Far Cry 3 had already established a strong fan base in itself when the game came out last year, but few expected Ubisoft to go in a completely different direction with its follow-up Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, which released earlier this month for digital download. Rather than following the traditional shenanigans on the tropical island, the game takes place in “the future” (2007), where a Mark IV Cyber Commando named Rex Colt fights to save the world.
Filled with glowing dinosaurs that breathe lasers, dangerous wildlife that won’t hesitate to have you for lunch, and outstanding weaponry that will put your cybernetic enemies to shame, Blood Dragon is easily one of the most inspired downloadable games you can find right now. That made it prime material for this week’s Spoiler Alert, as it has an interesting tale to tell in its own right – and it’s about up there with most of the good Rutger Hauer movies from the 80’s… maybe not Blind Fury, but definitely the others.
So here now is our Spoiler Alert for Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. As always, you read at your own peril because there are spoilers aplenty. But if you like to be entertained, you’ll enjoy what you read here…
The game starts out with Rex Colt and his buddy and fellow cybernetic soldier Spider heading out to an unnamed island to investigate Colonel Sloan, a former comrade who has reportedly gone rogue. Rex refuses to believe it and begins the search to get some answers. After a wild shooting stage set to the tune of “Good Golly Miss Molly” (always a favorite), the two crash-land and encounter enemies on a base and begin their infiltration. Shortly after they complete shutting down a security system, they encounter Sloan who reveals his true intentions. He doesn’t hesitate when it comes to shooting Spider dead and knocking Rex out in the process.
When our hero awakens, it’s in the midst of a Blood Dragon nest where three of them are lumbering nearby. He hears the voice of Dr. Darling, Sloan’s assistant, who can’t stand working with him and wants to team up with Rex to bring him down. Left without weapons, Rex sneaks past the Blood Dragons to a nearby base. Using cybernetic hearts stolen from enemies, Rex is able to lure a Blood Dragon inside to do some damage before picking up some weapons and killing the beast.
Sloan’s plan is then revealed – he’s trying to turn the world back to a prehistoric state with the Blood Dragons in charge, as well as a series of rockets. From this point, the player will guide Rex through a number of missions like infiltration, rescue and plenty of combat.
Rex eventually finds himself up against Sloan’s assistant, Dr. Carlyle. This madman has managed to convert Blood Dragon blood into a liquid. Anyone who drinks it goes from human to a zombie-like creature in seconds, known as “the running dead”. Rex is able to take on both these zombies and Blood Dragons, before seeing Dr. Carlyle cut down to size by his own AI, who had constantly been abused and sought a certain level of revenge.
From there, Rex finds himself transported into a parallel dimension where more of “the running dead” are located. After doing combat with them (both with weapons and his knife), he’s awarded with a “test your might” moment (straight out of Mortal Kombat) and is awarded the Killstar. This weapon gives Rex the capability of finishing off Sloan, who’s become super-powered with modifications to his body. In order to use it, Rex must sacrifice his own vitality.
After going back through to his world and experiencing a training montage, Rex and Dr. Darling have intimate relations. The next morning she’s abducted, with Sloan taking the credit. Rex charges towards Sloan’s base in a fit of emotional rage, vowing to tear everything apart and finish his adversary, even at the cost of his own life.
With the help of the Killstar, Rex is able to handle a number of Sloan’s soldiers quite handily. He runs into trouble when he encounters the Titanium Plated Cyber-Dragon, which puts up a heck of a fight before he eventually manages to bring it down. He then heads inside the base where Sloan awaits.
The two finally meet in a face-to-face confrontation and Rex wants nothing more than to finish him off. Since Sloan had a hand in programming Rex, he’s unable to finish the job and can’t even attack him properly as a result. Before he can be defeated, Rex remembers Spider and Dr. Darling reminding him that while he is part machine, he still has a soul deep inside him. Rex gathers strength from this, and manages to impale Sloan with his robotic hand, firing the Killstar and finishing him off for good.
Following his death, Dr. Darling immediately reappears and notifies Rex that he has successfully managed to put a stop to Sloan’s world domination. The two then proceed to destroy the base and escape.
With their adversary completely destroyed, the two share a passionate embrace. In the process of doing so, we get a closer look at Darling whose eyes turn a bright purple, letting off a sinister gaze…
As you can see from this game’s description, there are plenty of nods to cheesy 80’s flicks (like the revenge plot, the “glow” thing at the conclusion), but it’s all in good fun. If you’re a fan of old-school actioners or just want some more Far Cry 3 in your system (even if it is a bit oddball) this is the game for you.
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is available now for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC.
