Just Cause 4

Just Cause 4 is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective. The player assumes the role of series protagonist Rico Rodríguez. The game takes place in the fictional nation of Solís, a large open world consisting of different biomes including snowy mountains and deserts. Rico can travel the game's world using his wingsuit and grappling hook, whose functions are expanded to include the ability to attach hot air balloons and rocket boosters on objects.

A new wind and particle system was introduced, and it affects Rico's traversal with his wingsuit. The game also features a weather system and environmental hazards such as tornados and thunderstorms.

The game is set in a fictional South American country called Solís, which is home to extreme weather conditions. Rico Rodríguez takes on the Black Hand, the world's most powerful private army run by Gabriela Morales, a newly introduced character. The Black Hand served as a mercenary group to dictators Salvador Mendoza of Just Cause and Sebastiano Di Ravello in Just Cause 3. When Rico is shown evidence that his late father was working with The Black Hand, he plunges into the South American nation of Solís, the homeland of the Black Hand in search of answers.

After the events of Just Cause 3, Rico Rodríguez is approached by Mira Morales, a native of Solís, who says that Rico's father, Miguel Rodríguez, was working on the Illapa Project, a weather weapon that Oscar Espinosa is using to control the people of Solís.

Just Cause 4 was developed by Avalanche Studios and published by Square Enix. The game uses a new version of Avalanche's Apex game engine. The new technology allows the game to feature diverse and extreme weather effects, including blizzards, sandstorms, tornadoes and more. Developers of the game noted that improvements had been made to the game's artificial intelligence over Just Cause 3.

These changes were intended to make non-player characters smarter so that they behave more tactically and pose more of a threat to the player. Other improvements to the game engine include physics-based rendering and a new animation system. The game includes an Easter egg gameplay sequence which replicates the viral platformer Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy (2017). It is a collaboration between Square Enix and the game's developer Bennett Foddy, who provides humorously philosophical narration for the sequence.

According to review aggregator Metacritic, Just Cause 4 received "mixed or average" reviews from critics. While the open-world gameplay, controls, graphics and soundtrack were praised, its story, mission design, cutscenes and voice acting were criticized. The game was also heavily criticized by users who noted the game's regression in graphics quality relative to past installments in the series, in particular pointing out the greatly simplified water effects and flat-looking vegetation. This led to Square Enix developing a patch in an attempt to alleviate these complaints, with partial success.

The PlayStation 4 version of Just Cause 4 sold 16,100 copies within its first week on sale in Japan, which placed it at number seven on the all-format video game sales chart.