The villains of the franchise Far Cry they are usually the stars of these titles. They usually have interesting designs, bombastic personalities, the best dialogue and not in vain they occupy the cover of the games. It is almost strange that they have taken so long to allow us to control them on their own ‘adventures’. But finally the time has come thanks to the season pass of Far Cry 6, whose DLC Vaas: Insanity puts us in the shoes of the villain of Far Cry 3.
Of course, do not expect a traditional experience of the saga. This DLC offers systems that can almost be described as ‘experimental’ in the context of the series. We had already seen similar things in Prey: Mooncrash. However, in combination with the madness of Vaas Montenegro and the nightmare setting, this expansion has a very striking personality.
As you surely assumed from the comparison with the DLC of Prey, Vaas: Insanity is a game oriented to single games or ‘run based’. This means that death is permanent and causes the loss of our progress, forcing us to repeat everything from the beginning every time we play. Some have described this DLC as a ‘roguelike‘. Although it is not exactly one of those, it does have many elements of this genre.
How to play Vaas: Insanity, the DLC of Far Cry 6?
After being stabbed by Jason at the events of Far Cry 3Vaas finds himself trapped inside his own mind, haunted by his fantasies and fears. His sister Citra reveals that he must find the three pieces of the Silver Dragon knife to get out of there. To achieve this, Vaas must explore the world created by his fragmented psyche and face the mistakes of his past.
We are free to roam a small map inspired by the Rook Islands. In addition to the three key points where the parts of the knife are, there are tests in which you have to survive waves of enemies to unlock weapons, safe areas and extra lives. There are also a couple of scenarios called ‘mind shit’, which further explore Vaas’s past.
The money we earn as we scout and kill enemies is used to buy permanent upgrades — more health, skills, and save more money after dying — and weapons. The more we play, the more powerful Vaas will be and the more chances we have to reach the end.
In addition to a secret ending that reveals the true destiny of this villain, we can fulfill objectives to unlock equipment and cosmetics that Dani can use in the main game.
The definition of insanity
The first thing that catches the attention of this DLC of Far Cry 6 it’s how amazing it looks. We are not referring to the quality of the graphics, but to the bizarre beauty of its settings. Vaas: Insanity it does not occur in the ‘real world’, so it is not uncommon to find impossible structures, combinations of technology with nature and even giant sharks crossing the sky. Despite its small size, it is a map with a fairly varied style. We visit boats suspended over lava lakes and jungles in which lifeless arms grow from the ground. Exploring this place is a great experience not only because of the weapons, objects and secrets that we can find, but because of the impossible landscapes that we can see. Thanks for the photo mode, Ubisoft.
Despite its ‘roguelike’ elements, the map does not change between games and its key points are always in the same place. The same applies to most chests and enemies. What changes are the rewards that we can get and the temporary powers that we find, which can change our style of play. A complete and successful match – in which we gain some power for Vaas, find the three parts of the knife, and overcome the final waves – can take about an hour. Fully exploring the map, visiting all locations, can exceed four hours. If anything, it is unlikely that we will be able to finish the story on our first try.
Although the gameplay is still fun and the map is very colorful, eventually we could get tired of so much repetition. After all, we are doing the exact same thing, over and over again, hoping to get a different result. Fans of Far Cry 3 They will immediately understand why this gameplay fits the character theme perfectly and we highly respect that the developers have taken a risk with this mode, even if they are risking long-term fun.
Once we complete the story and visit all the locations, there is no narrative reason to return. The secret ending is interesting, but not important. It can be seen on YouTube. Our only motivation to keep playing is to get all unlockable gear and cosmetics, but this will not appeal to noncompleteers. High difficulties do add a few new elements, but turn enemies into ‘bullet sponges’ and make the experience more frustrating than challenging.
Vaas and Citra’s forbidden relationship
All in Vaas: Insanity, the DLC of Far Cry 6, revolves around the relationship between this villain and his sister Citra. In our ‘In Depth’ analysis of Far Cry 3 (Part 1 – Part 2), we talked about Jason’s transformation under the guidance of this manipulative woman. In that game, that was a relatively subtle theme. However, here it takes a central place. Jason is a ‘boss’ that we face multiple times. This rich kid “replaced” Vaas in the eyes of his sister and is the main reason for his contempt. This is a story about toxic masculinity and how Citra manipulated with her sexuality the desire of both men to be “alpha males” to achieve her goals.. This is how they became monsters.
Although these themes are detailed through Vaas, Citra’s childhood memories and key moments from their incestuous relationship, it doesn’t go as deep as we’d like. Vaas’s addiction to drugs and his work for Hoyt are relegated to the background. We don’t feel like we got to know this character as much as this DLC had promised us.
Vaas: Insanity is a visually striking and initially fun DLC that fans of the character and those wanting more than Far Cry 6 they cannot be lost. Hearing Michael Mando in this role again is a real treat. Nevertheless, its short duration and replay-based gameplay will soon make many bored with it. Although we learned interesting details about Vaas’s past, they may have shown much more of his background. The Spanish dubbing is good too, but it doesn’t have the same personality.
Table of contents of Far Cry 6 and PS5:
Table of Contents
