Common Sense Media Review
By Marc Saltzman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sex, drugs, violence set amidst beauty of Himalayas.
Parents Need to Know
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Where to Play
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Far Cry 4
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 34 parent reviews
Based on 35 kid reviews
Kids say this game features a robust storyline centered around a protagonist caught in a civil war while trying to fulfill a personal quest, providing an engaging open-world experience. Although some praise its fun gameplay and immersive environment, many reviews express concerns about its violence, strong language, and adult themes, leading to mixed feelings regarding its appropriateness for younger players.
- violence concerns
- adult themes
- engaging story
- mixed appropriateness
- strong language
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
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 :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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