Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. Guides
  4. Reviews

’Far Cry 5: Lost on Mars’ turns fighting aliens into a yawn-worthy slog

By
1 of 11
Far Cry 5: Lost on Mars
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Far Cry 5: Lost on Mars
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Far Cry 5: Lost on Mars
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Far Cry 5: Lost on Mars
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Far Cry 5: Lost on Mars
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Far Cry 5: Lost on Mars
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Far Cry 5: Lost on Mars
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Far Cry 5: Lost on Mars
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Far Cry 5: Lost on Mars
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Far Cry 5: Lost on Mars
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Far Cry 5: Lost on Mars
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Far Cry 5: Lost on Mars is a case study in everything that’s wrong with paid expansion packs, especially those that come with season passes. The Far Cry series has a history of zany expansions, from Far Cry 4’s Valley of the Yetis to the standalone Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. Lost on Mars, on the (red) surface, appears to add to this whimsical tradition. Sadly, it does so only at a glance. Lost on Mars is a bland and barren experience that practically begs you not to see it through to the end.

Recommended Videos

In Lost on Mars, two supporting characters from Far Cry 5, Nick Rye and Hurk Drubman Jr., find themselves in an improbable, high stakes situation — the stuff that wacky Far Cry DLC is made for. Hurk somehow winds up on Mars. His body parts have been scattered across the planet, which happens to be infested with vicious alien insects. Naturally, he calls his buddy Nick to come put him back together. An animated cutscene shows Nick transported up to Mars, where he meets Hurk’s head and an AI named ANNE, who claims that Earth will be destroyed if they don’t help turn back on Mars’ servers.

Related

While the expansion’s setting is cool, the DLC is ultimately among the most generic and boring depictions of the Red Planet around.

If the severed head companion sounds familiar — hello, God of War — it’s not the only riff on another game here. Hurk’s consciousness is transferred into a tiny robot called Brobot, reminiscent of Ghost in Destiny. And even the overarching story, where you’re guided by a supposedly benevolent AI, takes cues from the original BioShock. Don’t worry — that isn’t really a spoiler. It’s clear ANNE is evil from the get-go.

Lost on Mars’ setup has potential, but once you’ve played ten minutes of it, you’ve experienced everything it has to offer. The spacious yet empty map is mostly filled with stretches of red and brown wasteland. Interspersed throughout are facilities and towers to power on. There aren’t any defined missions; instead, you simply look at your map, mark the next facility, and get on your way.

Each of these objectives has a familiar loop. You either scale a tower using your gravity belt (basically a jetpack), protect a robot while it repairs the power button, or defeat a Queen arachnid, a powerful and durable insect mother, to power on the station.

After you’ve scaled one tower, you’ve scaled them all. After you defeat one Queen, the rest feel tedious. And after you’ve defended a bot against an army of giant insects, you’ll never want to do it again. It certainly doesn’t help that there’s very little enemy variety. There’s only a few ground arachnid variants, each of which vault from under the dusty terrain to claw at you. The only other enemy, a flying pterodactyl-like bug, spews fire while you scale towers.

You fight using flashy new sci-fi weapons, but they’re almost universally disappointing. The space pistols, rifles, shotguns, and laser guns all pack a measly punch, but they also feel the same. Besides the Nut Hugger (seriously), a weapon that fires homing lasers, the intergalactic arsenal will have you wishing for a more traditional set of guns. Worse, the space insects don’t really react to getting shot. Combat feels like an elaborate game of laser tag.

Lost on Mars’ lone bright spot is Hurk’s commentary. Far Cry players have come to know Hurk over the years, as he appeared in Far Cry 3, Far Cry 4, and Far Cry 5. He’s just as lovably unintelligent here, spewing a near non-stop barrage of inappropriate jokes and nonsensical banter — a lot of which is genuinely funny.

