Can you escape the King of Kyrat’s mind?
Set within the confines of Min’s mind, this DLC blends “intense action and storytelling” as players explore Min’s psyche and attempt to help break the self-proclaimed King of Kyrat’s cycle of guilt and violence. In order to convey the trial-and-error process of growth and self-reflection, Pagan: Control pays tribute to the roguelike genre, meaning each death as Min sends the player back to the start of the DLC with only their accumulated knowledge and skills to help guide them through their second (and third, and fourth…) time around. Last but not least, Far Cry 4 fans may be interested to know Min’s original voice actor, Troy Baker, will be returning to the Far Cry series for this performance.
The first DLC to launch for Far Cry 6 put you in the mind of Far Cry 3 villain Vaas in a roguelike type of game and I loved my time with it (full review here) but now it’s Pagan Min’s turn…
The Far Cry 4 villain returns with Troy Baker reprising the role as Pagan dives into his mind to try and face his demons and save his family. The map is naturally different from the one from the Vaas DLC, but the principle is the same…. gather 3 artifacts and attempt to leave. Weapons are unlocked by completing wave challenges scattered across the map, while you earn Respect to unlock new abilities that will stay with you, even after death.
As with Vaas: Insanity, you’ll find Perks along the way which you will lose when you die, unless you nab some of the 1-UP perks for completing the Trials which this time has you standing on a square with a gold statue of yourself, defending it from soldiers and Ajay till it reaches 100%. Perks can also be sold for extra Respect, while rarer ones worth more show up on higher difficulties. You’ll need to finish the game on the highest difficulty to get the true ending, which adds a new twist to the Far Cry universe I didn’t see coming.
Memories are also found during your travels and show a different side of Pagan Min, which after seeing glimpses of his past, you see his remorse and humanity despite his dark nature. Troy Baker knocks it out of the park with some brilliant dialogue and witty one-liners.
There are some great visual effects to be found in Control, but most notable is where water is drained from one area to unlock a temple. The water draining effect itself is perhaps the best example I’ve seen of it in a game and was very impressive. Framerate was consistent throughout and I didn’t experience any bugs.
The Verdict
Troy Baker’s return as Pagan Min is a brilliant one and a great reward for Far Cry 4 fans. The content itself follows the same pattern as Vaas: Insanity, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s a decent formula and one that works well, I just wonder how it’ll work when we get to see Joseph Seed’s mind…