Yet another dictator needs to be overthrown in Far Cry 6, the latest installment in the open-world first-person shooter series. This time, it's set on the fictional island of Yara, which is based loosely on Cuba. But the gameplay, while formulaic, is as addictive as ever. Basically, you complete story missions to advance the plot (and level up) while helping your rag-tag rebel allies by taking over key military installations through stealth or brute force. It's entertaining and loads of fun.

I was impressed by Far Cry 6's production values. The opening title sequence could be straight out of a HBO prestige TV series while the music felt like something from Netflix's Narcos. Turns out that Far Cry 6's soundtrack is by Pedro Bromfman, who composed the music for Narcos. And of course, Anton Castillo, the main antagonist of Far Cry 6 is voiced with his usual menace by Giancarlo Esposito of Breaking Bad and The Mandalorian fame. But one thing that was a bit jarring was the script, which often mixed English and Spanish words liberally in the same sentence. I'm not sure if that's authentic.

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The gameplay should be familiar to anyone who has played open world games like Ghost of Tsushima. Besides the main missions and side quests, there's plenty for protagonist Dani Rojas to do in his or her free time. You can craft and upgrade the new “resolver weapons”, which are home-brew weapons made from junk parts. Or tackle treasure hunts, which are interesting, often puzzle-based quests that reward you with cool stuff. There are also random encounters that you can jump into, if you feel like it. Or you can do nothing and soak in the atmosphere of this virtual life simulator. For instance, I would just chill and watch the rebel NPCs get into fights with the wildlife or soldiers. It's also pretty relaxing to cruise around in a 1950s convertible and listen to Dani sing along with the groovy music from the radio.

One tweak to the gameplay that I didn't quite enjoy is the removal of skill trees. Instead, perks and bonuses such as being able to move more quietly or carry more grenades are now tied to your armour and weapon mods. The issue arises when things go south and you need to go full rambo, which may require swapping your gear. But there's no quick loadout shortcut, so you'll have to stop and go into the inventory menu to do so. Difficulty-wise, Far Cry 6 should be a breeze for most gamers, even in the harder Action mode. If my initial stealth approach fails, I just end up killing all the enemies.

Far Cry 6 is mindless fun, though the story is too serious for its own good. The writers should lighten up. After all, the game has a gun that fires CDs at enemies while playing the 90s hit song Macarena as well as a pet alligator that you can sic on enemies. Embrace its silliness and Far Cry 6 will offer plenty of entertainment. You can buy the boxed versions on Lazada and Shopee while the digital game is available from Ubisoft.

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Note: Review code provided by AMD.