Assassin’s Creed Shadows is undergoing a transformation with its Viewpoint system, aiming to address long-standing critiques of Ubisoft’s open-world games. While earlier, the Far Cry series transitioned away from radio towers towards a more organic map discovery approach, there’s an opportunity to blend this with the refreshed Viewpoint strategy from AC Shadows, potentially creating a harmonious combination of the two systems.
As it stands, the game’s newfound focus on redefining these aspects isn’t just an isolated effort. Assassin’s Creed Shadows has faced its share of setbacks since it was first announced. Despite these challenges, each delay has provided Ubisoft with a chance to tweak the game’s mechanics and rebuild its relationship with fans by unveiling additional gameplay and narrative details.
One notable shift involves the iconic parkour system, moving to a more realistic rendition. The enhanced Viewpoints help players unveil map sections, pinpoint activities, and uncover key locations. In an attempt to sidestep previous criticisms of their open-world designs, AC Shadows is flipping the script. This innovative approach could also spill over into other Ubisoft mainstays like Far Cry.
In earlier titles like Far Cry 3 and 4, radio towers functioned similarly to Assassin’s Creed’s Viewpoints, offering a glimpse of the map and uncovering markers for collectibles and key non-playable characters. However, these structures soon grew stale, prompting a satirical nod in Far Cry 5. The game, alongside Far Cry 6, shifted away from this outdated mechanic, preferring exploration through natural landmarks and NPC interactions to organically reveal the game’s geography.
Far Cry 5 and 6 embraced this organic revelation, yet couldn’t completely free themselves from the constraints of Ubisoft’s familiar open-world template. As a result, the franchise struggled to leave a lasting impact. By adopting the Viewpoint mechanics from AC Shadows, there is a case for bringing back radio towers in a more engaging way.
Rather than outright discarding radio towers, like in Far Cry’s past attempts, they could be revitalized through AC Shadows’ Viewpoint approach. This method emphasizes player immersion, allowing them to scan their environment from a tower’s height, tagging points of interest manually, hence preserving the thrill of discovery without losing the parkour elements integral to both series.
Integrating these new mechanics into future Far Cry games could strike the right balance between exploration and nostalgia, allowing the series to evolve its open-world design into something fresh and compelling. The move could bring about the much-needed change the franchise has long yearned for, blending rewarding exploration with classic parkour gameplay.
By reintroducing radio towers alongside the innovative Viewpoint system from Assassin’s Creed Shadows, future Far Cry entries might achieve the perfect mix of excitement and novelty, staying true to their roots while embracing change.
