Indeed for 2004 it is a technological miracle, and one that preceded Doom 3 by several months. It obviously doesn't look as good as Doom 3 (though certain shots do come close), but it compensates for that by rendering huge, well-lit open spaces, while Doom 3 took place in claustrophobic corridors half-covered by thick shadows (not that it's a bad thing).

One thing that doesn't get enough praise is the sound design. Combined with these incredible graphics and highly detailed environments, it truly makes you feel like you're on a tropical island. There are plenty of quiet moments when you're able to hear birds and insects, I think I even heard monkeys at some point, but then you're also able to see some wildlife every now and again, a great variety of plants, like banana trees, and what seems to be dragonflies.

The gameplay is also great ... at first. You die quick, so you have to try and alert as few enemies to your presence as possible and always find strategically advantageous locations for combat. Enemy camps are usually spotted from afar, giving you freedom to try out different approaches. At some point you find a sniper rifle, which allows you a more long-range tactic. And finally you have vehicles to help you traverse the island faster or sometimes ram into enemy fortifications. The peak moment of the game, in my opinion, is the hang glider ride, which comes after an arduous climb to the top of the mountain and feels truly rewarding, letting you observe the beautiful island from the air (it probably only looks good if you crank up the draw distance in the config files like I did).

The next couple of missions are alright, but then it really comes crashing down. I don't think I've seen another game turn from a great one to a terrible one so quickly. It all happens when they introduce the monsters. Those little bastards are tanky as hell, kill you in one or two hits, run fast and very quiet, meaning they can sneak up on you. Oh, also they can lunge at you, so you can't outrun them. One time I accidentally shot one with a rocket point-blank, and I took less damage from the explosion than I would've taken from their attacks. But strangely I also found the human encounters too difficult from that point onwards as well. Idk what changed, but I just kept dying. The game just immediately became super punishing and cheap.

I'd say before the monsters it's like an 8, but after the monsters it's more like a 1. It becomes completely unplayable. I have no idea how the fuck some people beat it, because obviously some people did.

Crysis would later take all the best things of this game and enhance them. In retrospect it really feels like Far Cry is a proof-of-concept/tech-demo for Crysis, making it almost feel obsolete and redundant. Even at its best moments, it still reminds you of how much better Crysis is.