Cita:Far Cry has taken players on exciting adventures around the globe for more than a decade, but the franchise has lacked a formal itinerary. Little continuity between installments existed, leaving players without a clear sense of what the series was even trying to accomplish. With Far Cry 3, Ubisoft Montreal revitalized the game at its core, dropping players into a brutal open-world environment with a single goal: survive. With the latest entry, the team isnÔÇÖt just moving the action on to the next island. Instead, theyÔÇÖve been scrutinizing every aspect of the last game, honing what worked, scrapping what didnÔÇÖt, and finding ways to incorporate elements that couldnÔÇÖt make it in the first time around.

Far Cry 4 shoves players into the fictional Himalayan nation of Kyrat, which has suffered under decades of a cruel and oppressive regime. The natural beauty belies simmering internal hostilities, and your characterÔÇÖs return will serve as a tipping point for the countryÔÇÖs future. Ubisoft Montreal is working to bring the best of Far Cry 3ÔÇÖs sandbox moments into the campaign, so players will feel just as excited by carrying the story forward as they did in clearing outposts and creating their own free-form moments.

Far Cry 4 has a lot to talk about, including new weapons, vehicles and modes of traversal, and loads of diabolical new combat maneuvers ÔÇô and some big surprises, too. We touch on it all in our 12-page cover story, which is full of exclusive details, screens, and hands-on impressions of the game.