Xbox 360 PS3

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

ShooterAdventure

Time to beat: about 7.4 hours
Plays offline: Yes

Overview

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is a 2013 first-person shooter game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is a standalone expansion to Far Cry 3 and the seventh overall installment in the Far Cry franchise. Blood Dragon is a retro-futuristic parody of 1980s action films, cartoons and video games, and takes place on an open world island. Players assume the role of military cyborg Sergeant Rex "Power" Colt. Gameplay is largely similar to Far Cry 3, though several systems from the base game were simplified or removed, and it introduces the titular Blood Dragon, a massive reptile that fires lasers from its eyes and can be lured to attack enemy garrisons.

The game's development was completed in about six months. It was part of Ubisoft's initiative to release downloadable content that would appeal to newcomers to the series, and the team was tasked to create something unexpected as Far Cry 3 downloadable content. The game was inspired by movies from the 1980s such as The Wraith and Terminator, and recent movies like Manborg and Hobo with a Shotgun. The director for Hobo with a Shotgun, Jason Eisener, became the game's informal advisor after befriending the game's director, Dean Evans. Michael Biehn, who played Sgt. Kyle Reese in the Terminator franchise, was invited to provide his voice for the game's protagonist, while Australian synthwave duo Power Glove composed the game's soundtrack.

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon was released for PlayStation 3 on 30 April 2013, and for Windows and Xbox 360 on 1 May 2013. The game received generally positive reviews upon release, and was praised for its gameplay, soundtrack and its 1980s influence, but opinions were divided on the game's attempts at humour. The game was a commercial success for Ubisoft, as it sold 1 million copies by August 2013. A remastered version of the game was released in December 2021, available for players who purchased the Far Cry 6 season pass. While the game did not have a sequel, a spin-off, Trials of the Blood Dragon, was released in 2016. An adult animated series loosely inspired by Blood Dragon, titled Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, released on Netflix in October 2023.