Far Cry 4

Far Cry 4 (stylized as FARCRY 4) is the fourth game in the Far Cry series. The game is set in the fictional country of Kyrat, located in the Himalayan mountains. It was released on November 18, 2014 worldwide for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Pre-orders included an upgrade to the Limited Edition which included the Hurk's Redemption DLC featuring the popular character Hurk from Far Cry 3's DLC "The Bundle Pack", the Hurk's Redemption also included a signature weapon called The Impaler (Harpoon Gun).

Far Cry 4 is a first-person action-adventure game. Players assume control of Ajay Ghale, a Kyrati-American who is on a quest to spread his deceased mother's ashes in the fictional country of Kyrat (based on the real life country of Nepal). Throughout the game, players can run, leap, and crouch, and can implement weapons including shotguns, crossbows, sniper rifles, mines, throwing knives, bows, flamethrowers, and rocket launchers. The game allows players to take cover to avoid gunfights and to perform melee takedowns from a variety of positions. Unlike previous installments in the series, Far Cry 4 gives players the ability to kick objects and hide the corpses of enemies.

Players can use a variety of methods to approach missions. For instance, stealth can be utilized to evade enemies and complete objectives without being noticed, or they have the option to assault enemies directly with firearms and vehicles. The player-character is equipped with a digital camera, which allows him to mark and highlight all visible enemies, animals, and loot. Players are also able to ride on elephants, which serve as tank-like, offensive weapons. Bait can be stored in the player's pack and thrown toward enemies in order to attract nearby predators, distracting or attacking them in the process. Players can also hunt and skin animals.

The game features an open world environment that is free for players to explore, including forests, rivers, and mountainous terrain. Vehicles, including buggies, trucks, and water vehicles like speedboats, allow for quick travel while a fast-travel option is available from the map, taking the player to discovered settlements or recovered outposts. While in a vehicle, there is the option to drive and shoot at the same time, enabling auto-drive in which the game's AI takes over the role of guiding the vehicle toward the player's objective. Another newly introduced feature allows the player to hijack other vehicles while driving. The Buzzer, an aerial, helicopter-like vehicle, allows players to gain a tactical advantage in the air as well as offering an alternative to hang gliders or the player's wingsuit and parachute. Grappling hooks permit the player to climb to new heights in the mountainous areas of the map, serving as both climbing tools and helping the player swing from rocky ledges. Parts of the game take place in Shangri-La, a mythical world that is entered through a painted Thangka, where players battle demons as the Kyrati warrior Kalinag. While in Shangri-La, players are immune to high falls and are accompanied by a spiritual white tiger which serves as their companion. Players can issue commands to the tiger to assist them in battle.

The game world is divided into two halves: North and South Kyrat. Players start in South Kyrat and are free to explore it almost immediately, but can only unlock North Kyrat over the course of the main story. The map is progressively opened by liberating bell towers, freeing them from Pagan Min's influence and allowing the Golden Path to expand. These towers help players reveal new areas and mark new locations of interest on the map. The world is scattered with outposts controlled by Pagan Min's mercenaries, which can be infiltrated by players. Four larger outposts, or fortresses, controlled by Pagan Min's generals can also be found, and feature stronger defenses and more difficult combinations of enemies. If players successfully liberate these outposts, they will serve as fast-travel points. Additional missions and quests also become available throughout that area. There are many side-missions that can be completed, including hostage rescues, bomb disposal quests, and hunting missions. The collected animals' parts can then be used for crafting new pouches and belts.

Like its predecessors, Far Cry 4 features some role-playing elements. Players can earn experience points by completing missions and defeating enemies, and these experience points can then be spent on performance boosts and upgrades. There are two sets of abilities for players to choose from, The Tiger and The Elephant. The Tiger upgrades mainly improve players' offensive abilities, while The Elephant upgrades improve players' defensive skills.

A variety of random events and hostile encounters take place throughout the game; for example, the player may unexpectedly be attacked by an eagle, hit by a car, or witness an animal attack. Players can accumulate karma by performing kind actions towards the rebels, such as by assisting them in battles when they are attacked by wildlife or enemies. Doing so will give players discounts when purchasing new items at trading posts, and gives players tokens, allowing them to call in back-up from members of the Golden Path. Players can also gain experience by collecting items like masks of Yalung (a Kyrati demon), removing propaganda posters, and spinning mani wheels. There is also an Arena mode, in which players battle human enemies and animals for additional experience points and rewards.

Prologue

After the death of his mother Ishwari, Ajay Ghale returns to his home country, Kyrat, to fulfill her last wish; to return her ashes to Lakshmana. Despite official warning not to enter the country due to its civil war, he obtains a passport and travels to Patna, India. From there he boards a bus traveling to Kyrat.

