It’s a bigwide-open worldout there, whether the American player characters ofFar Cryare roaming in fake Nepal, fake Indonesia, or fake Africa. The local ecosystems of mostFar Crygames usually consist of the typical apex predators — the gun-toting local oppressors — and their prey, the meek locals who are waiting for the players to be some kind of messiah.
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However, in the quiet background, among the chaotic ambiance of gunfire, lies another ecosystem of fauna. Within the games, animals provide an interactive respite for the players, and also serve to makeFar Cry’s world more believable. Some of them ought to be given more credit than they receive, as they have transcended the role of mere roadkill and have become animals with real personalities.
10Boars
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Early on, players are introduced to boarsinFar Cry 3quite unceremoniously. It’s a typical fetch quest where they must collect the wild pig’s skin. In the later games suchasNew Dawn, however, these grumpy snorters are given a more dignified role.
One of them was even made into a companion called Horatio. He’s actually one of the best and most competent companions in that game, able to take incoming fire and act as a meat shield for the players.
9Sharks
Sadly,Far Cry 3wasn’t mad enough to let players ride sharks or turn them into aquatic companions. However, that doesn’t make these scary man-eaters any less cool. Bull sharks are ever-present in Rook Island’s open water. They even act as the game’s digital guards, in case some players venture too far out past the game’s invisible walls.
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In any case, running into a Shark is about as frightening as it can be in a video game, especially sinceFar Cry 3plays out in first-person. Players can easily get overwhelmed with panic and forget to mash the QTE buttons, failing to see the cool shark takedown animation.
8Demon Fishes
Tussling with sharks underwater might have been the peak thrill for aquatic animals inFar Cry3, butFar Cry 4has its own king of the waters. That would be the damned Demon Fish, which most players likely wouldn’t want to even face in melee combat.
Most encounters with these river monsters end up with a packet of C4 explosives or a whole grenade belt thrown under the river. They can be more menacing than sharks, thanks to Kyrat’s murky river waters and the fish’s disturbing gaze.
7Elephants
TheFar Cryseries does right by its digital elephants by giving them more respect than their real-world counterparts. They roam the open world freely, without the fear of getting poached. These mighty mammals command awe and respect, even in a digital space.
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They don’t attack unless provoked, and if players get a little further in the game’s progression, they can even ride or befriend some of the elephants.Far Cry: Primaldoes it even better. by bringing Mammoths into the fold.
6Yeti
The abominable snowman is only available in aFar Cry 4DLC calledValley of the Yetis,which is why they can be easily missed — just like in real life. Still, these Himalayan creatures are about as mysterious as players can imagine, and also as deadly.
TheFar Cry 4version is a little less refined compared to how they are portrayed in other media. This Yeti looks as if it needed a better pet shampoo and several rabies vaccines. It’s more like a horror creature that sees the players as nothing but treats.
5Blood Dragons
Players don’t exactly get to see the titular blood dragons at their best in theFar Cry 3: Blood DragonDLC. Here, they’re apparently living fossils. It’s best not to question the DLC’s logic. As they appear in the DLC though, they still look extraordinary.
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Blood dragons are supposedly more monstrous, futuristic variants of Komodo dragons, which are already present in the Rook Islands in the base game. They’re just bigger, more nasty, and they shoot laser beams from their eyes. It makes the Komodo dragons look tame.
4Honey Badgers
Lizards that can shoot lasers from their eyes are impressive and all; however, they still fail to capture the personality and bravery of the honey badgers. These wee devils were first introduced inFar Cry 4.Players could have easily mistaken them for skunks due to their monochromatic fur.
Anyone who lingers in their presence for a moment will get a taste of what hell is like. Despite their diminutive stature and inherent cuteness, honey badgers don’t give up — they will readily fight anyone bigger than them. At times, players will even see them fighting tigers or rhinos in Kyrat. It’s best to show these animal kingdom gangsters some respect.
3Bears
Bears are mostly dangerous creatures that can easily crush a man’s skull as if it were a berry. Hence, that’s what most of them do in theFar Crygames. They’re even harder to kill than honey badgers, and can usually eat up dozens of shotgun pellets before giving up or dying.
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Thankfully, some of them in theFar Crygamesare allies. The oneinFar Cry 5, named Cheeseburger, is a diabetic softie who prefers his namesake food to Montana-men flesh. They also make for useful allies inFar Cry: Primal,where they can offer a back ride.
2Sabretooth Tigers
Far Cry: Primal,due to the primitive setting, doesn’t give players the luxury of transportation — or at least, not conventional transportation. Players can still have a ride that will turn onlookers green with envy, in the form of Sabretooth Tigers.
These creatures are the fastest mounts in the game. They’re also the deadliest, and can oftentimes kill enemies faster than the players. Players can then consider it an honor and a privilege to be able to tame and ride one of these prehistoric bad boys.
1Dogs
Despite how varied and exotic the animal kingdom is inFar Crygames, nothing beats familiar. And nothing is more familiar than man’s best friend. The sight of a wagging tail and a tongue hanging from that good boy’s smile ought to be enough to convince the players to save whateverwild localethey’re in.
Far Cry 4introduced this trend of dogs being companions for the players and the rest was history. Now, dogs can be as strong of freedom fighters as the players are.
