Why Crysis Felt So Real Compared to Far Cry

Crysis and Far Cry are both famous video games created by Crytek. Although they were released only three years apart, players often notice that Crysis looks much more realistic and impressive than Far Cry. Many people assume this difference comes from better technology, but Crytek explains that the real reason is not about technology alone.

The artists and developers at Crytek wanted Crysis to look like a real place in nature. While Far Cry's team created jungles and environments from imagination, the Crysis team decided to base everything on real life. They even traveled to Haiti to study real rainforests, taking photos and making notes about how things looked in nature. This careful observation helped them recreate tiny details like how sunlight passes through leaves or how water reflects and bends light. Artists and engineers worked together closely to use these observations in the game's design.

This new approach made a big difference. The tropical islands in Crysis feel authentic because they are based on real-world references. Even though there were some improvements in technology, it was this focus on copying nature that made Crysis stand out.

Today, most video games use a similar process by scanning real objects and using real photos to make their game worlds look lifelike. But back in 2007, this was a new idea, and it is a big reason why Crysis still looks amazing nearly twenty years after its release. Sadly, development on Crysis 4 has stopped for now, but the impact of the original Crysis continues to be seen in many modern games.

Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/crytek-says-the-most-important-difference-between-far-cry-and-crysis-had-nothing-to-do-with-technology-in-crysis-we-mimicked-nature-as-closely-as-possible/