“Patna, Boss” – Far Cry 4 E3 2014 Trailer leaves iLLGaming imagining

Prologue: (an excerpt from a Whatsapp Conversation exchanged between Sahil Arora, who’s having a blast at E3 and Tathagata Ray, who is trying to wrap up a Review for Murdered: Soul Suspect from his HQ in New Delhi)

(5:13 AM Indian Standard Time, June 10th 2014, minutes after Ubi Conference ended)
….

T: FarCry 4 bro! More Fun!

S: Holy Sh*t! I was just typing that!!!!!

T: F***, it’s back!

S: We gotta do some insane shit

Word is, when Sahil met Tathagata for the first time a year back, they became best buds over a 20 minute conversation just praising Far Cry 3, and brainstorming on what to expect from Blood Dragon. Sahil ended up reviewing Blood Dragon and Tathagata drew Vaas closer to his psychopathic doppelganger The Joker. They are, in all probabilities, the biggest slaves to this breed of insanity.

And now,

The definition of insanity just hit new high, raw native Hindi dialogues, timed with near accurate emphasis on words and usage of authentic native accent. This is Ubisoft’s greatest achievement in open world action titles, and it is heading straight to the Himalayas. And like I earlier predicted when I was kicked about a series of posters that were leaked before E3, including Far Cry 4, the Himalayas look astoundingly realistic. The narrow roads, the log bridges, the sudden landslides (how can I forget that moment) and the roadside accidents that can easily send you down tumbling 6000 feet to the ground are all happening. But those are the next gen Far Cry moments that nearly everyone predicted, and it’s a matter of meeting my expectations. What really outperformed my anticipations was the rustic Hindi language that has been seamlessly used as a part of the enemy dialogue. “Kaha se aa rahe ho?” (Where are you coming from?) asked one Kyrat guard. “Patna, boss!” replied a traveller.  This totally made this Indian game journalist’s morning special, as I looked through my windows at the dawning day, ending a whole night of sleepless E3 marathon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9al_k8e93I

The protagonist of Far Cry 4, Ajay Ghale, sounds Indian alright, thanks to his first name. I’m not too sure if a last name like Ghale exists, at least in this part of the country. In fact, even iLLGaming boasts of having an Ajay, who is an avid MOBA fan/writer. Keeping the trivia aside, honestly, what’s so special about the line “Patna, boss”? Well, if you are an Indian and you know the insanity that the Far Cry series is, these two words can be your biggest cue in this upcoming Himalayan disaster.

Patna is one of the most buzzing smaller cities in India that has a lot of history and mythology surrounding its evolution. Situated on the eastern half of the northern plains, Patna is capital city to the state of Bihar. A state that connects the country of India to its immediate neighbour, and the environment for the next Far Cry instalment – Nepal. Before the British Empire dispelled its sovereign from India, both Bihar and some parts of Nepal used to be theoretically India. The cultural influx has always been seamless, and Nepal has been one of the countries India has been fond of.  The same dominating religion in both Nepal and the Indian state of Bihar – Hinduism, makes it twins in terms of their culture, folklores and lifestyle. They even share their staple food. i.e. Rice and Curry with only the formal borders separating the two entities. It is also believed that Lord Buddha was born in Bihar and then he went as deep as Nepal to preach his newfound philosophy, which makes both the places hone a peace loving, monastery frenzy atmosphere. Nepal is known to be the home of some of the world’s tallest (and also the deadliest) peaks, like the Everest and Kangchenjunga.

With the protagonist having the name quite common amongst Hindu Indian men – Ajay (which means the Unconquerable), Far Cry 4 seems to roll out from India, and travel as further up as the mystical land of Kyrat, hidden somewhere in the Himalayan belt. The utterance of “Patna, boss” makes it evident that the crew who were travelling via the bus (as shown in the E3 trailer) are possibly native people of the state of Bihar, in the game’s foreign land of India (hence the Passport scene). Coming back to the Pagan Ming, he seems to carry untouchable swagger, in the way he dresses up to his final moments from the E3 trailer, taking a selfie with Ajay. I didn’t quite agree with the Caucasoid face of Ajay, honestly I thought of him to be a little wheatish (considering he is a hilly Indian) but I can buy Ming’s attitude. A despotic self-appointed King who has his hands into the Asian underworld of crime deserves a hideout in a place as indistinctly far away as the Himalayas. And eat this; Pagan Ming is voiced by, none other than Troy Baker.

