8. The Game Is Character-Driven
Though we're tasked with saving our friends who have been kidnapped by a gang of Rook Island's meanest pirates, we're not placed in the shoes of just some gung-ho badass as it felt like we were in the previous games. We're Jason Brody, a young kid who is on holiday at the island with his buddies before all Hell breaks loose, and as a result, though it might not feel as politically motivated as the last game in particular, it's hedonistically seat-of-your-pants in a way that fits the demeanour of just about any young adult male. What's really interesting is that the game actually sees Jason change from a terrified kid who's never fired a gun into a tribal badass over the course of the game, and what's more, it actually makes sense after all of the mad s**t you have to go through. That youthful optimism is barely noticeable near game's end, as Jason becomes abrasive towards even his friends, and indeed, everyone else too. It's a unique sort of role for the player to assume, and one that both feels fresh and not a mere gimmick; it totally works.