Why Vaas Is still The Best Far Cry Villain
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VOICE OVER: Riccardo Tucci
WRITTEN BY: Alex Crilly-Mckean
Pirate. Maniac. Legend. Welcome to MojoPlays and today we'll be looking at the reasons why Far Cry 3's Vaas Montenegro is still the best villain of the franchise. We'll be breaking down his fearful charisma, quotable dialogue, impact on the series and more Is Vaas YOUR favorite Far Cry villain? Let us know in the comments below
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Script written by Alex Crilly-Mckean
Pirate. Maniac. Legend. Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’ll be looking at the reasons why Far Cry 3’s Vaas Montenegro is still the best villain of the franchise.
The Far Cry series has certainly come a long way in recent years, standing up alongside Assassin’s Creed as one of Ubisoft’s flagships. Give or take, you know what you’re in for: wide open worlds, plenty of outposts to liberate, and narratives that aren’t afraid to explore the worst of humanity. Everyone has their own personal favourite, 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 it's all down to the man with his face on the cover. Why? Well, let’s dive in and find out.
Perhaps these lines wouldn’t have the same resonance if not for Michael Mando, but it’s 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, not to mention legendary by this point. Whereas 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, especially when they started to make a little too much sense.
There’s a very thin line between crafting a villain that’s wholly irredeemable and one that players feel a connection to. Vaas walks across that line with bloodstained hands and synth music playing in the background. Given his fondness for killing and torture, it’s clear that Vaas is incapable of any form of redemption, though it’s clear that due to violent family drama, Rook Island’s barbaric nature and a whole lot of drugs, he didn’t have much of a chance to begin with. And yet, from his very first scene, we can’t help but be enchanted with his maliciousness. It’s that sweet spot between enjoyable and hateable, and players couldn’t get enough of it.
Far Cry 4’s Pagan Min: fashionable and fun, but given the events of the story, turned out to be the most justified character out of the bunch. Far Cry 5’s Joseph Seed: mesmerising in his zealotry, but at times was so charismatic that you couldn’t help but wonder if you were on the wrong side, which took away some of the agency. Far Cry 6’s Anton Castillo…no idea, but we can only hope. However, it’s fair to say that all have clearly spring-boarded off of Vaas’ success by being both psychotic yet charming. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a major improvement compared to the days of Doctor Krieger, 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.
Not to knock the performances of his fellow actors or anything. Troy Baker is always awesome, Greg Bryk was borderline hypnotising, and Giancarlo Esposito is…come on, it’s Giancarlo Esposito, of course he’s going to be amazing. But there’s something about Michael Mando’s portrayal of Vaas that just resonates. The Spanish flare, the screams, the way he delivers his now infamous lines, whether it be in-game or live-action, it’s just a treat to behold, and should have at least won a Game Award or Bafta for it! You can see why fans are hyped to see his return in the Far Cry 6 season pass.
Even if you disregard all the other games in the franchise, you only have to look at Vaas’ accomplishments within Far Cry 3 itself to understand just how influential he 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 colours, and did so about halfway through the game. Afterwards, players are presented with a new villain, Hoyt. As Vaas’ superior, Hoyt was 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.
Why Vaas is Still the Best Far Cry Villain
Pirate. Maniac. Legend. Welcome to MojoPlays and today we’ll be looking at the reasons why Far Cry 3’s Vaas Montenegro is still the best villain of the franchise.
The Far Cry series has certainly come a long way in recent years, standing up alongside Assassin’s Creed as one of Ubisoft’s flagships. Give or take, you know what you’re in for: wide open worlds, plenty of outposts to liberate, and narratives that aren’t afraid to explore the worst of humanity. Everyone has their own personal favourite, 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 it's all down to the man with his face on the cover. Why? Well, let’s dive in and find out.
Infinitely Quotable
Perhaps these lines wouldn’t have the same resonance if not for Michael Mando, but it’s 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, not to mention legendary by this point. Whereas 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, especially when they started to make a little too much sense.
Fearful Charisma
There’s a very thin line between crafting a villain that’s wholly irredeemable and one that players feel a connection to. Vaas walks across that line with bloodstained hands and synth music playing in the background. Given his fondness for killing and torture, it’s clear that Vaas is incapable of any form of redemption, though it’s clear that due to violent family drama, Rook Island’s barbaric nature and a whole lot of drugs, he didn’t have much of a chance to begin with. And yet, from his very first scene, we can’t help but be enchanted with his maliciousness. It’s that sweet spot between enjoyable and hateable, and players couldn’t get enough of it.
He Became The New Standard
Far Cry 4’s Pagan Min: fashionable and fun, but given the events of the story, turned out to be the most justified character out of the bunch. Far Cry 5’s Joseph Seed: mesmerising in his zealotry, but at times was so charismatic that you couldn’t help but wonder if you were on the wrong side, which took away some of the agency. Far Cry 6’s Anton Castillo…no idea, but we can only hope. However, it’s fair to say that all have clearly spring-boarded off of Vaas’ success by being both psychotic yet charming. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a major improvement compared to the days of Doctor Krieger, 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.
Michael Mando's Performance
Not to knock the performances of his fellow actors or anything. Troy Baker is always awesome, Greg Bryk was borderline hypnotising, and Giancarlo Esposito is…come on, it’s Giancarlo Esposito, of course he’s going to be amazing. But there’s something about Michael Mando’s portrayal of Vaas that just resonates. The Spanish flare, the screams, the way he delivers his now infamous lines, whether it be in-game or live-action, it’s just a treat to behold, and should have at least won a Game Award or Bafta for it! You can see why fans are hyped to see his return in the Far Cry 6 season pass.
His Impact
Even if you disregard all the other games in the franchise, you only have to look at Vaas’ accomplishments within Far Cry 3 itself to understand just how influential he 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 colours, and did so about halfway through the game. Afterwards, players are presented with a new villain, Hoyt. As Vaas’ superior, Hoyt was 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.
