An exhilarating gameplay loop with minimal story to tell
By: Ryan Ramakrishnan
Reviewed on PlayStation 4
“Hours of Darkness” takes what made “Far Cry 5” so much fun to play and incorporates it into a beautiful Vietnamese land.
My time with “Far Cry 5’s” first DLC, “Hours of Darkness” concluded in under four hours; however, as a mere expansion to a large-scale game, I found it to be a justified run through a visually appealing creation of Vietnam. The gunplay in both stealth-driven and the most action-packed situations left me very happy to have more of that “Far Cry” feel but the lack of any push for a real narrative made it fall short.
Story
In previous iterations, the “Far Cry” series has thrived on story and antagonists alike. Acting as the first major expansion of three to “Far Cry 5,” “Hours of Darkness” sees Wendell Redler surviving and fighting the Viet-Cong in Vietnam in the peak of the war. This plot, even without over characterization or plot points, could have been very interesting. Plenty of novels and films succeed at depicting the Vietnam War but this is a game that couldn’t quite do it in the narrative department. The expansion rarely, if ever, shows cutscenes, gives personality to characters or tells us more than what the gameplay shows us. There isn’t even more than one core mission so technically, the story is never given the time to shine.
Gameplay
“Hours of Darkness” offers a gameplay loop of checking things off the map in the same vein as much of Ubisoft’s other titles, specifically “Far Cry 5.” “Hours of Darkness” throws you into an open world, albeit a concise one in comparison to the core “Far Cry 5” experience. Objectives to tackle include but are not limited to NVA camps and NVA commanders to take down, AA guns to destroy and POW’s to rescue.
The open world activities provide good fun to experience the joy of “Far Cry 5’s” gameplay mechanics. This makes up for the lack of story missions but not entirely. The main mission is basically to escape but this can be reached all too quickly should you choose to rush through the Vietnamese map, not concerning yourself with side objectives.
“Hours of Darkness” offers a few weapon slots in addition to various explosives and other throwables and projectiles. Items like dynamite and grenades lend themselves well to the high action in the game’s encounters. They complement guns like the flamethrower for the creation of chaos.
Alternatively, stealth is a viable and enjoyable option in many of the game’s moments. I found the need to be stealthy to keep myself from being taken out in an instant. Creeping around slowly, using throwing knives, silenced handguns and sniper rifles or a bow and arrow and knocking enemies out from behind create an incredibly intense and tight-knit stealth experience. When not stealthy or ready to unload some ammo and explosives however, the enemies are quite tough.
In previous iterations, the “Far Cry” series has thrived on story and antagonists alike. Acting as the first major expansion of three to “Far Cry 5,” “Hours of Darkness” sees Wendell Redler surviving and fighting the Viet-Cong in Vietnam in the peak of the war. This plot, even without over characterization or plot points, could have been very interesting. Plenty of novels and films succeed at depicting the Vietnam War but this is a game that couldn’t quite do it in the narrative department. The expansion rarely, if ever, shows cutscenes, gives personality to characters or tells us more than what the gameplay shows us. There isn’t even more than one core mission so technically, the story is never given the time to shine.
Gameplay
“Hours of Darkness” offers a gameplay loop of checking things off the map in the same vein as much of Ubisoft’s other titles, specifically “Far Cry 5.” “Hours of Darkness” throws you into an open world, albeit a concise one in comparison to the core “Far Cry 5” experience. Objectives to tackle include but are not limited to NVA camps and NVA commanders to take down, AA guns to destroy and POW’s to rescue.
The open world activities provide good fun to experience the joy of “Far Cry 5’s” gameplay mechanics. This makes up for the lack of story missions but not entirely. The main mission is basically to escape but this can be reached all too quickly should you choose to rush through the Vietnamese map, not concerning yourself with side objectives.
“Hours of Darkness” offers a few weapon slots in addition to various explosives and other throwables and projectiles. Items like dynamite and grenades lend themselves well to the high action in the game’s encounters. They complement guns like the flamethrower for the creation of chaos.
Alternatively, stealth is a viable and enjoyable option in many of the game’s moments. I found the need to be stealthy to keep myself from being taken out in an instant. Creeping around slowly, using throwing knives, silenced handguns and sniper rifles or a bow and arrow and knocking enemies out from behind create an incredibly intense and tight-knit stealth experience. When not stealthy or ready to unload some ammo and explosives however, the enemies are quite tough.
A.I. in “Hours of Darkness” don’t hold back, much like “Far Cry 5” in all honesty. At times it seems like you’re unprepared; however, others have you wondering if the enemies are truly overpowered or broken. The expansion’s overall difficulty is generally fair with no significantly hard encounters or missions in the game.
Returning from the main game is a perk system but it is flipped on its head in “Hours of Darkness.” This time, we see perks being unlocked temporarily by doing things like stealth kills or kill streaks in general. You’ll unlock a perk for a limited amount of time that boosts your defense, combat skills and more. This system works well for the contained experience of the DLC as opposed to the large-scale main game and its usage of permanent perks as a progressive system.
Also a returning factor from “Far Cry 5,” “Hours of Darkness” offers the chance to rescue and put to work three soldiers as “guns for hire.” These three soldiers, Joker, Moses and Yokel, can be saved and then help you out in combat; however, there’s one catch- if they die, there’s no revival. Permadeath of these optional gun for hire is an interesting way to provide you both assistance and fear of losing your comrades. Sadly this A.I. wasn’t always reliable and as combat ready as you’d expect; however, they get the job done as much as any of the many A.I. did in “Far Cry 5.”
Graphics
“Hours of Darkness” looks quite nice in its dark jungle settings. Whether looking from afar from a high altitude or when directly in enemy contact, “Hours of Darkness” comes with a visually appealing creation of Vietnam.
Environments aren’t too varied but I didn’t expect to see a whole lot more than the jungle and forest settings outdoors and the contained bunkers and enemy camps, each looking as good as “Far Cry 5” did.
Technically, I ran into no standout bugs or glitches and only saw the frame rate notably dip once or twice, certainly less than the main game of “Far Cry 5.”
Sound
With “Far Cry 5,” I found the voice acting to be a pivotal part of the narrative’s delivery and overall experience, specifically with the antagonists. In the same way “Hours of Darkness” lacks that primary antagonist or story altogether, voice acting isn’t given the time of the day.
Music on the other hand is prominent enough in “Hours of Darkness.” The gameplay and exploration of its miniature open world gets complemented by some thrilling music, intensifying every shootout.
Content
“Hours of Darkness” has an open world to tackle side missions in, albeit smaller in scale and content than the main game. The map does however make up for the entirely too small story and its single core mission.
You may find yourself collecting all the Vietnam lighters, saving every POW or seeking out revenge on each of the commanders. Either way, it won’t be far off in terms of sheer map completion than what you’re adapted to in “Far Cry 5” but it makes for a pretty fun adventure through it all.
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Conclusion
Ultimately, “Far Cry 5’s” first DLC expansion, “Hours of Darkness” offers enough to do to keep you entertained in its otherwise tiny campaign. The story isn’t given any time to flesh itself out nor does it last for more than one core mission. Fortunately, I found entertainment out of killing NVA commanders, taking down their camps, destroying propaganda and more. “Hours of Darkness” offers the same gunplay combining solid first person shooting, use of explosives and other throwables and stealth to create a generally fun experience in Vietnam, if not a little too short overall.
Returning from the main game is a perk system but it is flipped on its head in “Hours of Darkness.” This time, we see perks being unlocked temporarily by doing things like stealth kills or kill streaks in general. You’ll unlock a perk for a limited amount of time that boosts your defense, combat skills and more. This system works well for the contained experience of the DLC as opposed to the large-scale main game and its usage of permanent perks as a progressive system.
Also a returning factor from “Far Cry 5,” “Hours of Darkness” offers the chance to rescue and put to work three soldiers as “guns for hire.” These three soldiers, Joker, Moses and Yokel, can be saved and then help you out in combat; however, there’s one catch- if they die, there’s no revival. Permadeath of these optional gun for hire is an interesting way to provide you both assistance and fear of losing your comrades. Sadly this A.I. wasn’t always reliable and as combat ready as you’d expect; however, they get the job done as much as any of the many A.I. did in “Far Cry 5.”
Graphics
“Hours of Darkness” looks quite nice in its dark jungle settings. Whether looking from afar from a high altitude or when directly in enemy contact, “Hours of Darkness” comes with a visually appealing creation of Vietnam.
Environments aren’t too varied but I didn’t expect to see a whole lot more than the jungle and forest settings outdoors and the contained bunkers and enemy camps, each looking as good as “Far Cry 5” did.
Technically, I ran into no standout bugs or glitches and only saw the frame rate notably dip once or twice, certainly less than the main game of “Far Cry 5.”
Sound
With “Far Cry 5,” I found the voice acting to be a pivotal part of the narrative’s delivery and overall experience, specifically with the antagonists. In the same way “Hours of Darkness” lacks that primary antagonist or story altogether, voice acting isn’t given the time of the day.
Music on the other hand is prominent enough in “Hours of Darkness.” The gameplay and exploration of its miniature open world gets complemented by some thrilling music, intensifying every shootout.
Content
“Hours of Darkness” has an open world to tackle side missions in, albeit smaller in scale and content than the main game. The map does however make up for the entirely too small story and its single core mission.
You may find yourself collecting all the Vietnam lighters, saving every POW or seeking out revenge on each of the commanders. Either way, it won’t be far off in terms of sheer map completion than what you’re adapted to in “Far Cry 5” but it makes for a pretty fun adventure through it all.
Conclusion
Ultimately, “Far Cry 5’s” first DLC expansion, “Hours of Darkness” offers enough to do to keep you entertained in its otherwise tiny campaign. The story isn’t given any time to flesh itself out nor does it last for more than one core mission. Fortunately, I found entertainment out of killing NVA commanders, taking down their camps, destroying propaganda and more. “Hours of Darkness” offers the same gunplay combining solid first person shooting, use of explosives and other throwables and stealth to create a generally fun experience in Vietnam, if not a little too short overall.
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