Far Cry 4
By Marc Saltzman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Sex, drugs, violence set amidst beauty of Himalayas.
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this game.
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Far Cry 4
Community Reviews
Based on 42 parent reviews
funny
Report this review
Report this review
What’s It About?
FAR CRY 4 is a first-person action game; you play as Ajay Ghale, born in the fictional Himalayan country of Kyrat but raised in the United States. Your mother's dying wish was to have her ashes spread back in Kyrat, but when you return to perform this duty, you find yourself caught in the middle of a civil war being led by rebels who want to overthrow the charismatic but oppressive dictator, Pagan Min. This sequel to 2012's Far Cry 3 lets you explore a vast open world using weapons and vehicles to evade soldiers and wild animals. You can lead the fight by yourself or with friends thanks to the game's drop-in/drop-out cooperative mode. Alternatively, you can also fight PvP (player versus player) in a competitive multiplayer mode.
Is It Any Good?
If you can get past Far Cry 4's often cheesy dialog sequences and cliched story, it's fun, gorgeous, and replayable thanks to the mission structure and open-ended nature of the environments. Whether you're mastering a variety of weapons or interacting with rebel groups and wildlife, your decisions will change the story's outcome. You'll also be able to choose how to approach a mission, such as trying to infiltrate a compound undetected or going in guns a-blazin' (and Molotov cocktails in tow) to take down guards.
Those who've played previous versions of Far Cry will feel right at home with the controls, environment, and combat. Plus, competitive multiplayer and the new cooperative-play option (to team up with a friend on another PC or console) will keep things fresh long after the single-player campaign is completed. It's not too different from Far Cry 3, which might disappoint some, but it does have a few new tricks to justify the purchase. Where else can you mount an elephant, turn over enemy cars and then jump off, climb a ladder, and take down a helicopter with a rocket launcher? Wild? Yes, but also thrilling. Kudos to Ubisoft for creating yet another gorgeous and entertaining game.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Parents can talk about violence. What's the impact of the lifelike, realistic violence featured in Far Cry 4? Is all of it necessary to the story?
What's the impact of seeing game characters use drugs? Are there realistic consequences? Why do you think this feature was included?
Game Details
- Platforms: PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Not available online
- Publisher: UbiSoft
- Release date: November 18, 2014
- Genre: First-Person Shooter
- Topics: Adventures
- ESRB rating: M for Blood, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Last updated: August 25, 2016
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Play
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate