Far Cry New Dawn

Ubisoft could've done more to refresh Hope County for Far Cry: New Dawn, but there's still some good, chaotic fun to be had here.

Ubisoft's post-apocalyptic continuation of Far Cry 5 doesn't feel as different as it looks, but it does have a worthwhile twist.

An over-familiar follow-up, perhaps, but New Dawn whittles away the rough edges of Far Cry 5 for something extremely enjoyable.

It's Far Cry 5 again, on a smaller scale and with a post-apocalyptic paint job.

If Ubisoft had embraced the game’s fundamental silliness instead of cutting its narrative off at the knees by spackling over it with morality, I can only imagine what kind of truly Mad Max-esque shenanigans would have been possible. Its enemies and I are both the villains, but they’re allowed to be comfortable with their morbid, violent fun.

Far Cry New Dawn might be a spinoff game, but it's sure to have a lasting impact on what we think of when Far Cry comes to mind

Superficial shakeups leave New Dawn feeling familiar to a fault for longtime Far Cry fans, but the gunplay is still satisfying

The setting is too tame, and the fighting much too familiar to soar – but if another dollop of Far Cry sounds appetising, tuck right in.

Though this standalone spin-off shamelessly reheats the map and overhaul mechanics of Far Cry 5, it introduces enough new ideas and winning missions to make its apocalyptic mark just about worth it.

Looking ahead, the series is equipped to veer off in a bunch of compelling new directions. I don't know what to expect from the future of Far Cry, and that's so exciting. My mind is buzzing with possibilities.