The Surprising Way Far Cry Primal Inspired Far Cry 5

Set to launch early next year, Far Cry 5 is, if you will pardon the phrasing, a far cry from the series' most recent offering, Far Cry Primal. Still, the team learned a lot while working on the latter that they've been applying to the former, including the ability to call on the help of AI-controlled companions.

In an interview with GameSpot, Far Cry 5 Creative Director Dan Hay spoke about the game's development, covering everything from how the team handled religious cults to how players will be able to tackle the game's various tasks throughout virtual Montana. They also discussed your ability to call on mercenaries for help in those missions, with Hay explaining that the idea came from the development of Far Cry Primal.

What's really interesting is when we were making Far Cry Primal, we did those Beast Master quests, and we're like, 'Whoa. Okay. Hold on. There's something really cool here.' So, that says 'You know what? For Far Cry 5, let's explore the relationship with coop AI.' And that's what lead to Boomer. And then, let's start talking about guns-for-hire and people that you bring in with their unique personalities and abilities.

In Far Cry Primal, the player was able to tame various beasts in order to assist them in hunting, gathering, taking down bigger beasts or enemy tribes. Developing AI for those critters apparently got the team at Ubisoft Montreal thinking about how they could take that process one step further. So instead of the typical Far Cry formula of the player taking on insurmountable odds solo, this time you'll have some friendly faces to call on in a pinch.

There's the cultist-killing, gun-grabbing dog, obviously, but you can also get assistance from folks like a local crop pilot, an armed priest and a woman who doesn't take too kindly to seeing her town overrun by a bunch of terrorists. Folks like these will be available to lend a hand, presumably after you've met them and done a few things to befriend them within the game world.

So long as none of this turns into glorified escort missions or problems where you have to worry about your AI pals making things worse, we're all for it. The Far Cry games are great, but they can often feel a bit lonely when it's just you versus a seemingly never-ending sea of baddies. Just having a dog wander around with you will go a long way in addressing those issues, and that goes double when said dog just so happens to bring you a fully-loaded AK-47 in the middle of a heated firefight.

So what do you think, readers? Are you looking forward to having some company in Far Cry 5 or do you plan on keeping things solo? Let us know in the comments below.