On the bus he meets Darpan, a man who converses with Ajay, implying that he will help him enter Kyrat. However, upon reaching the border, the bus is stopped by the Royal Army. They conduct a search of the bus and, after finding something seemingly suspicious beneath it, become hostile. Two Golden Path rebels jump out of the bus and a fire fight ensues. The rebels are killed as is the bus driver. The Royal Army soldiers then fire on the bus and Darpan and Ajay jump out and are apprehended as a helicopter lands. From the helicopter emerges Pagan Min, the tyrant king of the region. He kills the soldier in command with a pen after saying that he had ordered the bus to be stopped, not shot at. Seeing Ajay, he develops a friendly demeanor, giving Ajay a hug and saying he "would recognize those eyes anywhere". He apologizes for the violent welcome, takes a selfie of himself with Ajay, sets the bus on fire, and has a bag placed over Ajay's head, claiming there's a party waiting for him.

Ajay and Darpan are taken to the compound of Paul "De Pleur" Harmon, one of Kyrat's governors where they are sat at a dinner table. Pagan reminisces about Ishwari and their apparent involvement together and seems surprised that she never mentioned him to Ajay, going so far as to taste Ishwari's ashes. "When your mother decided to flee to the United States with you on her hip, I couldn't help but blame myself. Then I realized, it's not me. No. It was the fucking Golden Path!" Pagan then stabs a fork into Darpan's back, calling the Golden Path terrorists, and removing a hidden cell phone from Darpan's sleeve which reveals a text for help. Pagan then instructs Paul to find out what Darpan knows before requesting of Ajay to stay and enjoy the food until he returns. Pagan leaves, on his cell phone with Yuma Lau, saying they need to talk.

Ajay retrieves his mother's ashes and, should the player decide to go so far, explores the building, eventually making his way downstairs where he hears the sounds of electricity and Darpan screaming. Ajay finds Paul torturing Darpan and makes his way through that room toward an apparent exit. That door opens and Ajay is met by a man named Sabal who tells Ajay he is a Golden Path fighter and knew Ajay's late father, Mohan Ghale. It's revealed that Mohan was a founder of the Golden Path and, as such, it's an honor for Sabal to meet his son and help him escape. Though Ajay is concerned about Darpan, Sabal claims he's more important and that Darpan would understand. Sabal sends Ajay away with a driver amid a storm of bullets but the car is eventually sent off-road and crashes in a ravine. Ajay awakes to find the driver dead but is able to contact Sabal via handheld radio transmitter. Sabal instructs Ajay to get to the nearest bell tower. After confronting a couple of Royal Army soldiers, Ajay takes a soldier's khukri (pronounced kookri; a machete-like blade) and makes his way through the wilderness. Depending on the player's preferences, Ajay may avoid or engage in several enemies and wild animals along the way. After meeting up with Sabal and a handful of Golden Path soldiers at the bell tower, they are ambushed by Royal Army soldiers on snowmobiles. After an intense fight, an avalanche comes down the mountainside, crashing into the bell tower. Ajay awakens and digs himself out of a pile of snow and finds Sabal who laughs and says he's hard to kill.

Act One

Sabal takes Ajay to the Golden Path controlled village of Banapur. There, he explains why the Golden Path fights against Pagan Min and says everything started with Ajay's parents. They are approached by Amita, another leader of the Golden Path, who is angry to see that Darpan, their informant, is dead and Sabal has brought a 'tourist' to their village. When he speaks to Amita later, she apologizes to Ajay, citing the stresses of war, and introduces him to Bhadra, a teenage girl who is believed by Sabal and other devout Kyratis to be the Tarun Matara, a living incarnation of the goddess who was the wife of Banashur (the primary God of Kyrati mythology). Sabal then implores Ajay to help them fight against Pagan Min, starting with freeing Banapur's bell tower and cutting the transmission of Pagan's radio propaganda. Doing so extends the Golden Path's territory within that region. After this mission, Sabal instructs Ajay to meet with Longinus, a self-claimed 'priest' and arms dealer to the Golden Path who makes references to Far Cry 2, alluding to his past. He gives Ajay a Skorpion (smg, sidearm) before Sabal radios for help. The Royal Army is attacking Banapur. After confronting many enemies, Ajay rescues Bhadra from a burning building and Banapur is given a chance to recover. Ajay is then tasked by Sabal and Amita to perform two separate missions; rescue some hostages and liberating an Outpost in Paul's domain. After completing both, Amita persuades Ajay to stay and fulfill his parent's dream of a united Kyrat free of tyranny. Outside the outpost, Ajay meets Hurk, an American explosives enthusiast who is helping the Golden Path while simultaneously pursuing a journey of redemption. He tells Ajay that if he needs help he can go to Hurk's place (enabling the option to play Co-op) or use tokens to gain help from the Golden Path. After the encounter, Hurk drives away and Act One has been completed.

