Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Viewpoints: The Key to Evolving Far Cry’s Open World?

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Summary

  • Assassin’s Creed Shadows is revamping the Viewpoint system to counter open-world criticism faced by Ubisoft games.
  • The Far Cry series shifted from radio towers to natural map discovery, but introducing Viewpoints from AC Shadows could blend both methods.
  • Repurposing radio towers in Far Cry with AC Shadows’ Viewpoint mechanics could balance rewarding exploration and parkour gameplay, evolving the open-world formula.

The game “Assassin’s Creed: Shadow” has faced some challenges since its unveiling, but it hasn’t slowed down. Instead, it’s pressing forward with a determined focus to deliver a superior Assassin’s Creed experience for players. Despite encountering several setbacks, these delays have given Ubisoft additional time to perfect the gameplay of “Assassin’s Creed: Shadow,” and also provided ample chances for the developer to rebuild the faith of fans as they unveil more details about the gameplay and storyline of “Shadow.

In the upcoming game “Assassin’s Creed Shadows,” there are several alterations being implemented in the series’ formula, one of which focuses on enhancing the realistic aspects of the renowned parkour system in “Assassin’s Creed.” Previously, Viewpoints have been used to unveil sections of a game map and any activities or significant spots within those areas. However, AC Shadows is intending to revolutionize this system as a response to the longstanding open-world criticism faced by Ubisoft. It’s suggested that a similar methodology could be applied to another popular Ubisoft franchise, “Far Cry.

Assassin’s Creed Shadow’s Viewpoints Should Influence the Far Cry Franchise

Map Discovery in the Far Cry Series Has Evolved Over Time

In the past, the Far Cry series by Ubisoft has adopted a system similar to Assassin’s Creed’s Viewpoints for unveiling parts of the map. For instance, in notable games like Far Cry 3 and Far Cry 4, towers that could be climbed were used in a manner reminiscent of Viewpoints in Assassin’s Creed. Upon reaching these towers, a section of the map would become visible, along with significant locations, collectibles, NPCs, etc. However, this approach started to feel repetitive and unengaging over time, leading Ubisoft to address criticism about their tower-focused design in Far Cry 5 by making a humorous jibe at it.

As a dedicated fan, I must admit that despite the significant contributions of Viewpoints in the series so far, Assassin’s Creed Shadows seems to be intentionally redefining the system in an attempt to address the long-standing criticism about open-world gameplay that Ubisoft has been encountering for quite a while.

In response to the criticism, both Far Cry 5 and Far Cry 6 abandoned the traditional radio tower exploration method in favor of a more immersive, free-roaming system. For instance, Far Cry 5 motivated players to explore by using natural landmarks and NPC interactions to uncover map details. As players delved deeper into the game world, the map would gradually unfold, adding to the thrill of discovery. Similarly, Far Cry 6 followed this approach, with players discovering points of interest through environmental interaction and specific missions. However, despite the success of this new system, it still fell prey to Ubisoft’s well-known open-world formula, leading many players to overlook it.

Far Cry Implementing AC Shadow’s Viewpoint Approach Would Allow It to Bring Back Radio Towers

Regardless of the criticism levied against it, there’s still a valid argument for the return of radio towers in the Far Cry series, particularly if they were to emulate the Viewpoint system used in Assassin’s Creed: Shadow’s approach. In the AC series, Viewpoints have traditionally been used to unveil parts of the map, but in AC Shadows, they’ve been reinvented to heighten player engagement and exploration. Climbing a Viewpoint in AC Shadows now enables players to manually survey their surroundings and mark points of interest nearby at will. Essentially, instead of eliminating Viewpoints as radio towers were removed in Far Cry, AC Shadows merely redefines their purpose.

Parkour isn’t just associated with “Assassin’s Creed,” it’s also a key feature in “Far Cry” games. The comeback of radio towers in the series would be significant here, as they not only unveil the map but also offer players a chance to indulge in more parkour-style gameplay. Instead of uncovering parts of the map as previously done, the method used by “AC Shadows” for Viewpoints could be adopted instead. This way, players would be able to spot points of interest from the top of a radio tower, rather than just revealing the entire map.

This approach could possibly ensure that future “Far Cry” games don’t overuse radio towers too much, and it would skillfully combine the concept of “Far Cry 5” and “Far Cry 6” with one of the franchise’s original recurring features.

In future installments of the “Far Cry” series, combining the reused radio towers from “Far Cry” with the Viewpoint mechanics from “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” could create an engaging blend between the map exploration introduced in newer games and the parkour-centric gameplay of earlier titles. This method would not only pay homage to the series’ origins but also provide players with a more captivating way to explore the map, maintaining a sense of nostalgia while pushing the open-world format forward. This evolution towards something new and meaningful is long overdue for the “Far Cry” franchise.

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2025-02-01 23:34