Far Cry 3 Writer Talks about Development and Influences

Far Cry 3 writer Jeffrey Yohalem spoke to MCV Pacific, noting that franchises such as Prince of Persia and Assassin's Creed have been huge catalysts in the development process.

“We’re really trying to take the player on a journey and we’re trying to subvert expectations in the same way that [Jordan] Mechner did in Prince of Persia,” said the writer.

“You can see the protagonist’s psychology when you’re in the dreamlike levels where you’re playing through what’s going on in his head. It’s very much a psychological action game.”

He also said that the ideas resonate well with other people on his team, which has made developing Far Cry 3 even more pleasurable.

“I’m working with Far Cry 3’s creative director Pat Plourde, who is an absolute genius. Our visions are very much in parallel and we push each other in both directions, so for us, the core of the game was this sense of a Stranger in a Strange Land,” he said.

“You get put into a location which is unlike anything you’ve seen. The second idea is stalking prey – the way the combat works is that you’re going through trees and coming upon people who are unaware of you. Far Cry 2 then added the notion that you can control things like fire to your advantage."

“So that was what we took to be the core of Far Cry, and the rest we’ve reinvented.”

Next, go goes so far as to say that the game is essentially a first-person Assassin's Creed game.

“You can think of it like an Assassin’s Creed game in first-person. We’re talking about a first-person shooter action adventure game. Some levels don’t even have shooting in them at all,” he finished.

Look for Far Cry 3 in September.