Our journey into the troubled minds of some of gaming’s most charismatic villains continues. The second DLC of Far Cry 6 is already available, it’s called Pagan: Control and allows us to learn more about the bizarre King of Kyrat that we overthrew several years ago in Far Cry 4.
Same as previous DLC, Vaas: madness, offers gameplay based on ‘runs’ or single games, inspired by the genre ‘roguelike’. The problem is that this way of playing does not fit as well narratively with Pagan Min as it did with Vaas Montenegro.
how to play Pagan: Control, the DLC of Far Cry 6?
In this DLC we find ourselves in an imaginary version of Kyrat, the scene of Far Cry 4, existing inside the mind of Pagan Min. The former dictator seeks to live a fantasy that allows him to be with his family forever, but a part of his psyche —which represents the tyrant he was in life— is not going to allow it. If we want to get rid of it, we have to find “the way to hide our flaws”: the three parts of a golden mask.
The small open world based on Kyrat has three key areas where we find the mask parts, but it’s not easy to get past them with the simple pistol and low health we started with. It is best to explore to unlock weapons, safe zones and extra lives. As we open chests and eliminate enemies, we gain “respect” with which we can buy permanent upgrades for Pagan. Anything else you get in a match will be lost when you die.
That means that the more games we play, the more powerful the protagonist will be and the more chances we will have to reach the end. We can also complete some optional tasks to unlock gear that Dani can use in the main game.
The king is dead, long live the king
In our impressions of the previous DLC, starring Vaas, we explained that this repetition-based structure fit very well with that villain’s state of mind and the themes surrounding him. However, this is not the case in the DLC of Far Cry 6, Pagan: Control. The character’s megalomania and narcissism are not well represented in the gameplay, but are noticeable in other ways.
This representation of Kyrat is filled with statues and images of Pagan showing him as a divine being. Enemies are ghostly versions of members of the Golden Path, bathed in colored powder inspired by the festival Holi. This fits with the image that the protagonist has of himself. Despite oddities like Pagan’s image forming between the clouds and a waterfall flowing upwards, the map is fairly simple compared to the previous DLC, which was packed with incredible detail and eye-catching. It also feels smaller despite being roughly the same size. This is due to the little variety of landscapes it offers.
For lack of a better environmental narrative, we get a lot of dialogue and quests that delve into Pagan Min’s past. We can mostly find them in events called ‘Hallucinations’ and ‘Memories’. We will learn about the villain’s relationship with his father when they were both part of the Hong Kong Triads, his relationship with Ishwari, Lakshmana and his vision of himself. We learn that despite his vanity, he hates his appearance and is ashamed of his bisexuality. But above all, the tyrant is a representation of all the cruelties and horrible acts that he has committed in his life. He doesn’t regret what he did, but he desperately wants to hide it in order to feel worthy of being with the people he loves again… that he “supposedly” loves.
These elements make Pagan Min a more interesting character and can give a new perspective to Far Cry 4 if we play it again But they do not give a radical twist to the image we have of him. Only fans of that game and that villain will fully appreciate what this DLC does.
Round and round through Kyrat
In addition to a visually less interesting map than the previous one and a structure that does not fit thematically with the protagonist, Pagan: Control has the same flaws as the previous DLC from Far Cry 6: can be very repetitive.
Yes, repetition is the basis of these types of games with roguelike elements, but the nature of this DLC can make it not particularly fun after a few games, especially if we have to redo long missions like the one in the game. prison. The zones of interest don’t change places and we can end up using the same “optimal route” with the same weapons over and over again without much variety. Hidden collectibles and optional tasks can give it some extra flavor, but it doesn’t last long.
The higher difficulty levels don’t do much to add variety either. Changes little and enemies become more annoying by becoming ‘bullet sponges’. Once we unlock all the places on the map and finish a complete game, which can take less than an hour, we have already seen everything it has to offer us narratively.
This DLC has one last curiosity. We can see a “secret” ending in which a curious link between Far Cry 4 Y Far Cry 5. It’s a bit of a stretch, but it’s a nice surprise for fans of both games.
We recommend Pagan: Control to fans of the character and those who enjoyed the previous DLC from Far Cry 6 and want something similar. Among the two extra contents that this game has, we prefer Vaas because of the greater charisma of the character and his map with more impressive views. We will be waiting for the latest DLC, starring Joseph Seed, to see if it does something more interesting.
table of contents Far Cry 6 and PS5:
Table of Contents
