I had to put Far Cry 4 down for a period, as much as we loved Far Cry 3, and were keen to get into the fictional highlands of Himalayan Kyrat, shoot some baddies and hunt some wildlife.

But once we were wandering the landscape a certain melancholy took hold.  Sure, Far Cry 4 has a very different storyline, anchored with many similarities.  Instead of rescuing a band of brotastic rich-kid thrill-seekers, this is more a mystery involving a request from your now deceased mother to scatter her ashes in this beautiful region.

Of course there is a suitable ruthless and cinematic bad-guy oppressing the locals by force, and of course you join the cause of rebellion and freedom.  Pagan Min is a deliciously evil guy to deal with, and even though he does not appear too often directly in the game, his presence permeates the entire experience, through propaganda and the actions of the Royal Army you battle.

The problem was the familiarity; here we are again, hunting animals to make a loot-pouch big enough to carry even a mediocre amount of stolen stuff.  We are climbing towers to unlock more map area and missions, and planning our attacks on outposts to help liberate the oppression.

And to be honest, as much fun as that was in Far Cry 3, and as good as Far Cry 4 looks, it was just a little too samey to go through again.  So I stopped playing.

But, then I went back, and have subsequently enjoyed the experience.  Yes, it is Far Cry 3 but there are some changes that give some new twists on game-play.  For instance, vehicles can drive themselves down the twisting roads, ok, not so well, but at times it does give you a chance to concentrate on shooting side-arms out the window.

Whilst the “jungle” is not as lush as it was in Far Cry 3, it is full of locations to explore, dangerous wildlife and randomised events to take part in.  The eagles that attack at the most inappropriate moments are a pain in the butt, the new karma events where you rescue your fellow freedom fighters can sneak up on you from time to time with unintentional consequences.

There are supply truck hijacking events, new twists on outpost raiding and a slightly more intricate approach to tower climbing.  There is also the availability of online co-op fun with friends including an ability to offer fellow PS4 players a code to play along with you even if they do not own the game.

Should you buy it?  The bottom line is, if you enjoyed Far Cry 3, and feel like doing it all again, then let me present to you Far Cry 4.  Small refinements and additions to all the elements you loved in Far Cry 3 with the omission of most of the annoying characters.