Why Far Cry 7 Needs Dual Protagonists Like Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Let’s be real—I’ve sunk more hours into Far Cry than I care to admit. From the sun-scorched beaches of Rook Island to the fictional Yara, this franchise has been my go-to for unhinged open-world chaos. But if there’s one thing that’s always been a bit of a thorn in my side, it’s the protagonists. We’ve had some absolute legends among villains: Vaas, Pagan Min, Joseph Seed—they’re the cat’s pajamas. The main heroes, though? Often forgettable. Now it’s 2026, and the rumor mill is churning with whispers that Far Cry 7 might finally take a leaf out of another Ubisoft gem—Assassin’s Creed Shadows—and introduce dual protagonists. As someone who’s been dreaming about this for years, I couldn’t be more stoked.

I remember finishing Far Cry 5 and feeling like the Deputy was just a camera with a gun—not a single spoken word, no personality, nada. Ubisoft clearly realized they’d dropped the ball, because Far Cry 6 gave us Dani Rojas, who finally felt like a genuine human being. Progress, right? But even then, the story still revolved around the charismatic antagonist, Antón Castillo. I get that Far Cry’s brand is built on iconic bad guys, but after spending 50 hours with a protagonist, I want to care about them too. That’s where a dual-protagonist setup could knock it out of the park.

If you played Assassin’s Creed Shadows (which blew up way back in 2024), you know exactly what I’m talking about. Having Naoe and Yasuke as two distinct leads wasn’t just a gimmick—it was an absolute game-changer. Naoe was all about shadows, silent take-downs, and shinobi trickery, while Yasuke brought the thunder with head-on samurai combat. Switching between them kept the gameplay fresh and let you approach any situation with your own flavor. Far Cry has always let you choose between going loud or ghosting through an outpost, but it’s always been half-baked. With two dedicated protagonists, you could spec one entirely for stealth and the other for run-and-gun mayhem. Imagine a Far Cry where one character is a nimble guerrilla fighter slipping through jungle foliage, while the other is a hardened tank roaring into a compound on a technical. That’s the kind of synergy that would make every settlement liberation feel like a custom-tailored experience.

Beyond the gameplay, the narrative potential here is through the roof. Far Cry stories are always about oppressive regimes and scrappy rebels trying to topple them. What if the next game gave us two protagonists from opposing sides of the conflict? I’m not talking about a simple good-vs-evil split—I mean a layered setup where one character is a disillusioned soldier within the regime, and the other is a passionate revolutionary. You could play as both, watching their perspectives clash and eventually merge. The villain, too, would come alive in a way that single-protagonist stories rarely achieve. One of them might see the tyrant as a father figure or former mentor, while the other views them as a monster that needs putting down. Emotional encounters, betrayals, and uneasy alliances—the drama writes itself. It’s the kind of storytelling that could finally give Far Cry’s heroes the spotlight they deserve, without stealing thunder from the baddies.

Let’s not forget how this could fix the franchise’s identity crisis. In recent titles, I’ve often felt like the protagonist was just a tool to push me from one explosive set-piece to another. Dual protagonists force the writers to flesh out both characters’ backstories and motivations, creating a more intimate journey. If Ubisoft plays their cards right, they could even weave in co-op elements—though honestly, I’m more than happy with a slick single-player campaign that lets me swap leads on the fly, akin to GTA V. It’s a proven formula that would shake off the staleness that’s been creeping into the series since Far Cry 4.

Sure, some purists might whine that dual protagonists mess with the classic Far Cry formula of a lone player against a world gone mad. But honestly, the series has been coasting for too long. It needs a shot in the arm, and borrowing the best idea from Assassin’s Creed is a no-brainer. As we wait for official news about Far Cry 7, I’ve got my fingers and toes crossed that Ubisoft isn’t just running in place. Give me two flawed, charismatic leads locked in a brutal power struggle set against a tropical hellscape, and I’ll be first in line to pre-order. The ball’s in your court, Ubisoft—don’t fumble it.