Coming back to the authentic Hindi words and local curses that Far Cry 4 introduces, I think even I’m gonna chill for a bit, hermano! The trailer already introduces words like “Chewtiya” to the Western world, a curse that is widely popular in India. The other word which appeared in the trailer was “Chup” which means to “Shut Up” here. “Bhaad mein jao” as one of the guards yell rejecting the passports, means “Go to Hell” in Hindi. Far Cry has had a distinct adult audience throughout its history, and words like Fuck and Lick appear casually on the Loading Screen. So expecting a little Bhenchod (Sister Fucker) and Madarchod (Motherfucker) is the bare minimum I could from a franchise that delivers everything in its raw state, served colder than the usual melodrama.

One thing about Patna is that it was once a majestic kingdom, capital to some of the most heroic Hindu dynasties of the world. It was called Pataliputra back then, until King Ashoka showed up, a great warrior, but also a terrorising character headstrong about total control. He wanted to subdue and dominate even the most remote shades around his golden kingdom and so marched to war against the princely state of Kalinga, a handful of people who had the balls to say no to his dream. Not only was the war on Kalinga an easy victory for Ashoka, but it turned out to be history’s bloodiest war, the very sight of which transformed the angry Ashoka and made him a peace lover following his idol Lord Buddha’s steps. The next phase of King Ashoka’s rule was one of peace and progress, turning Pataliputra into one of the most iconic cities of ancient India. But as things changed, people changed.

The Pataliputra of yesteryear couldn’t match pace with the emergence of new rival cities, like Delhi and Mumbai, and it gave rise to another chapter in the city’s history – the underworld. Limited job opportunities and the economic slump made the young generation rise to fame based on thug life, pickpocketing and kidnapping and finally evolving as one of the most instrumental power lords of the country. The city has its healthy equation of trustworthy government officials and countrymen, who have resolved issues with the backing of their reasoning, which can evolve only out of a complex that this city provides. Will Ajay be a hero, or a villain? In the trailers he does seem important to Ming’s plans of the future, will he be a scapegoat, or a right hand man? Only time will tell.

Patna can also boast of the rise of common man to the political regime, controlling and thereby changing the dynamics of the society and economy. One such name is Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav, who was instrumental in fostering a government and statehood based completely on social equality. Coming from the low ranks himself, he gave the nation the world’s cheapest air conditioned railways – the Gareeb Rath (translated as Poor Man’s Chariot). He boasts of being quite the people’s champ, raising domestic animals in his own farm, and has the courage to deliberately make people laugh on his own jokes. But that doesn’t say how strict he can be, when laws and regulations are of the utmost concern. Will he be an inspiration for any of the characters, or hints from his rise to power? Well urm…

Patna is also famous for some of its iterations in the common Pop Culture of India, major credits to Bollywood. The whole idea of item songs, that involve a cameo heroine appearing for a mere 5 minutes as a part of a dance sequence, owes its credibility to some of the fundamental ideas coined by film makers of this part of India. And some Hindi numbers even track back to Patna and Bihar in order to make the feat known. Could an item number show up in Far Cry 4? Well, that’ll be the biggest Indian Holy Shit! moment ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t55okDH892Q

With only a few months to go until I can set loose elephants ramming at enemy gates, or jump off my own rickshaw (tuk tuk) taking down an enemy convoy in Far Cry 4, I cannot but anticipate the multiple new ideas that can make this game as legendary as the Himalayas themselves. Until then, here’s my Namaskar (Hello) and Dhanyavaad (Thanks) going out to all of you who enjoyed every bit of “Patna, Boss!” To Far Cry, Ubisoft, Ajay Ghale, Pagan Ming and to a possible return of one of the maddest villains of all time – Vaas Montenegro.

And like usual, let me leave you with a track from one of my favourite Far Cry of all time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnPx6wSL3AU

The excitement for Far Cry 4 that has gripped us continues in India se Kyrat: A Far Cry 4 Diary. Read Day 1 Chronicle:  http://www.illgaming.in/2014/11/india-se-kyrat-far-cry-4-diary/