Avalanche has unwrapped Just Cause 4 in all its glory with the first game play trailer for the upcoming everything-can-be-destroyed stunt simulator. The video focuses on the brand new extreme weather events coming to Just Cause 4 and more specifically a careening tornado by way of an in-game mission.
In this particular mission, Rico must chase down a rampaging tornado in the purpose built Storm Chaser, an armor-plated vehicle capable of withstanding the force of a swirling maelstrom of wind and debris.
The tornado wields such power that transporters, shipping contains, bridges, and airborne fighter jets are no match for its swirling pull. As befits Just Cause, any object propelled into the air invariably ends up causing an explosive mess. The video details how Avalanche’s proprietary Apex engine is capable of assigning precise calculations to each object to determine trajectory in real time.
A few close calls later and Rico ends up in the Black Hand stronghold at Solis’ airport. In classic Just Cause style, Rico is tasked with the outlandish task of disabling huge wind cannon turrets, which are miraculously shepherding the tornado away from the base.
Cue the creative disposal of enemies with the new energy beam shooting rail gun. As a secondary function, the rail gun deploys a gun-mounted drone capable of battling alongside Rico. As you’d expect, the drone can also be used as a purchase point for the grappling hook.
Rico destroys a further wind cannon and the tornado wreaks havoc in the airfield, sucking up a full-sized 747 that explodes spectacularly. As always, the surrounding landscape is ravaged and we are left wondering who will pick up the reconstruction bill. With all the merciless defacing of towns and pristine natural areas, the cost of Rico’s destructive wake must be in the billions of dollars by now.
Impressive as the visuals may be, it does beg the question of whether Just Cause 4 has bitten off more than it can chew and will be fraught with the same bothersome performance issues that affected Just Cause 3. The new Apex engine hopefully points towards a more optimized game capable of running smoothly on all supported platforms.
Just Cause 4 crash lands on December 4th for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
