JUST CAUSE 3 review

Adrenalin in gaming form. That’s one way of describing Just Cause 3; an overdose of pixelated action, violence and eye-boggling explosions.

Set in a paradise island ruled by a ruthless dictator (aren’t they all?), your mission is to liberate the local population by any means necessary. In other words, you have an open licence to leave behind a trail of exploding buildings, crumbling towers and flaming car wrecks wherever you go. You’re basically an insurance company’s worst nightmare.

Fans of the Grand Theft Auto series will feel instantly at home in the sandbox environment; freedom is yours to pretty much do as you will. You can go anywhere on the vast, sprawling island, causing carnage as you see fit. It sounds silly on paper, but nothing really does quite match the buzz you get from destroying inanimate objects in this game. There is something deeply satisfying about it, and blowing things up is what Just Cause 3 does best. Each location you come across features a set number of buildings and objects that you have to destroy. Tick them all off the list and you have liberated another region.

The in-game physics really come alive as you detonate a radar station or towering building, with the object breaking up and even catching other buildings nearby to cause a chain wave of destruction. It is a joy to watch as they come cascading down, and something that you want to keep repeating as you attempt to bring about more chaos and more chaos.

Whilst the basic gameplay doesn’t change much, there are multitude varieties of weapons and vehicles to try out. Cars, speedboats, airplanes, helicopters and bikes are all available to spin about in. Again, when it comes to weapons, there are all types of rifles, pistols, shotguns, rocket launchers and explosives to set to work with. Combine this with a wingsuit, parachute and your trusty grapple hook, and you will find plenty to keep you occupied with as you continue your trail of destruction. The onus here is on you finding more insane and inventive ways of blowing things up.

Call Just Cause 3 what you will, but it sure isn’t boring. It may have a silly story and ever so slightly repetitive action, but who cares when a game is this much fun to play? If you are looking for a solid action game that is packed to the gills with explosions, then this delivers exactly what you are looking for. Mindless destruction has never been so entertaining.

4/5

Mark Pilkington