Far Cry is one of Ubisoft’s biggest franchises of all time, and for a pretty good reason. Far Cry games are often jam-packed with adventure, story, gunplay, and insane moments, as well as memorable quotes. And while most people have played the mainline Far Cry games, the spinoffs are just as interesting as well. And that’s why we’re revisiting Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon in 2023.
A spinoff of the extremely popular Far Cry 3, Blood Dragon was a relatively shorter Far Cry game. But it was extremely memorable because it was just downright bizarre. Is Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon still worth playing in 2023? Or should you give this game a skip?
What is Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon About?
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon was basically supposed to be the Far Cry take on 1980s action movies, cartoons, and video games. Blood Dragon took on the aesthetic of the 80s, with crazy lights, a super macho protagonist, and robots. Lots and lots of robots.
Narratively, Blood Dragon places players in the spot of military cyborg Sergeant Rex Power Colt, who is described as being part man, part machine, but all American. It’s downright amazing.
The development behind Blood Dragon is actually pretty interesting. It took only six months and was part of Ubiosft’s initiative to release games to appeal to people who are newer to Far Cry.
Blood Dragon did take a lot of the mechanics and elements from Far Cry 3, but simplified them and added in blood dragons, which are big creatures that can shoot lasers from their eyes. With its synthwave track and hilarious dialogue, Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon was the most interesting addition to the franchise.
But it wasn’t only interesting, it was a commercial success. Blood Dragon sold 1 million copies within its first few months of release back in 2013.
The World and Gameplay are Great
Compared to Far Cry 3, it’s a bit simpler and the open-world island is about half the size, but you can still hunt animals, complete side missions, unlock new weapon upgrades, and more. Plus, you unlock most of the major skills at the very beginning of the game, since it’s a shorter experience.
As with any Far Cry game, Blood Dragon still features first-person shooter gunplay and stealth. Because of the 1980s action movie theme, the guns are a bit different than what you’ll find in Far Cry games that go for realism. There’s lasers and there’s a lot of neon and synthwave style elements to the weapons even.
Visually, it’s a lot of fun to look around the world. It’s a pretty dark game due to all the neon lights. Plus, if you think about the movies that released in the 80s, it makes a lot of sense. RoboCop, Terminator, those kinds of things liked that dark aesthetic with lights and futuristic elements.
Level Design and Gunplay Are Awesome, Stealth was Ok
Design-wise, the level design is also on-par with most other Far Cry games. I’ve noticed that from a game-design perspective, Far Cry does utilize a lot of enemy waves and focuses on pitting you into scenarios to deliver maximum carnage. I played through Far Cry 5 not too long ago and Far Cry 6 and noticed this same thing. Blood Dragon doesn’t diverge from this style and sends you waves as well within levels. Alongside the Blood Dragons, you do need to have some sort of strategy.
In terms of stealth gameplay, Blood Dragon features that as well and I enjoyed it too. However, I think that Blood Dragon excels best at giving more all-out gunfights. I found it more enjoyable to just go through and chaotically fight against enemies. Stealth was fun, but it’s best in some scenarios more than others. If you’re looking for a stealth-heavy Far Cry, I wouldn’t consider this one to be a perfect fit for that sort of description. Overall though, Far Cry is a shooter and there’s going to be more shooting than stabbing.
Far Cry 3 is one of the best shooters ever made, so the gunplay is basically just the same. If you enjoyed Far Cry 3’s mechanics, you’ll be satisfied with Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.
An Unforgettable, Bizarrely Fun Experience
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon was an unforgettable experience. Visiting it nearly 10 years after it released in 2023, Blood Dragon managed to make me laugh almost from the onset. You can tell that this game is the amalgamation of developers that wanted to have fun and go insane with this title.
The humor is very 80s and you can tell. For some people, it might not be funny. I honestly just find anything funny, so I was able to enjoy and appreciate the humor in Blood Dragon, no matter how ridiculous it really was.
Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon is a pretty short game though compared to most mainline Far Cry games. On average, it takes about four hours to complete the main storyline. Technically, to complete the game, it can take more time, but if you’re not interested in side quests and activities, it should take four hours to complete. In reality, it makes sense, seeing as this was just a spinoff of Far Cry 3.
I genuinely had fun with this game and had a lot of laughs while playing it. Most of the time, I like to look for games with intense narratives and super deep plot points, but other times, you just want to unwind and have fun. That’s why games like Blood Dragon are just perfect, because they’re just wild. The humor is downright stupid, but it’s funny nevertheless. The mechanics and movement are satisfying and the gunplay is great too.
So, Should You Play Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon?
Blood Dragon is a pretty unique game. I can’t think of many games from major publishers that utilize the 80s aesthetic, so this is definitely an interesting entry in the world of video games. I think that if you’ve never gotten a chance to play Blood Dragon, you should definitely go for it.
In general, I think Far Cry excels at what it is because of the identity it has created for itself over all these years. Far Cry is a game that knows how to deliver action, adventure, peril, and excitement, all while giving you hours of nothing but pure chaos and insanity. And I think that Blood Dragon just condenses that, packs more insanity, and delivers it to you in a fun and decently sized-experience.
Also check out: Is Far Cry 5 Worth Playing in 2022?
I think that Far Cry is great for someone that wants a unique gameplay experience and doesn’t mind if the game is short. It’s also great if you enjoy shooters, loved Far Cry 3, overall like Far Cry, and don’t mind some silly humor here and there. However, if these things don’t appeal to you, then Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon might not be the right fit.
Even if you think it might not be a right fit, I’d encourage you to give it a go anyways. It’s actually a lot of fun.
Buy Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
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Zainah Yousef
Zainah Yousef is the author of The Fallen Age Saga and specializes in gaming, social media advice, and reviews. She's been writing all her life and she probably won't stop anytime soon.
