Regardless of what you think about Far Cry Primal, the reviews are in and one thing is clear; it is not a narrative-driven game. While the lack of a story has been cited by critics as a strike against it, some simply want to know; What does this have anything to do Far Cry 4? Though Primal does not seem to carry any official connection to the 2014 shooter, there’s a presumed connection because elements of the game were repurposed from the series’ last numbered chapter.
As it turns out, Ubisoft has provided a pseudo-canonical linking the prehistoric adventure to Far Cry 4 through a tie-in blog on the game’s website. In two short posts, the Cauley Excavation Blog offers dispatches from archeologist Joseph Cauley’s dig at “a Mesolithic site” in Central Europe, which we can safely assume aims to uncover the remains of Primal‘s cast.
Here’s the kicker: The first post, written by Dr. Cauley himself, introduced the blog’s primary author, journalist Divya Kandala, whom Cauley notes as well-known for writing a profile on Far Cry 4 villain Pagan Min. For Far Cry 4, Ubisoft created a fake personal blog for Kandala, a writer based in the fictional nation, which included an interview with Min.
“We’ve gotten permission to dig at a Mesolithic site along the Danube and we’re certain that we are going to find some very interesting items,” Cauley wrote in his blog post. “We are so certain of this, in fact, that we have hired rock star journalist, Divya Kandala, to document our progress. I submitted her name to the folks at The Molay Group after reading her work (you may remember her from her beautiful piece on former Kyrati dictator Pagan Min, published in Weekly Read). I’m certain that she will be writing something even more praise-worthy once we are finished here!”
As Kotaku pointed out, the stories of the Far Cry series are not directly connected, mercenary/conflict zone drifter Hurk, who appears in optional missions for both Far Cry 3 and 4, suggesting the two games exist in the same world. Last year, Eurogamer took some loose threads and wove a winding conspiracy theory-esque fiction connecting the narratives of all four numbered Far Cry games. It’s pretty neat, especially when you consider that it makes Far Cry Primal an indirect prequel for the whole series.
