Almost all of the role-playing games that we have played so far have some kind of objectives to complete. And in order to do so, we have to complete some quests or gain reward, perform some particular task which can be frustrating at times. Just Cause series has been an exception to most obvious things we expect from such games.
The sole objective of this game is to simply blow things up with virtually unlimited weapon supplies. There are absolutely no strings attached which make this game most fun to play. Just Cause is a true entertainer when it comes to gaming and Just Cause 3 takes this experience to a whole new level.
Following up the franchise, you play as Rico Rodriguez, who is a former CIA agent. And the villain is Di Ravello, the dictator of the region which you have to free. Exactly as you expect, the game starts with a thrilling scene with you on a top of a plane with a missile launcher and unlimited supply of ammo. You have to destroy some targets which otherwise will destroy your plane if you don’t meet the objective in given time.
Action games like tend to have weaker stories, and Avalanche’s work on Just Cause 3’s plot is not an exception. Instead, the studio has highly focused on fun and destruction part in a most innovative way, which I am sure most gamers will enjoy.
Grapple hook is a fun tool to use and so is tethering two or more objects together. Tethering objects to each other was one of the most enjoyable tools of Just Cause 2 and it has been upgraded in Just Cause 3. You can tether an explosive to a fuel tank and then when you release it, they collide and fuel tank explodes which saves your C4.Though you have an unlimited supply of C4, it’s still fun to blow up things in this fashion. You can tether enemies to your plane or helicopter and take them for a ride (which is a brutal way to kill). You can also tether a plane to another plane or a car, helicopter etc to each other and have fun. The only limit seems to be your imagination.
Using grapple hook you can fly over short distances by using grapple hook and parachute/wingsuit in succession. This is a fun way to go from one place to another especially when you have no ride. You can also hijack helicopters or planes which are mid-air using grapple hook, that looks and feels absolutely insane. Just Cause 3 allows you to perform these kinds of creative stunts, and much more which frankly no other game does.
Your major objective is to go from one province/region to another and free it from the tyranny of Di Ravello. It’s totally up to you on how to approach these regions, blow things up or try some ambitious stunt. Be it enemy’s fuel tanks, armored weaponry, military base etc. You have to destroy everything in order to free the region and doing so you unlock new provinces and many cool tools and planes and helicopters which you can access from anywhere using rebels arsenal. But you will soon realize that these planes and helicopters are just a way to travel from one place to another, which you already did this far, in a much more fun way!
Like in other RPG games, if you die in a middle of a task you have to start all over again, which is again – frustrating. Just Cause 3 doesn’t disappoint you like this. If you die in a middle of a task here with your ammo all spent, don’t worry, you will re-spawn from where you left and all your weapons are reloaded with fully stocked ammo. Therefore, you can continue your journey without much of a problem. Some gamers might feel, it makes it less challenging, but the game is not much about a challenge if you have following up the franchise.
There are just explosions all over as Rico is the ultimate killing machine. There are traditional weapons like the missile launcher, rifles, C4 detonators, grenades, remote mines and multiple machines to ride on land, water and air. You can simply use this in any way you can imagine. There is no convention which you have to follow to complete a task. Like if you have a helicopter in your pursuit then instead of destroying it using missile’s or grenade, which you will do in any other game, use the grapple hook to take out the pilot and simply assume control.
Medici, a 4000 square mile area which is under the control of Di Ravello, is a huge area which is visually pleasing to roam around, with attention to very minute details. Graphics of this game is awesome (if only you could play on high settings :p). It is a very heavy game, so unless you have a high-performance system with a very expensive graphics card, don’t even think about buying it. But if you have the minimum recommended system, you must absolutely roll through this action adventure game at its fullest.
Verdict
No other game I’ve played so far allows you to do things in such a way which Just Cause 3 does. It has simply given you all the cool toys to play with, without attaching any strings to them. It gives you the liberty to use them as you want and whenever you want them. After playing this game, all you are left with is the feeling of pure thrill and adventure. You will have an adrenaline rush when Rico blows up enemies bases, infrastructure and flies over enemies using his wingsuit, and simply take over helicopters and planes mid-air.
Just Cause 3 lights up all your senses with an anarchic chaos and destruction, that brings out the devil inside you. As it lacks a story, eventually, there will not be any sense of achievement, though, which can be a bit downside for some as you are signing up for about 50 hours of action-packed gameplay.