Have you ever played a game with a storyline so intense, it could be a book or movie? Allow me to introduce you to Far Cry 5. This title belongs to not only a video game, but an accompanying book and live-action short film as well.
The game follows a doomsday cult called the Project at Eden’s Gate, located in fictional Hope County, Mo. The cult is led by three brothers: Joseph, John and Jacob Seed. They have also recruited an adopted sister, Faith, to help convert the townspeople.
Their message is simple: The world is ending and everyone must be cleansed of their sins.
You play as the junior deputy, an otherwise nameless and voiceless character, sent to arrest “Father” Joseph Seed. When things go wrong, the junior deputy and the rest of the local law enforcement must come up with another plan.
The game sets the player on a course to defeat the three underbosses, John, Jacob and Faith, within their respective regions: Holland Valley in the southwest, the Whitetail Mountains to the north and the Henbane River in the southeast. Once all three regions are conquered, Joseph’s Compound is unlocked.
Far Cry 5 is the first of only two Far Cry games where the player has no designated name, face or voice; the other is Far Cry New Dawn, which I will discuss next time. In both games, the playable character is customizable only as far as looks. As you can imagine, a voiceless protagonist did not bode well with most players.
What the game does feature is animal sidekicks. At any given point, you can choose a bear named Cheeseburger, a dog named Boomer or a mountain lion named Peaches. These sidekicks help with both distracting and defeating enemies.
The prequel
“Inside Eden’s Gate” is a live-action short film that explores the Project at Eden’s Gate. Vloggers Alex, Sara and Hannah decide to travel to Hope County, Mo. to investigate rumors about the strange activity in the area.
They infiltrate a meeting led by Joseph Seed, during which they are caught filming involuntary baptisms — the same baptisms they are then forced to participate in. That evening, Sara is taken to meet privately with Joseph and Faith. They attempt to convince her of her refuge within their group while offering her a suspicious beverage.
Meanwhile, Alex and Hannah find themselves confined within a small room. They manage to free themselves and attempt to escape, an attempt that ultimately proves unsuccessful.
The entire ordeal is inconspicuously recorded and subsequently uploaded to the Web for the world to see.
“Inside Eden’s Gate” serves as the prequel to the game’s events and can be viewed on YouTube.
The lore
Now, let’s get into the backstory! If you are anything like me, you want to know the “why” behind the characters and events. “The Book of Joseph” gives you just that.
This 65-page book serves as Joseph’s autobiography, as well as the backstory for the Seed family. It tells of the brothers’ upbringing and chosen career paths before they joined forces to form the Project at Eden’s Gate.
The brothers were raised in a poor neighborhood in Rome, Ga. by an uninvolved mother and a religious, alcoholic and strict father. “Old Man Seed” was so strict that comic books were disallowed in the home, along with other forms of entertainment.
Jacob was the oldest, followed by Joseph, then John. When their father became displeased with a school field trip, he began homeschooling Jacob and Joseph.
One night, while being disciplined, Joseph heard The Voice for the first time. A few days later, Child Protective Services arrived at the Seed house after receiving a call from John’s school. The boys were sent to an orphanage, never to see their parents again. Joseph would also not hear from The Voice again until adulthood.
Months later, the brothers were sent to live with a couple who used them for nothing but child labor. One day, Jacob lost his patience and set fire to the property, destroying it. Afterward, the brothers were separated; Jacob was sent to a detention center, while John was adopted by a wealthy family in Atlanta.
Joseph was moved from home to home, yet he still remembered what The Voice told him: He and his brothers were chosen.
When Joseph became an adult, he returned to Rome, only to find his old neighborhood replaced by a shopping center. He then traveled across all of Georgia and southern Tennessee to find his brothers. He obtained jobs here and there, only to get fired for mentioning The Voice.
One night, during an attempted robbery and subsequent struggle with his attackers, he heard The Voice a second time, revealing a vision of the world coming to an end.
Joseph was chosen. He was now responsible for saving those who needed to be saved. He was now the Father.
He returned to Rome to learn of the prestigious law firm that was responsible for the redeveloped neighborhoods. When he visited the firm, who did he find? John.
Joseph told John what The Voice told him, and John trusted and followed his older brother.
They found Jacob’s records as a discharged Marine and, by random chance, they found him in a homeless shelter in Rome.
Together again, they acquired land for Joseph to preach his message: the word of The Voice. This did not last long, however, as the authorities came knocking when someone went missing. The Seed brothers were not involved in the disappearance, but it did not matter. Rumors began to spread and the brothers relocated to Hope County, Mo.
Preaching Joseph’s message, they gained followers, as well as the attention of local law enforcement. But Joseph never relented. The message must be spread. Souls must be saved. The world will end. This was the beginning of the Project at Eden’s Gate.
Could a video game depict a more extreme family than the Seeds?
“The Book of Joseph” was a bonus item for the first 2,000 people who pre-ordered the Mondo edition of Far Cry 5. This edition featured not only the base game, but also collectibles and the soundtrack.
Look for the final installment of my analysis the Far Cry games in the future. Happy playing!
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ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Developers: Ubisoft Montreal, Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
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