By Arts & Entertainment Editor Alex Karravala.

Far Cry: New Dawn, the latest installment in the Far Cry series, yet another franchise of single player first person shooters. However, what sets Far Cry apart from the rest is its collection of wacky characters, unique settings, and open worlds ready to be conquered. This installment is no different, and for its “unique” setting, we get to experience a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a setting that is about as stale in shooters as bread would be in an actual apocalypse.

However, this apocalypse isn’t your ordinary bleak, desolate wasteland, but rather the opposite. The game tries staying fresh by changing the usual color palettes of an apocalypse from the usual greenish-gray to fluorescent pinks and blues.

Admittedly, this is where the game shines, almost literally. The world developers Ubisoft have created is nothing short of beautiful, and seeing such a vibrant and colorful apocalypse built on top of the ruins of an old world is a wonder to explore.

What was once a farm is now a chop-shop, a mansion is now a colony of survivors, a broken statue is now- well- still a broken statue, but this time with some pinks and blues thrown on it.

Visually, this game is a pleasure to take in, and not only the locals. Vehicles that were once sedans or pickup trucks are heavy buggies covered in scrap metal to handle the new world; guns are held together by electric tape and scrap pieces of wood, with screwdrivers and broken scissors used as makeshift bayonets. Every new item you discover is a treat to look at and piece together how it functions in your head.

Unfortunately, the writers didn’t do nearly as good a job as the artists, and while the world is remarkable to take in, the story is mediocre at best.

As mentioned before, one of Far Cry’s strengths is its wacky characters, usually exemplified best by the big bad bosses of the games. In Far Cry 3, we had Vaas, a psychotic warlord with a need for power; Far Cry 4 gave us Pagan Min, a lovable tyrant with a particular choice of words and a love of chinese food; Far Cry 5 gave us the Seed Family, a Christian Cult family with a hatred of sinners and a fondness for torture.
Each villain is unique, and, while all mad with power, they all represent it differently, giving us a unique story each game.

New Dawn gives us Mickey and Lou, twin warlords with a need for power. Like what people are looking for in villians is the same as last time but oh wait there is two of them this time.

Of course, bad writing can be forgiven if the gameplay is enjoyable, and in this regard I am happy to say Far Cry: New Dawn is completely average.

There is nothing differentiating this game from Far Cry 5 gameplay wise, with most of the weapons being (admittedly nice looking) skins of weapons from that very game. However, the map is smaller, she story is shorter, and overall there is just less to do in this one.

Thankfully New Dawn brings back co op once again, making the world a bit of fun to explore while hanging out with a bud, but without the co op this game is easily the worst of the newest 4 Far Cry games.

If you’re looking for a good Far Cry game to play with a friend, just get Far Cry 5. If you want one with an interesting story and fun to play solo, get Far Cry 4.

If you’re a fan of Far Cry and you just absolutely cannot get enough of the series, maybe this game is for you.

Unless you’re a die hard Far Cry fan, or you really like pink, you have better options out there.