Act Two

At this point, all of Southern Kyrat is open for exploration and Ajay liberates all the bell towers and outposts controlled by Paul De Pleur and Noore. Throughout the campaign Ajay performs sides missions for the following people:

Longinus - Ajay locates and recovers blood diamonds heavily guarded by the Royal Army, often by following couriers and sometimes by traveling into the Himalayan mountains. In exchange for his help, Longinus provides weapons to the Golden Path. At the completion of these missions, Longinus gives Ajay one last weapon before moving elsewhere to continue his path to redemption.

Mumu Chiffon - a former fashion designer for Pagan Min, Chiffon sends Ajay on hunting missions to collect rare pelts and complete his 'Fierce' line of apparel. Once Ajay has found and skinned all the rare animals, he returns to Chiffon's hut for Kyrat Fashion Week to find Chiffon's home ransacked. A note reveals that Pagan Min's forces found Chiffon, forcing him to flee the country. He bids Ajay farewell, telling him to 'live fierce'.

Rabi Ray Rana - the host of Radio Free Kyrat, Rabi Ray sends Ajay the location of propaganda centers to be neutralized and bell towers to be liberated, eliminating Pagan Min's propaganda within that area. Ray contacts Ajay once 5 propaganda posters have been ripped down.

Sharma Salsa - once a porn actress, now a director for action and racing films, Sharma volunteers Ajay to be her star stuntman in her series involving vehicle races and survival runs against enemies.

Hurk - in the DLC, Hurk's Redemption, Ajay locates golden monkey statues for Hurk who is contrite over his treatment of some former monkey pals that were sent on suicide missions packed with explosives.

Yogi & Reggie - two pot-heads who take up residence at Ajay's childhood home at the Ghale Homestead. After their initial meeting, they live in a tent near the house and provide Ajay with drug-induced quests which test Ajay's endurance and other abilities. This opens the way for Ajay to create new serums.

When Ajay returns to the first outpost he liberated he finds Amita and Sabal having an argument. A female Golden Path member advises Ajay that Amita and Sabal's differences in strategy always collide. She remarks on how, since Ajay is the son of Mohan Ghale, he is one of the most important members of the Golden Path and his decisions will carry great weight. At the conclusion of their argument, Amita and Sabal separate and Ajay has a choice to make:

Amita and Sabal discussing

Sabal: If the player chooses to follow Sabal's plan, Ajay will go to a nearby camp and save nine members of the Golden Path being held hostage, but will lose very important intel in the process.

Amita: If the player chooses Amita's plan, Ajay will go to the camp and find a map providing the intel the Golden Path needs, but the hostages will be lost.

After this mission, Ajay meets Bhadra at a nearby site designated for funerals. Ajay asks if his father's funeral was anything like the mass rites being performed. Bhadra responds that she was too young but that his death 'broke the Golden Path'. She states that Mohan didn't die fighting; he was murdered. Shocked, Ajay questions her further and Bhadra points him in the direction of his childhood home. There, Ajay finds two British druggies, Yogi & Reggie, taking up residence. After a quick conversation, Ajay is suddenly drugged and handed over to Noore in Shanath Arena. Noore throws Ajay into the fighting pits naked but advises him to survive, telling him where to find a hidden knife. Once Ajay wins the fight, he meets up with Noore who tells him that Reggie and Yogi are being played; just like her. She is forced to run Shanath Arena for Pagan because Paul De Pleur has her family, and she begs Ajay to help her take down Paul and find her family. Ajay then returns to the Ghale Homestead and angrily confronts Reggie and Yogi who agree to leave but not before a quick smoke. On the wall, Ajay sees an empty frame and the Brits say it contained a special Thangka which is reputed to have told the legendary story of the Kyrati warrior, Kalinag, who was sent by his king to find the mystical land of Shangri-La. However, the thangka was said to have been split into five pieces and scattered across Kyrat. Ajay has the option to collect all five pieces and relive the legend as Kalinag.

At a monastery in Kyrat, Ajay meets with Sabal and learns about the importance of Kyrat's religion and how his devout father let it guide him. Intel reveals an attack planned on the monastery and Ajay helps defend it. Afterwards, Ajay is sent to recover weapons from Longinus (performing one of his blood diamond missions) and returns to the monastery where Ajay faces another choice: The Golden Path is informed that De Pleur has arranged for Royal Army soldiers to manage an opium plantation. Sabal wants the plantation destroyed, calling the opium a poison that needs to be wiped out. Amita, on the other hand, wants the soldiers killed but the plantation kept intact, claiming that the opium can be sold to bring some much-needed revenue to Kyrat's reconstruction. Either way, the plantation falls into Golden Path hands.