Hurk isn’t nearly enough to save this expansion from becoming busywork, though. While the expansion’s setting is cool, the DLC is ultimately among the most generic and boring depictions of the Red Planet around.

As the second of three Far Cry 5 expansions offered in the season pass, Lost on Mars makes a strong case for why buying season passes ahead of time is a bad idea. Even if you own the season pass, you’re better off saving yourself the five hours you need to beat Lost on Mars.

Go knit a sweater instead. It’ll prove a bit less repetitive, and hey — you’ll have a sweater when you’re done.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Steven Petite
Steven Petite
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…
Far Cry 6 Amigos companions guide: How to unlock, perks, abilities, and more
A small dog named Chorizo from Far Cry 6.

The more recent Far Cry titles have all straddled a line between mostly serious and dark main stories with wild and over-the-top gameplay. Far Cry 6 places you in the role of a freedom fighter trying to overthrow an oppressive government run by a corrupt dictator, but in between those main campaign missions are plenty of opportunities for off-the-wall antics and mayhem. It's thanks to that balance that the game doesn't become too self-serious and remains fun to play for the dozens of hours you can spend roaming the map completing optional objectives and searching out all the collectibles.

One of the wackiest new mechanics in Far Cry 6 is called Amigos. In past games, you could occasionally recruit other soldiers to fight with you, and in Primal even tame a wild animal to temporarily join you. Now there are uniquely named animal companions that you can unlock and take with you on your fight against the military powers of Yara. Each Amigo has its own advantages and abilities that you can level up to make them even more powerful. Plus, some are just downright adorable. Here's a full breakdown of all seven Amigos to unlock in Far Cry 6, including the DLC ones.

Read more
Far Cry 6: How to find and open all Criptograma Chests
Two players ride horses in Far Cry 6.

While Far Cry 6 has been nearly universally deemed as "just more Far Cry," the fact is the series is still somewhat unique among other games. There are not many other titles out there that are both massive open-world games, overflowing with side missions, collectibles, activities, and treasures to hunt, and first-person shooters. For the most part, those two ingredients aren't blended all that often. That perspective shift can make exploring the lush landscape of Yara all the more enjoyable, and even push you toward wanting to hunt down all of its secrets. One of the most cryptic of collectibles on the island is the Criptograma Chests.

Criptograma Chests are very different from typical chests littered around the map in Far Cry 6. You won't be able to crack these crates open the moment you find them. All of the 15 Criptograma Chests require you to first find two Criptograma Charts to unlock them, meaning you will need to find a total of 30 charts to scoop up all 15 of the rewards. And you'll want these rewards, too, as these chests hold some of the strongest gear in the game. Plus, as is common for collectibles in an open-world game, if you open them all you can also get the That's Puzzling trophy or achievement. Finding the chests is one thing, but combined with the charts, this is a daunting treasure hunt.

Read more
The best weapons in Far Cry 6 and how to get them
far cry 6 ubisoft forward season pass

The revolution Yara so desperately needs in Far Cry 6 cannot be accomplished without violence. The dictator Anton Castillo is determined to use his new cancer treatment to bolster his own power, despite promising to use it to rebuild the unstable country. Now that he's treating his people more as slaves than citizens, it is up to you and the guerilla fighters to take down Castillo's government and free the people of Yara. It is a big island, however, with many obstacles in your path to Castillo, including soldiers as well as natural predators. It's a good thing your character Dani is more than skilled with various tools of destruction.

You'll be exposed to a lot of weapons during your time in Far Cry 6. The island is littered with them, though you won't find the best of the best just lying around. There are many categories of weapons, such as rifles, SMGs, LMGs, snipers, shotguns, bows, and more. Plus, there are unique weapons in each category that have special buffs but are not able to be modded. Between the sheer number of guns, plus all the ways you can alter them with mods, and trying to figure out how to get what you want, this already packed game can be overwhelming. Here are the best weapons in Far Cry 6 and how you can get them.

Read more