Far Cry 4 is a multiplatform computer game developed by Ubisoft Montreal in collaboration with other Ubisoft divisions. The fourth installment of the famous series was released in November 2014 on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC.
The events of Far Cry 4 take place in a fictional mountainous country called Kyrat. Ajay Gale, the game's protagonist, returns from the United States to his ancestral homeland to scatter his mother's ashes among the high mountains and deep valleys. The civil war that killed his father and forced young Ajay to migrate to the U.S. with his mother to escape the bloodshed has long ended. But the grown hero faces a new danger in the form of Pagan Min—a mentally unstable dictator who has seized power in Kyrat. The antagonist personally meets Gale when he attempts to enter the country. Despite the terrifying man’s attempts to befriend him, Gale escapes into the mountains, promising himself that he will do everything to overthrow Pagan Min, the man responsible for his father's departure from this world many years ago and for his mother's suffering for the rest of her life. To accomplish this, he must ally with the local rebels, earn the trust of the peaceful inhabitants, eliminate hundreds of Min's soldiers, and destroy dozens of enemy bases.
The main difference between the fourth installment and the third one is that the jungle-covered islands have given way to high cliffs and mountains. Most roads are winding paths, with relatively flat surfaces appearing only in the valleys. Therefore, players are equipped with a special "climbing tool" that makes it convenient to scale vertical surfaces. Additionally, Far Cry 4 features a wingsuit—a special outfit designed for flights through the canyons—and a mini-helicopter that allows swift navigation through seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Nevertheless, the role of conventional transport has not diminished; on the contrary, in-game enhancements like a GPS transmitter (for route planning) and the ability to shoot from a moving vehicle, as seen in games of the GTA series, have been introduced.
It is worth noting that the action of Far Cry 4 unfolds not only in Kyrat but also in a mythical world known as Shangri-La. The player is reborn as a mighty warrior of antiquity and fights the spawn of Darkness—demons—with a bow and the help of a white tiger. Nevertheless, the main events occur in the real world. The game features several intertwining storylines, the main one focusing on the struggle against Pagan Min. To drive the eccentric dictator from his entrenched position, Ajay Gale will have to work hard. The main problem is that the protagonist is no Superman, and he needs to secure the support of local rebels, whose leaders do not fully trust one another. Who to approach for help without making a mistake?
As for the gameplay aspect of Far Cry 4, there aren’t many changes compared to the third installment. Players roam freely around the map, completing story and side missions, attacking bases and checkpoints, solving side quests, and engaging in similar activities. However, there is one feature that sets the game apart from its predecessor: the ability to play the entire story in cooperative mode, not just in separate episodes.