Pirate. Maniac. Legend
The Far Cry series has certainly come a long way in recent years, standing up alongside Assassin’s Creed as one of Ubisoft’s greatest accomplishments. Lush open worlds, thrilling combat and narratives that aren’t afraid to explore the worst of humanity. Everyone has their own personal favorites, but in terms of sheer impact, Far Cry 3 is in a league all its own. Many have tried to duplicate its success, but none have quite managed it, and we think there’s an obvious reason why. Two words; Vaas Montenegro.
Thanks to a powerhouse performance by Michael Mando, Vaas practically became a video game icon overnight. He was essentially the face of Far Cry 3, whose words and actions have raised the bar for antagonists everywhere. With Far Cry 5 on the horizon, we decided to look back on Vaas’ antics and list the top three reasons why he remains the series’ greatest villain!
#3: He’s Infinitely Quotable
Perhaps these lines wouldn’t have the same resonance if not for Michael Mando, but its fair to say that practically every piece of spoken dialogue that escapes Vaas’ mouth is gold. His speech on the definition of insanity is as haunting as it is captivating, while every time he starts screaming at Jason it chills us to the bone. From his first scene to his last, his psychotic ramblings never failed to inspire fear and awe.
#2: He Became The New Standard
Far Cry 4’s Pagan Min certainly had some awesome moments and we can’t exactly judge Far Cry 5’s Joseph Seed until we see him in action, but it’s fair to say that both have clearly tried to borrow off of Vaas’ success by being both psychotic yet charming. With Pagan, he at times came across as too likeable, to the point where he was barely an antagonist. Seed appears to be more akin to Vaas’ more ruthless nature, but to that end he comes across as a zealot copycat. It’s a hard tightrope to walk, but the fact Vaas was so fascinating in spite of the atrocities he committed shows that his whole character was like catching lightning in a bottle.
#1: His Impact
Disregarding all the other games in the series, you only have to look at Vaas’ accomplishments within Far Cry 3 itself to understand just how influential his legacy is. From beginning to end, Vaas enthralled us with his cruelty. He kept baiting Jason into becoming as mad as him, he pushed the player towards embracing the monster within. He accomplished this with flying colors, and did so about halfway through the game. Afterwards, players are presented with a new villain; Hoyt. As Vaas’ superior, Hoyt was presented as a sadistic madman that was meant to serve as the true villain of the game…and he fell flat. Everything Hoyt tried to do, Vaas did it first. Even as a henchman, Vaas eclipsed everyone around him, to the point where no one else could even hope of taking the spotlight away.
Be sure to check out our video below to see who would in a fight between Vaas Montenegro and Trevor Philips!