Just Cause 4, developed and released in 2018, is an action-adventure game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Developed by Avalanche Studios and published by Square Enix’s European subsidiary, Just Cause 4 is the fourth game of the Just Cause series and sequel to 2015’s Just Cause 3.
Just Cause 4 is about the protagonist, Rico Rodriguez, who tries to hunt down the truth about his past in the nation of Solis, a huge South American world that is home to many conflicts, oppression, and extreme weather conditions. In this game, Rico Rodriguez has a main enemy named The Black Hand which is the world’s biggest private military organisation. Throughout the game, players take the role of Rico Rodriquez who liberates various states of the country of Solis to uncover the truth about his past.
In comparison to Just Cause 3, there have been some new features added to Just Cause 4. These new features come from Avalanche’s Apex game engine and include extreme weather effects such as blizzards, sandstorms, and tornadoes. It also includes some new weapons like the Cazador 18 Shotgun and the PGL-6 Grenade Launcher. Let us not forget new vehicles like the Ultralight Plane and the Emavision Airship. As someone who has played both, Just Cause 3 and Just Cause 4, the latterprovides more options and alternatives which players can play around with when completing missions. This makes the game a lot more interesting and fun to play.
Based on reviews by well-known game critics, Just Cause 4 has received mixed reviews. This means that some people did not like the new game, and some liked it. For those who thought the new version was a success, a common remark was that the new features of the game added more excitement and raised the difficulty level of the game. This meant that players have more opportunities to experiment and interact with the different additions that were available to them to complete missions. For example, the new feature of having extreme weather effects like encountering a massive tornado makes the game more exciting and allows players to explore and experiment with the different weapons and vehicles to help overcome this challenge and continue with the mission. Another reason why Just Cause 4 is considered a success is that they have improved their Avatars. Compared to Just Cause 3, the avatars in Just Cause 4 are a lot more realistic. More specifically, you see less of the avatars randomly jumping in front of in-coming cars or that they walk through buildings. On the other hand, some did not think that Just Cause 4 was a huge success. Some reasons include the lack of high-quality visual effects. For instance, some carry the opinion that the close-up graphics of people are poorly designed. Furthermore, there is little to no improvements to what was already happening in Just Cause 3. From all the marketing hype that Avalanche Studios put towards realising Just Cause 4, it over-promised what the game was.
Evidently, there are opposing views as to whether this new action-adventure game was truly a success or not. One might argue that it is while another might disagree. Ultimately, it is up to the gamer to decide for themselves whether Just Cause 4 is a success. There is no other way to know unless you play it yourself, so go ahead and play the game. Do you think Just Cause 4 is a success? Are you expecting the next game, Just Cause 5 to be even better? You be the judge.