'Far Cry Returns' Is A Brand-New Sequel To The Very First Game

It's hard to imagine it, but there was actually a time when Ubisoft's Far Cry series was considered groundbreaking.

Long before it transformed into a stale and increasingly repetitive series filled with open-world busywork, the original Far Cry was something new. Something ambitious.

Released way back in 2004, Far Cry was an achingly tense shooter that offered up sandbox-style levels and surprisingly advanced enemy AI that constantly forced players to improvise, adapt, and overcome.

While the newer Far Cry games still owe a lot to the original, there's no denying that it has become a very beast. That's why we're so thrilled to learn that an unofficial sequel to the original Far Cry is currently in development!

As reported by DSO Gaming, Far Cry Returns is a total conversion mod for Far Cry that doubles up as a direct sequel to the original game.

Developer Leonj_ has promised a brand-new story, new gameplay systems, sounds, missions, animations, weapons, and more. There'll also be a new day and weather system, as well as much smarter NPCs. You can take a look at some early gameplay here.

Leonj_ is clearly taking on a lot here. As well as all of the above, there are new locations, an overhauled dialogue system, new characters and animals, and even improved stealth. Whether or not they actually manage to pull it off remains to be seen, much less whether they can do it before Ubisoft decides to shut the project down.

For now, we'll be sure to keep a keen eye on this one to see how development goes.