‘Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon’ combines humor, nostalgia, gameplay

On April 1, Ubisoft announced a game known as “Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon” as a stand-alone expansion from the original “Far Cry 3.” At the time, it seemed like an April Fool’s joke, as the game has an ‘80s look to it and didn’t seem to have any connection to the original material. Afterwards, however, this download turned out to be real and available May 1.

First of all, two items need to be addressed. This supposed expansion does not require “Far Cry 3” in order to play and it has a completely different story, look and atmosphere. Where in “Far Cry 3”, you were trapped on a tropical island with drug dealers holding your friends captive, in “Blood Dragon,” you are a cyborg soldier fighting a cyborg army in a post-apocalyptic North America.

In “Blood Dragon”, you play as Sergeant Rex “Power” Colt, a newly transformed cyborg that fights in Toronto after a nuclear explosion during the only 2000s. Right away, the ‘80s theme is seen from the title screen reminiscent of arcade cabinets to the loading screen getting data seemingly from a VCR. The cut scenes even harken back to the 8-bit era. The sound is also from the ‘80s, from the voice acting stereotypical of the time’s action movies to Little Richard playing through the first mission.

Along with the vibe of the years past, the humor goes along with it. For example, at the beginning, Colt spits out several lines that players themselves would often say during his tutorial, aptly named “Military Navigation for Idiots.” These tutorials, Colt’s dialogue with other players, and the overall cheesiness of the action in the game is enough to make sure players do not take this game seriously.

One thing that is intact from “Far Cry 3,” however, is the gameplay. Colt will perform takedowns, which can be chained together, throw ninja stars at foes, and wield a wide assortment of weapons from post-apocalyptic Toronto. The game’s graphics, despite the cut scenes looking like they came from the original Nintendo, are at the same quality as “Far Cry 3.”

However, new features are added, such as a cybernetic eye that allows players to see through rocks. The color palate is also strikingly different. Where “Far Cry 3” had a tropical look with light browns and greens, “Blood Dragon” takes a more sci-fi approach with deep blues and bright reds. “Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon” also allows have looting, although the traditional animation is replaced with ripping out a blue heart from the dead

Despite this game not having any ties to “Far Cry 3,” “Blood Dragon” is still a great game with the same addicting combat. The setting is more in the realm of science fiction, the game feels as though it came straight from an ‘80s action movie, and humor and references what will leave players laughing throughout the campaign. Fans of “Far Cry 3” or people who love movies like Terminator or anything 8-bit should get this game, regardless if they already own “Far Cry 3,” as the game does not need the original game to play.

“Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon” is currently available through PC download, the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Arcade.