Why Far Cry 5 Is Set In Montana

Far Cry 5
(Image credit: Ubisoft)

The upcoming release of Far Cry 5 in 2018 is a different take on the franchise, focusing on the northwest of America. More specifically, Ubisoft has centered the newest game in Montana, and this has caused a lot of gamers to ask "Why?". Well, Ubisoft recently explained why the game is set in Montana.

In an interview with Gamespot, creative director Dan Hay explained exactly why the team decided to set the latest game in Montana, saying...

I think what's interesting about Montana was that it had an interesting flavor of a little bit of both. Did we ever have conversations about that? I vaguely remember us talking about different locations. We very quickly stuck with an idea of being in a rural community and making it feel like small town America.We wanted to put you in a situation that was different and unique. We've all driven down those dusty roads in wherever it is that we're from. We end up going out in the wilderness, and you feel this sense of "Okay. I'm shedding the tapestry of urban, and I'm moving into the wilderness. It's really interesting for us to tell the stories of people that have been cut off for a little while and make their own rules.

Not only is it a rural community out in the middle of Montana, but the remote location helps with the story in this Far Cry, which revolves around the Eden's Gate cult, led by the Father, buying up land throughout Hope County and slowly migrating in the other cultists.

After taking control of the county, players are tasked with liberating the small towns from the Father's minions.

Unlike previous Far Cry games, you won't be alone in attempting to free Hope County from the Eden's Gate doomsday cult in Far Cry 5. For instance, for the first time, players will be able to recruit multiple AI NPCs to help you take back the towns. Additionally, there's the co-op mode that allows players to drop in and drop out to play the game.

Having animals accompany you, or a gun for hire mercenary tag-teaming with you, or having a friend watching your back, will easily help with getting across the game world and completing missions. According to Dan Hay, the team decided to design the game world to discourage the use of fast-travel, something that was used in abundance in Far Cry 4.

Gamespot wondered what exactly would discourage users from using the fast travel, and Hay explained that using muscle cars to get from one city to the next across the open road while listening to the radio might encourage players to avoid fast traveling. In a way, it makes sense given that it seems kind of pointless to have an open world that you don't travel through and instead use the fast travel to skip over the map.

Of course, it's not to say that fast travel won't be in the game, just that Far Cry 5 will attempt to rectify the fast travel conundrum that has plagued many of Ubisoft's games, especially Assassin's Creed and other Far Cry titles. Fast travel aside, given that the game is set in an entirely new location, maybe players will be encouraged to explore Montana in new and exciting ways that they didn't think to do in previous outings.

Will Usher

Staff Writer at CinemaBlend.