Square Enix unveiled Just Cause 4 during its E3 live stream, confirming the game will ship on December 4th for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
A trailer giving a taste of what Rico is up to in the fourth entry in the series was also released. The game is set in Solis, a 1024 square kilometer fictional South American country rife with conflict. The topography features the usual mix of mountain ranges, verdant coastal stretches, arid deserts, and dense jungles interspersed with vibrant cities, age-old temples, and scattered bucolic settlements.
Solis is the stronghold of the world’s most powerful and advanced para-military group, called Black Hand. As with previous titles, Rico joins forces with the local rebels to rid Solis of its murderous oppressors and free the populace. Led by redoubtable leader Gabriela Morales, Black Hand is the franchise’s most versatile and adept opponent yet. Rico Rodriguez is also fueled by a far more personal quest; uncover the secrets of his father’s connection to Solis, and by extension understand his own past.
Just Cause 4 sees an emphasis on dynamic weather as seen in the tornado looming in the distance during the trailer. Rampaging lightning and snow storms will also feature, with Rico able to employ the unique possibilities of each type of extreme weather. For example, a tornado actually ravages and blows away standing structures, passing planes, and anything else in its path.
As expected, physics will play a huge part in Just Cause 4 with Rico making use of his arsenal of tools including the wingsuit, grappling hook, parachute, and a bunch of new vehicles. The mechanics of these have been rejigged to offer more destructive possibilities and better tethering on environmental objects.
The physics are nothing we’ve seen before in a video game at such a large, impactful scale. This is all thanks to Avalanche moving on from their trusted engine instead of patching it to suit a new release. The team started from the ground up to create the brand spanking new APEX engine. The decision was made in part due to a desire to rectify the failings of Just Cause 3, notably the performance issues plaguing the console version.
The game ships as three editions; standard, digital deluxe, and gold editions. The latter two include 24h early access, and a special prototype wing-suit among other bonuses. For more details on the editions, you can check out Square Enix’s dedicated Just Cause 4 page.
