Just Cause 3 | Xbox one

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There’s nothing original about a game built just for you to tear the world apart. Any game with a 3 in the title already has a certain expectation, particularly for a franchise which had a very successful first and second instalment, and whether Just Cause 3 is for you will rely on whether you are looking for something different or more of the same.

by James Michael Parry

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@james_parry

Platform(s): Xbox One, PS4, Windows PC
Developer: Avalanche Studios
​Publisher: Square Enix
Players: 1

The setup is familiar. As Rico Rodriguez you begin the game returning to an island overrun by corruption and oppression. It’s you and the resistance against the dictator General Sebastiano Di Ravello. Really this is where the plot begins and ends as, aside from the occasional amusing voiceover from non other than David Tennant, who plays a captured British journalist being forced to spread propaganda on the airwaves, the game progresses as you traverse the island, liberating specific areas.
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Herein lies the first of Just Cause 3’s problems however, as while there is an expectation to need to do the odd story mission to be granted upgrades and be introduced to new mechanics - even for those familiar with the previous games - the game preaches freedom but puts up barriers left, right and centre.

If you approach the game with the destructive mentality which it encourages, you’ll find a lot isn’t explained to you and a lot about the story missions in particular are very prescriptive. Not to mention many upgrades are out of reach without doing ‘optional’ challenges such as races, score challenges and even wingsuit courses, reminiscent of Arkham Knight.

​While this doesn’t ruin the experience, it doesn’t feel like a true sandbox as a result, particularly compared to the aforementioned Caped Crusader, Metal Gear Solid V or even Mad Max.

The map is huge, and split into a number of different areas, all of which have a number of settlements and areas of interest which need to be liberated by blowing things up. Tackling a settlement, you are offered a list of icons on the top left of the screen to let you know what still needs destroying, unfortunately though these points are often highlighted on the map as icons, you can’t toggle them as an active objective, making hunting around villages a chore more often than not.

The military outposts which need levelling are a little more straightforward, with no civilians to get in the way (not that the game really punishes you for friendly fire anyway) and targets being more obvious.

Despite Rico's active lifestyle, he hasn't quite mastered the art of clambering up walls...

To begin the dominoes falling you have a fairly basic selection of weapons at your disposal, most notably C4, which Rico has a limitless supply of this time around, meaning it’s at times laughably easy to zip between buildings, plant C4 and then be on your way knowing that the structure’s demise is imminent.

Levelled is exactly the word for the end state of most buildings in fact, since the destruction engine in the game offers something comparable to Red Faction Guerilla which really meets the standard of a new generation. On Xbox performance isn’t flawless, but considering the amount of chained explosions you can end up with it holds up fairly well. Consider the gauntlet thrown down, Crackdown 3.

Causing the actual destruction can be done in a plethora of ways, and discovering the creative ways that physics can be manipulated is the real joy of the game. Upgraded from Just Cause 2, the grappling hook can now be used to tether multiple objects at once, and even triggered to pull two objects together on command. Getting this to work reliably can be a challenge though, as sometimes towers and other objects refuse to fall without the proper application of physics. When you do manage to get a chain reaction of destruction though, the results are incredibly satisfying.

  As you reach certain levels of destruction, such as most enemies killed with a single explosion, for example, the game will show your total compared to your friends and other players in the top right. While this asynchronous multiplayer aspect may introduce some competition, in practice it's incredibly distracting and seemingly can't be turned off.

​Travelling around the map has been sped up for this game as well, thanks to the introduction of the aforementioned wingsuit, which turns Rico into a glider in a world with a very loose interpretation of the physics of flight.

This combined with the grappling hook and trusty parachute makes for a holy trinity of traversal which is surprisingly hard to master, but when it all works together the experience is fantastic.

Despite Rico’s active lifestyle, he hasn’t quite mastered the art of clambering up walls though. Perhaps it’s too much time with Assassin’s Creed, but the inability to grab ledges which would be a child’s play to even the most out-of-practice assassin, is a constant source of frustration when trying to get across rooftops quickly.
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While it all comes together to make a perfectly enjoyable game, and there’s no need for every game to have depth or layers to its experience, you can’t help but feel that this instalment of Just Cause is a bit too one-note even for the most destruction-hungry anarchist.

Pros

• Destruction stands out head-and-shoulders above anything else we’ve seen this generation
• Does what it sets out to do very well
• Speeding across the map is, at times, breathtaking

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​Cons

• Very shallow experience overall
• Inability to climb up walls is incredibly annoying
• Lots to like, little to love

 
​Score 7/10

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