Just Cause 4 Preview – Tools for Creative Chaos

There is no shortage of open world games available on the market. Just this last month, the industry saw the release of two favorable reviewed games with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Red Dead Redemption 2. With such a crowded field, just about every open world game strives to find a hook that makes it stand out from the crowd. The Just Cause series, which debuted in 2006, has found its hook by leaning into the absurd. As a result, the series has its own brand of mayhem that runs deeper than what is on the surface. With Just Cause 4 set to release on December 4, Avalanche Studios is making sure players have the tools to allow their imagination run free in a chaotic-filled world.

During a recent preview event in Los Angeles, it was evident that Avalanche Studios knows exactly what kind of game they are making. It’s no secret that the story has been the weakest part of the series, so this time, the game will have a more laid-back approach to its narrative. The team behind Just Cause 4 wants the game to be player-centric and not force its attention on the series’ main character, Rico Rodriguez. “From a narrative perspective, the story is much more player motivated,” said Ben Jaekle, Narrative Designer on Just Cause 4.

That’s not to say there is no story; players will guide Rico across the fictional island of Solis as he tracks down the Black Hand, a powerful private military. There are even bits of environmental story telling spread across the island’s four biomes.

Just Cause 4’s focus will be on the tools given to players to help Rico wreck havoc on the Black Hand. “The new set of stuff that we want to bring in and really make this game give a lot more options than [Just Cause 3],” said Hamish Young, Lead Mechanics Designer. This is where the game will reward imaginative players with moments that are fun and satisfying.

Rico’s grappling hook returns and is reworked to give players far more control than previous entries. Modifications can be added like retraction, which will yank any object or person to whatever end Rico tethers it to. There’s a fulton device similar to the one in Metal Gear Solid V, which is basically a balloon that can make people and objects float. There’s also a rocket boost that can give Rico control over which way he can propel an object tethered.

The biggest change to these mods, however, is that they can be equipped to different button prompts on the controller. For example, the retraction modification can be setup to work automatically once two objects are tethered. But if the player wants more control over the action, they can change the modification to work after a tap or a hold of a separate button.

Modifications can be stacked as well, which can lead to imaginative moments. During a demonstration, Rico placed the fulton balloons on a tank, and attached rocket boosts to the back of the vehicle. After triggering the balloons to inflate, the war machine floated off the side of a cliff. Then, Rico triggered the rocket boosts to propel the tank forward, letting him have control of the trajectory of the floating vehicle.

I discovered a lot of neat tricks with the modifications as well when I finally got my hands on them. In one instance, I tethered a bunch of cars together on a freeway. I then attached rockets and balloons to one of the vehicles and made all of then spin out of control. But I discovered that I inadvertently created a wrecking ball as one of the vehicles swung across the highway and slammed into a passing car. The more I fooled around with the grapple hook, the more fun I got out of the exaggerated physics of Just Cause 4.

During Rico’s adventure, he encounters Project Illapa, a machine that creates powerful weather phenomena like tornadoes or sandstorms. Each of the storms will provide unique gameplay options for the player. Sandstorms force Rico to stay on the ground with his movement impeded. In one instance, I found myself engaged in a firefight in one of these sandstorms, and it was difficult to keep my focus as my movement felt sluggish. Tornadoes feel really devastating as well. They suck up anything its path, but Rico can use its force as a way to slingshot himself into the air.

Much like the reworked grapple hook, the powerful weather systems will breed imaginative and fun moments for the player. While I didn’t have a chance to experiment too much with the tornadoes, I’ve already though of some ideas. Like, tethering a bunch of Black Hand goons to a truck and then driving that truck straight into the path of a tornado.

I walked away surprised with how much fun I had experimenting with Just Cause 4’s mechanics and how it worked in tandem with the game’s physics. Admittedly, I had a little trouble getting a grasp of the grapple hook. There’s a depth to it that was not immediately clear to me, but I still had my fun.

I am curious how a lot of the mechanics, which feel like tools for players to use their imagination to create chaos, will work the game’s missions. If missions are too linear, I fear that those tools will feel limited and lead to less creative moments than what can be found in the free roam part of the game.

No matter how Just Cause 4 turns out when it releases on December 4, it’s clear Avalanche Studios knows exactly what kind of game it made. It’s totally absurd, but brilliant in how pure the moment-to-moment open world gameplay feels. In a crowded field of open world games, many of which are pretty damn good, Just Cause 4 feels unique.

Just Cause 4 will release December 4, 2018 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.