Far Cry 5 has co-op multiplayer, but it may not be as cool as you think. According a video from Germany’s GameStar , all mission progress earned in gameplay will only impact player one.
In other words, after an awesome online session with a friend, the missions you’ve completed together won’t carry over to player two’s dedicated save. In order to claim the rewards, player two will have to play those same missions twice, and, if it’s co-op, he or she must be the host of the game.
In terms of Far Cry’s lineage, this unfortunate limitation isn’t all that surprising. After all, player two’s progress was stunted in Far Cry 4 as well. However, given advances in technology and the game’s fairly lengthy development cycle, fans were hoping for something different. As Google translation from the GameStar source put it, “it’s not the kind of co-op we want.” It will serve as a fun distraction for casual fun between pals, but, without progression, it basically has no true purpose.
What makes this matter even more frustrating is that Far Cry 5’s contemporaries have shown that there are systems of dual-player progression that can work under certain circumstances. Techland's Dying Light from 2015 featured co-op progression for both players as long as they were at the same point in the single-player campaign. This concept was also adopted for 2016’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, a game developed by Far Cry’s own Ubisoft. While the scope of modern gaming can make true co-op play more difficult, it shouldn’t be seen as something that’s impossible in all situations.
That being said, because this statement about Far Cry 5’s co-op does not come directly from sources at Ubisoft, it should be taken with a grain of salt. GameStar has a pretty stellar track record with its sources, but there’s always room for error. On the other hand, the outlet was first to announce that IO Interactive had retained the rights to the Hitman franchise following its severance from Square Enix. In general, this site seems to get its facts straight.
While some of E3’s biggest games may have gotten co-op wrong, there are other titles positioning cooperation as an essential part of the experience. Chief among those is A Way Out from Hazelight Studios . In the 2018 action-adventure title, local or online co-op is mandatory to enjoy the game. Each player takes control of a different character, and they have drastically different tasks to perform. However, the scope of that particular project appears to be much smaller than a massive Far Cry game.
Even though Far Cry 5’s co-op may leave some players wanting more, its other aspects were generally well received during E3. In recent interviews, lead writer Drew Holmes revealed that, unlike its predecessors, the fifth installment will have no icon-filled mini-map or towers for players to climb .
Far Cry 5 comes to PS4, Xbox One and PC Feb. 27.
Do you think Far Cry 5’s co-op multiplayer could be better? Are you planning on playing through the campaign with a friend? Tell us in the comments section!
