I have played all the Far Cry games except the first one. Far Cry 2 set the bar for so many games which came after. Far Cry 3 was an amazing experience. Far Cry 4 I bought but never got through as it felt too tedious to play. Primal has also been a favorite, and 5 I got to the end. It was damn interesting. So subjectively, I am without a doubt a fan. Then I tried New Dawn.
It started out great. New protagonist, this time a veteran alongside the veteran society healer Rush. A train full of top notch gear. Of course, things go horribly wrong and the game starts. Awesome start. I am under the impression my character is a bad *** veteran who just lost all my gear, so I am severely weakened. That's the premise, the social contract if you will, the devs and writers are making with me through storytelling.
For the most part everything is great. I am really enjoying the old formulas of Far Cry again. Crazy animals, new take on outposts, upgrading the base, etc.
My character is the 'good guy,' who's trying to bring back peace, and eventually has to go along with Joseph. I mean, people change right? Even crazy people can. So everything is great, and to top it off, my character is starting to get the gear back and ready to take on the top marauders. Like I have before up the coast of California. I can now use my super strength and super leaping to punch elite, body-armored thugs into oblivion like Capt. America.
So I have seen what the twins are capable of. Leaving the 'rabbits' out to starve, their psychopathic delusions of 'problem solving,' and then the whole instance of threatening the children... they are scum. The worst kind of scum. No honor, nor heart, only greed for power and control. It's right there.
Then comes the moment I deleted the game from my computer with no intention of ever reinstalling.
Now, to give some of my own story I was bullied quite a bit growing up in rough neighborhoods as a small smart white dude, and it took me years to work on my PTSD and realization of abuse and awareness of the gaslighting I have gone through. So now, as a counselor of the homeless population, I have become hyper aware of such traumatic abuse.
Ok so back in the game I jump through hoops to save the hostages, sending a classic Ubisoft gaslight (looking at you AC-O at the hanging tree!), and when I get to the security door that requires I leave my guns, I am fully aware of what's going on. I mean c'mon, this is not mine (irl with FC games) nor my character's first rodeo dealing with psychopathic gaslighters. So I go in thinking no probs, these two *****es need to die, or captured or a mixture. I am the veteran this time, not the dumb hallucinogen brainwashed chad in FC3, the psychopathic mercenary in FC2, the crazed caveman in Primal, nor the rookie kid in FC5. I am ready to use my secret weapon and ace in the hole, the apple Joseph Seed gave me, and try to end this. Of course, I am expecting FC to mess with my head too, it's a great thing that always brings me to play the franchise.
Then the game takes away all license, all my cunning, all my ability, and makes me out to be a pathetic dolt....... wtf?
This was your chance to revive the tired gaslight formula and empower the player for once. I know Rush (the good dad) was probably destined to be killed, but at least one of the twins should've died right then, hopefully with a crushed skull to confirm. The other, potentially maimed or killed... the story of two twisted daddy's? C'mon you missed that one? Joseph, of course, and then the Highwayman himself, the twins' dad coming for bloody vengeance... wow, instead, I lose my friend and partner through endless conflicts and struggles to a stupid trusting decision to handcuff myself. I am sorry, a veteran with a super power would never do that entering a room with two psychopathic murderers in there, especially with superpowers. Epic Fail.
I deleted the game, not so much for the horrible sense of literature in the whole, I mean, video games aren't exactly known for great writing unless you're CDPR or Rockstar (and at moments AC Odyssey), and I play for the experience mostly, but when I am starting to feel like the makers of a game are becoming my abuser and gaslighting my veteran of many many battles to believe I am a pathetic simp, I have to draw the line. The social contract established was violated. Only a codependent would continue gobbling up this twisted formula. The powerlessness I felt when I realized I had lost Rush and failed to kill the twins despite all my preparedness and power literally sent my own PTSD symptoms into my real body's physiology.
Maybe you make these games to teach bullies a lesson? I dont know it backfired with me, I have been full of disgust for several days at what feels like betrayal and trauma (not major but emotional). Maybe I get too into games, and I know I am definitely not part of the main economic demographic, but I am just writing this to you guys over there working so hard to create some of the best entertainment ever made. This is a simple message of feedback from a loyal fan. I will be very wary around FC from now on. Might just stick to the AC games. They at least make the gaslighting and abuse roleplayable into a reasonable outcome. The themes are important for sure though. Do you folks know what you are playing with here? I suggest a counselor on staff to help you parse some of this you are taking on.
I will give you an example where it appears your writing teams may not know what they are taking on. In AC Odyssey, one of my most favorite games ever created, there is an episode in Macedonia where your character rescues a bunch of villagers from some hired thugs who are destroying their village and presumably murdering them as they come at you aggressively. Later, you come across a tree with all the thugs' corpses hanging from it and a poor brainwashed and traumatized child who has been made to believe you are a horrible person. Of course, an Ancient is gaslighting you, hoping to convince you that he and you are the same so you will break down and join him. There is no awareness of gaslighting in the choice of responses in the dialogue, and at this point your character has dealt with quite a few twisted psychopaths. So it is unclear if you understand the manipulation... which seems irresponsible as many people go through this quest without any education around gaslighting abusers. Again, my same beef with FCND. Okay enough ranting. Thank you Ubi! I really do love yall!