Just Cause 4 didn’t get the plaudits Avalanche and Square Enix might have hoped for when it released last December, but credit where it’s due, the team have been working hard to address the complaints that were levelled at the game, with regular monthly development updates and patches.
The latest is the Spring Update, which is dropping tonight, bringing overhauled specular lighting (which should really be “spectacular” lighting), improved combat AI, more ammo, Black Hand statues to tear down, and more ways to cause chaos and destruction. The update is available now for PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Here’s a run down of the features from Avalanche themselves:
- New Specular Lighting – We’ve updated world lighting, providing more vibrancy and visibility to the Isle of Solis
- Black Hand Statues – Send the Black Hand a message by destroying one of many new Black Hand statues found throughout the world of Just Cause 4. Get creative and tear them down!
- Increased Ammunition – We’ve dialled up Rico’s fire power as each weapon he equips now comes with more ammunition!
- Improved Combat AI – Improved vehicle combat AI brings more intense dogfights, deadly car chases and more action to Just Cause 4’s sandbox. Rico will face an increased Black Hand presence, creating even more action packed moments!
- New Mobile Chaos Objects – New mobile Chaos Objects have been introduced to Solis, giving Rico more opportunities for creative destruction! Look out for Black Hand trucks and Sky Cranes carrying chaos objects and take them down.
- Destructible Train Bridges And that’s not all for destruction, railway bridges are now destructible allowing Rico to de-rail the Black Hand’s hold on Solis!
Looking back at the game’s original release, and our Just Cause 4 review, Dom called it “the best entry in the series to date, offering spectacular free-wheeling destruction on a scale that’s not been attempted before. Rico remains one of gaming’s most enjoyable protagonists, but more than ever before, it’s really all about what he’s capable of doing rather than the events unfolding around him.”
Of course, putting different versions of the game under the microscope and the weaknesses of Avalanche’s game became clearer, with major compromises to the game on console in terms of resolution. Several updates have come along the way since, introducing major new engine capabilities, such as checkerboarding to achieve a higher resolution, improved anti-aliasing, and general performance optimisation. This Spring Update should take things further still.
Source: press release
