Far Cry 3 attempts to set up Jason’s motivations for revenge and a thirst for the power to take out the over-the-top crazy Vaas and his pirate gang. But it quickly devolves into clichés about the corrupting influence of the savage wild, and plays directly into the white savior trope. It isn’t long before the violence stops feeling grounded and starts feeling deliberately shocking. That same sensibility collides with Jason’s story of revenge and tattoo-driven empowerment. As people start to point out the terrible things Jason is doing in the name of helping his friends, things spiral out of control.
Ubisoft Montreal seems to want to point at what you’re doing and ask, "Isn’t this fucked up?" But the story fails to sell Jason’s growing detachment or discomfort over that detachment, and what’s left often felt exploitative and pointless, dotted with misogyny and homophobia that only works for shock value. Is this hamfisted presentation of problematic imagery and, honestly, gross stereotypes, an issue unique to Far Cry 3? Well, no — see Resident Evil 5, for example. It’s not even unique to video games. The portrayal of post-colonial themes and Western encroachment on other cultures is something that storytelling aimed at mass markets has had a lot of trouble with for decades. But that doesn’t make it easier for me to swallow it here.