“Well, shit.”
That’s what I said, out loud, after I was done with Far Cry 5. I knew from hearing people talk about it that the ending of the game was divisive and way-out-there, but that didn’t stop my jaw from hanging open for about five minutes as I played the ending sequence and then watched the credits roll.
Was it shocking? Indeed, it was.
Was it ballsy of Ubisoft? Definitely.
Did it make me feel like the last 50+ hours I’d spent in Hope County was completely and utterly pointless? Yes. Yes, it did.
For the sake of the explanation, I’m not going to be vague about it. I’m giving away the ending here and now, so if you want to be left in the dark, it’s probably best to back out and read something else, because I have a bone to pick.
The final confrontation with Joseph Seed takes place at his compound. As you get near, a cut-scene will play out, and you will be standing in front of Seed listening to his usual preaching. He’ll give you a choice; Walk away, and you’ll get to live along with your friends, or resist, in which it will initiate the final battle. I chose to fight, as I have a habit of doing in action games. The final fight with Seed was easy enough, and I won’t go into details on that. It isn’t until after the fight is over that things take a turn.
As you are arresting Joseph, he gives you his typical intense eye-contact stare as a fucking nuclear bomb goes off behind him. That’s right, the world (or the U.S. anyway) is getting blown off the map. As you watch the chaos unfold you are then tasked with driving to Dutch’s bunker while listening to the group freaking out and Seed singing to himself. You wreck, because of course you do, and the only ones that survive are you and Seed, because of course he does. You again awaken in Dutch’s bunker, see Dutch dead on the floor, and Joseph Seed sitting in front of you. He talks more shit about you and him being the only two left, and you’ll start the world anew, whatever. Then the credits roll and you’re left asking yourself, “What the fuck just happened?”
I did some internet browsing and it seems as though I’m not the only one that disliked the ending. For most people, the reason was because it was a bat-shit crazy, nonsensical, deus ex machina ending to a story that already made way too little sense. I mean, I was already trying hard to suspend my disbelief at the magical drug that could not only make you hallucinate, but apparently teleport you anywhere the Seeds wanted you to be. I realize it was probably meant to be a time-lapse blackout type thing where you actually walked to wherever and then became self-aware again, but it was still a silly gimmick used to explain anything in the game that was unexplainable. But I hung in there, because I enjoy the Far Cry games and I was invested. But I hated that ending for a much simpler reason; I don’t play a game to lose.
It’s true. I play action games to beat the bad guy, to save the day, and to win the girl. I don’t play a game for someone for decide to me, after dozens of hours of playtime, that every fucking thing I did was absolutely pointless. That’s not to say that I need everything that happens to be a positive. Accidentally killing one of the resistance leaders while in a drug-induced hallucination was a good twist. But ultimately I want what I’ve done to mean something. I want to succeed. I have enough futility in my real life, I don’t need it in my video games. Just ask all those people who spent hours upon hours leveling up Aerith in Final Fantasy 7 how fucking great it feels.
Then, as an added “fuck you” the game changes your menu screen to show a post-apocalyptic view of Hope County, in fire and ashes, to remind you (if you choose to reload your save) that any other side quests you decide to wrap up is all for naught.
The game reminded me a lot of the movie Red State, which was about a cultist preacher that believed the End Times were near. It’s a pretty fucked up movie, and does a full-on 180 about halfway through, and the ending is pretty close to the Joseph Seed ending in Far Cry 5, only with a more on-the-nose supernatural intervention. To say anything else is to give away the movie, but let’s just say it stays grounded and gives an almost humorous conclusion. If Far Cry would have gone this route, I think it would’ve been a much more fitting and satisfying end than what we actually got.
It was hard enough to push myself to finish the game. I’ve enjoyed every single Far Cry leading up to this point, but there was a comfort and a lackadaisical approach that made the main conflict almost secondary. Sure, there are a few bodies nailed to that billboard over there, but I’m in the mood to do a little fishing. Far Cry, in my opinion, has always been about solitude, a hostile environment, survival instincts, and the predator becoming the prey. Then they started surrounding you with allies, from the scattered tribes in Far Cry 3 to the resistance fighters in Far Cry 4. Far Cry 5 just makes everything way too familiar and homey, and it really does remove much of what a Far Cry game means to me.
But it’s done now, and I don’t have to think about it anymore. It’s a shame too, because the Far Cry Arcade has a ton of promise. What I’ve played of that was fun, but this whole experience has left a sour taste in my mouth for now, and I don’t even want to load the game up tinker with it.
I think it’s just time to move on, Ubisoft.
