Commentary: ‘Far Cry 5’ Makes Reality Scary
by Frank Martin
It’s no surprise that the best stories often have some reflection on real life. Even the most fantastical stories find ways to twist themes audiences are familiar with and apply them in creative settings. Star Wars did this in regards to imperialism. But the scariest stories are the ones that take real examples and stretch the imagination with them. This is done all the time with Nazis. There have been plenty of stories with Nazis in space as well as zombie Nazis, werewolf Nazis … the list may be endless. But many of these depictions have their air of a bygone era. The villains of today are far more tangible, which Far Cry 5 managed to touch upon to a frightening degree.
The game takes place in a fictional county in a state much like Montana. There, a religious cult slowly starts to build influence and purchase land. Eventually, the cult staged a revolt and effectively cut off the county from the rest of the world. The player character is a deputy charged with arresting their leader, a man called The Father (Greg Bryk), but things go wrong and the deputy is forced to team with everyday citizens who are fighting back against this militarized religious cult.
Religious extremism is a very real and dangerous part of modern society. The Handmaid’s Tale might be the most foreboding example. Far Cry takes these religious fanatics and stretches them to a fantastical degree. Many video games do this as plenty of these character types are comical and the missions are quite amusing. But that doesn’t make the overall plot of FarCry 5 and the game’s villains any less scary. The threat of religious cultists actually staging rebellions within the United States is a real threat and has precedent. So even though this game is fantasy and there are elements of hyperbole throughout it, the premise and gameplay is still frighteningly scary just for how real and prescient it may be
Far Cry 5 is now available on Xbox Game Pass.
