is uncanny, and the developers told us that putting something like this together with the creator tools doesn't take too much effort at all, as it's easily to configure, finalize and then share. So don't be surprised if you see more levels like these pop up over the course of the game.

Of course, for those of you that prefer to go wild with your shooting, the second example is bound to be more your speed. It's a traditional stage where you have to make your way from point A to point B across a warehouse yard, where a number of guards are sprinkled throughout.

It's the Little Touches That Count

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Like with previous Far Cry games, you can take the stealthy approach and try to take out the guards as quietly as possible, or you can go "all hell breaks loose" and gun them down, in the hopes of reaching your objective target, who sits in a container that's a few dozen feet off the ground. (Fortunately, you should be able to access him with the help of a nearby zipline – although the guards that are with him may pose a threat.)

It appears that these rounds are measured by the time that you can complete them, as you can compete with others to see who "speedruns" through them the best. We didn't get to try this feature out, but don't feel bad if you take your time – sometimes, you can actually discover something that can help you build a level all your own.

What's cool are the distinctive touches you can put upon your designed stages in Far Cry 5 Arcade. Want to go for an all out weird design that will throw players off, or involve them more? You got it. How about placing the Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon soundtrack in the background to give your stage a nostalgic sound? Hey, you can do that, too. (And chances are I will with each level I design – that soundtrack is everything.)

Just Keep Adding Stuff

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And judging by the screenshots that are included with this article (provided by Ubisoft), you can see the potential for adding cool new stuff for you and your fellow players to try. For instance, you can actually fight on maps inspired by other Ubisoft games – like, Assassin's Creed, for example – and try to dominate your opponents.

For that matter, you can also add other characters into the mix, such as animals. One screenshot actually features the beloved Cheeseburger, who can be a real torment for the opposite team. We didn't actually get to see him in action yet, but fingers crossed he makes for one hell of an ally. There's even a pig in one of the stages – and we're totally going to send him charging against people. Party Pig can't be stopped!

It also appears you can make subtle changes to each stage as well. One screenshot shows that you can change the time of day that a level is placed I, from mid-afternoon to evening. You can also add other little things to give them nuance or personification to make them more your own. And that's what counts with a community-based mode like Arcade.

There's More Where That Came From

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Arcade also looks to be extending with special events, aside from the levels that are created and offered through the hub by users and developers alike. Friday Arcade Nights sounds promising, though the publisher didn't have any other details to share as of yet. More than likely, we'll see competitions, with some virtual prizes up for grabs. These should tie in nicely with the Far Cry 5 Live Events that are also being planned. We're likely to hear more about these closer to the game's launch.

While we didn't get to play Far Cry 5 Arcade for too long, what we saw did give us an idea of the heightened creativity that the game will have to offer when it ships on March 27 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.

Now the real question is, can we set up a mode where we can take on enemy soldiers with an armada of Cheeseburger bears, while the entire Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon plays? We're itching to find out.

Disclaimer: Ubisoft did provide travel accommodations to the Far Cry 5 event.

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