DurgeshLead

For all that Far Cry 4 did wrong, it did much more right – and is one of my favourite games from 2014. Any game that allows you to kill an in-flight eagle with an exploding bear is a winner. That’s the sort of thing that allows me to overlook some of the silly design decisions. The game’s kicked off its round of extra, paid for downloadable content – and it’s forced me to take off those blinkers. Far Cry 4’s Escape from Durgesh Prison is an exercise in how not to do DLC.

For starters, its very name is a misnomer. By its title, you’d infer that you’d have to actually escape from Durgesh Prison, the holding cells you were tossed in to in the actual game. Instead, it’s a look at what may have happened after your jailbreak.  Loaded up as a self-contained game mode, it stars you, as an Ajay Ghale bereft of all the upgrades. You find yourself in a radio tower in the northern part of the map, with stylish protagonist Pagan Min egging you on.

Durgesh1

As with your skills and upgrades, all of the outposts, loot containers and propaganda posters have been reset, waiting for you to pillage and plunder anew. Here’s the run though; it’s a timed mode, with a dash of permadeth. You start with no weapons, ammo or gear and you’ve got 30 minutes to get to an exfiltration point. Once there, you’ll need to defend the area against hordes of reinforcements. Any untimely death sets you right back at the beginning, once again atop the tower with every enemy you’ve killed, outpost you’ve liberated and chest you’ve looted reset.

Somebody over at Ubisoft must have figured that with roguelikes – games like Spelunky and the Binding of Isaac – being so popular, perhaps it was time for a AAA game to go that route through its DLC. As an idea, it’s not a wholly bad one. In its execution – and the choice of game – it fails miserably.

Where it could be a cool, challenging mode it just ends up being an unnecessary grind. Here’s why: The 30 minute timer isn’t a strict one. Things that you do, like liberating outposts, defusing bombs or spinning those religious wheels, tearing off posters and the like add extra time to the counter.

Durgesh2

Even the permadeth isn’t strict. When you die, you’re beamed back to the beginning tower, but all of your skills, weapons and gear remain. Everything you’ve done, however, is reset, so you get to do it all again – only you’re a little bit stronger. The entire thing devolves in to being a rather repetitive drag. While there are no extra trophies or achievements, you do get to vie for a spot atop the leaderboards. As of writing, the leaderboard champ cleared the thing in over two hours.

Escape from Durgesh has nothing to add to the Far Cry experience. It adds no new weapons, no new locations or characters and no padded narrative. It distils the entire Far Cry experience in to a smaller, shorter, single mode – and manages to do so by removing the fun.  As a freebie, it would be an interesting experiment, but as paid DLC – R149.00 worth – it’s a slap in the face. It’s part of the season pass, so if you’ve purchased that you’ll already be geared to inflict Escape from Durgesh on yourself, but if not, you’re probably better off waiting for the Valley of the Yetis.

Last Updated: January 16, 2015

Escape from Durgesh Prison
Unless you’re the sort who loves doing the same thing over and over again within artificial confines, there’s very little redeeming about this DLC. Insanity indeed.
4.0
Escape from Durgesh Prison was reviewed on PlayStation 4

10 Comments

  1. Geoff Murphy

    January 16, 2015 at 18:36

    Thus, 2014 maintains its grip on us, threatening never to let go.

    Reply

  2. b1nd3r

    January 16, 2015 at 18:44

    thats disappointing

    Reply

  3. Admiral Chief

    January 17, 2015 at 09:20

    So it is a far cry from being good?

    Reply

    • ToshZA

      January 17, 2015 at 17:51

      It left us wanting to escape from DLC prison.

      Reply

  4. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    January 17, 2015 at 17:59

    Oh Ubisoft… What’s going on with you?

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief

      January 18, 2015 at 11:58

      Oobi made another boobi

      Reply

      • Spy Master Tokashi

        January 19, 2015 at 07:36

        boobs? where?

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief

          January 19, 2015 at 08:59

          XD

          Reply

  5. Nikola

    January 19, 2015 at 10:20

    wow that’s really disappointing loving the game at the moment half way through, but will 100% definetly not be picking up this DLC:(

    Reply

  6. Guest

    January 30, 2015 at 13:22

    Hi guys you can find cheaper games on g2a, you can also earn money selling games and use earned money to buy them http://www.g2ausa.tk hope help!

    Reply

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