Why Just Cause 4 is the Perfect Jumping Off Point for Beginners
If you ask most gamers what they look for in a brand new title, chances are the narrative will be one of the top requirements. There are, however, a good number of us who look for a game because we want to turn our brains off from the heavy character development, twisting turns, and overly complex plots that require your full attention. We want a game that we can lose ourselves in and just have fun – that is the point of a game isn’t it? While Avalanche Studios’ latest entry into their franchise of chaos – Just Cause 4 – hasn’t been particularly well received critically – especially when it has to compete with the likes of Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War, and Spider-Man to name a few.
That being said, this is still an incredibly fun game – bugs and all. Just Cause 4 is fast, full of action, and littered with explosions galore. The physics are ridiculous and over the top, and all of this combined with a summer-blockbuster narrative makes this a great way to turn off your brain and just have fun. The franchise has come a long way with its new gadgets and mechanics, and unfortunately, some people may feel intimidated to jump into a series at its fourth installment. Well, set those worries aside as I explain six reasons why Just Cause 4 is the perfect title to start with, and why it just might be one of the best gifts to give this holiday season!
6. The Excellent Tutorial
Many games these days offer little in the way of an introduction to a games unique mechanics, let alone a truly helpful tutorial. They expect you to already know the basics and how to play while touching briefly on what feature is new and exciting. Just Cause 4’s opening mission and first few tasks that follow will introduce you to Rico’s cast of helpful characters as well as take you through the steps to learn how best to utilize Rico and his iconic grappling hook. Right from the start of the game the player starts in a small area with guns, explosive objects, and a few enemies to take on. Before your first flight with the parachute you will already have an understanding of the base mechanics of combat and manipulating the environment. By the time you get into the open world you’ll feel competent and ready for anything. It’s a great feeling to master these simple locomotion controls and the tutorial gives you plenty of instruction and practice to be ready to take on any challenge.
5. Intuitive Design
While the UI for the various menus can definitely leave something to be desired, the controls themselves are not only mapped smartly, but with basic intuition in mind. As mentioned earlier some games expect you to just know the basics, yet as we all can attest no two games are made quite the same. If you have ever played a third person action adventure you have a pretty good idea how it should handle, and Just Cause 4 is a game if you have even the slightest bit of experience in open-world action titles everything will feel incredibly intuitive. The grapple hook, parachute, wingsuit, swapping grapple mods, everything feels like it is right where it ought to be and that makes this a game even easier to play while avoiding over complicated controls.
4. Rico the Strong
Rico is a daredevil to say the least. He launches through the air at high speeds with no safety gear whatsoever and more often than not as you learn the finer nuances of his exhilarating flight you are going to crash and burn more than once. In previous games they were fairly forgiving when it came to him coming face to pavement, however, in Just Cause 4 Rico feels damn near indestructible. Unless you are at the epicenter of a massive explosion, Rico will usually walk away with just a few scrapes and heal up quickly. While some might complain this is unrealistic, this makes the game easier for newcomers to jump in as you won’t be dying every time you try out a totally insane stunt. Just Cause 4 wants you to feel like an epic badass and it really does succeed.