After a mission where Ajay is sent to protect two religious statues known as The Sleeping Saints, Noore contacts Ajay and asks him to come see her at Shanath Arena. There, Ajay finds Noore inconsolable. She tells Ajay that Paul De Pleur is having a farewell party at his stronghold; the City of Pain and won't be back in Kyrat for a while. She gives Ajay the location of a village where Paul is collecting torture subjects and Ajay stows away on a truck, contacting either Amita or Sabal (depending on who is currently in control of the Golden Path) and letting them know he's going after Paul. Ajay is told to bring Paul back alive.

Within the City of Pain, Ajay must move stealthily in order to avoid raising the alarm, eventually making his way to the main building where Paul has a hostage tied up. Ajay takes his place, freeing the hostage, and places a bag over his head, pretending to be tied up. Paul enters the room on the phone with his wife, Laura Harmon, and daughter, Ashley, speaking as a normal, well-meaning father promising to bring his little girl a gift from his travels. Incidentally, these gifts are stolen from Kyrati villagers and murdered Golden Path members.

The City of Pain

After the call, Paul takes off the bag and recognizes Ajay, who headbutts him, knocking him out. He takes Paul and puts him into the trunk of a car and drives off. When Paul comes to, Ajay tells him Noore sends her regards, to which Paul responds, "Noore? Noore?! Hahaha!! She still thinks her family's still alive? We killed them years ago!"

At this point, the player may either stop and destroy the car or continue to the Golden Path rendezvous point. Once there, if Paul is still alive, he is handed over to Sabal and Amita. They thank Ajay before taking Paul into a house to be interrogated. Paul's phone rings and he begs Ajay to let him speak to his daughter who is presumably calling. Once the game is concluded, Paul can be found sitting in a bamboo cage east of Banapur, muttering to himself. The player has the option to leave him or kill him.

Returning to the opium plantation, Ajay finds a solemn Amita who tells him that Sabal's next target is the Rochan Brick Factory where the Royal Army has scientists working on drug concoctions. A third choice is presented:

Sabal: If the player chooses Sabal, he will meet with soldiers who will help him destroy the Brick Factory. He will go to the roof of the factory and plants a bomb to enter the lab through the chimney. Within the factory, he will kill all inside and plant C4 before fleeing; destroying the entire factory.

Amita: If the player chooses Amita, he will meet with a handful of Golden Path soldiers. The leader will say that Ajay must disable three air controller generators to force the soldiers out of the factory. When they leave, Ajay enters but begins inhaling opium gas. While suffering the effects of the drugs, Ajay kills the primary chemist...multiple times. After this, Ajay receives the all clear from Amita and leaves the factory, picking off the remaining Royal Army soldiers.

Following this, Ajay receives orders from Amita and Sabal that it's time to take out Noore, however, Ajay says that he will decide her fate since Noore had provided him information to capture Paul. At Shanath Arena, Ajay finds a secret entrance leading backstage and eliminates Noore's guards. He sneaks up on Noore, giving an announcement to the crowd, and points a 1911 at her back. If the player fires, Noore falls dead into the pit and is mauled by wild animals. If the player decides to spare her, Ajay taps her shoulder and reveals that Noore's family is gone. Heartbroken, Noore grabs Ajay's khukri and slits her wrist in front of the crowd, yelling, "Is this what you want?" before falling backwards into the pit to be torn apart by the animals. The Arena then falls under Golden Path control.

Willis and Ajay talking

Ajay is then contacted by Willis Huntley who asks for his help at the airport in exchange for information. Ajay is instructed to take out snipers in the area before Willis can land his Cessna in order to meet with a Royal Army commander at the airport. When things go sour, Ajay helps defend Willis before the two speak about the intel Willis promised. Willis claims to be working for the CIA and that the information Ajay seeks is with a pilot currently taking off. Ajay runs to an ATV and drives it off the ramp, using his wingsuit to catch up to the plane, grab the information from the pilot, and leap away as he throws a grenade at the plane to destroy it. However, most of the information in the file he's recovered has been crossed out. Willis calls Ajay and tells him that he will reveal information bit by bit if Ajay helps him to eliminate a few key Royal Army commanders and help him take out Yuma Lau. During the course of these missions, Willis reveals that he knew Mohan back when he was working for Pagan Min to fight the nationalists during the first civil war and that Ajay's mother, Ishwari, was sent to spy on Pagan. When Mohan threatened Ishwari's life because she wanted to leave everything, she killed Mohan instead. Finally, all the men Willis has been sending Ajay to kill were CIA assets; loose ends that needed to be taken care of to erase the CIA's footprints in Kyrat. Willis then pushes Ajay out of his plane in the middle of the Himalayas, and Ajay is quickly knocked out by a Royal Army soldier.