Christian Review of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands (2024) on PC

My ghost is lying prone in the dense grass, marking unwitting cartel crew members from 100 feet above with a drone. Across the valley, my wife’s ghost is camping on a nearby hill, her sniper rifle peeking over the rocks and aimed squarely at a counter-sniper’s grumpy mug as he scouts from his guard tower. I give her the go-ahead over Discord, and she takes the shot.

Crack! The counter-sniper goes down with a satisfying and audible thunk. We move in with assault rifles, picking off the low-level foot soldiers as they scramble to pinpoint our position. I toss a flash bang around the corner, the baddies can’t even see their end coming. My wife moves swiftly to the objective, secures the package, and we exfiltrate using a nearby helicopter. We’re both congratulated with a job well done from our handler, Bowman, and our adrenaline is only just starting to wear off.

This exhilarating moment exemplifies the core experience of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands, a game that, even in 2024, continues to deliver intense, cooperative tactical action.

Released in 2017, Wildlands (as we’ll refer to it from here on) drops players into a fictionalised version of Bolivia that has fallen under the control of the Santa Blanca drug cartel. As members of an elite US Special Forces team known as the Ghosts, players are tasked with dismantling the cartel’s operations and freeing Bolivia from its iron grip. It’s a premise that sets the stage for dozens of hours of gameplay across a massive and varied landscape.

Gameplay

At its foundation, Wildlands is a third-person shooter that encourages tactical decision-making. The game shines brightest when played cooperatively with up to three other players. But solo players aren’t left in the dark: Sole players get partied up with three AI-controlled squad mates, who can be issued commands, and will race to your aid if you’re downed.

The freedom to approach missions as you see fit is very refreshing in a world where corridor shooters are the norm. Want to go in guns blazing? That’s an option, though you’ll need to be prepared for a fierce firefight on higher difficulties. Prefer a stealthier approach? Utilise your drone to mark enemies, disable alarms, and pick off enemies slowly and silently with a suppressed sidearm. The game accommodates various play styles, but careful planning and coordination is vital.

Speaking of drones, these little gadgets will fast become your best friend. They are as essential to your arsenal as any firearm. As you play and accrue skill points, your drone can be upgraded with one of several abilities:

• EMP detonation: Perfect for disabling enemy vehicles and tech.
• Explosive payload: Great for taking out lightly armoured vehicles.
• Medical ability: A lifesaver for reviving downed teammates.

My wife favoured the explosive drone, while I became quite attached to the EMP variant. Every so often, the mission will call for you to detain and interrogate a key cartel member. When these slippery individuals attempt to make a break for it in a superfast sports car, the EMP drone is a lifesaver in disabling their best chance of escape. There’s nothing quite like charging up to these guys as they sulk in their immobilised car, resigned to their fate.

The gun play feels responsive and satisfying, with a wide array of weapons to unlock and customise. Most players, myself included, gravitate towards a combination of sniper rifle and assault rifle (often with a handy grenade launcher attachment). While the game offers SMGs and shotguns, their usefulness is limited given the often expansive nature of engagements. It’s like bringing a knife to a sniper duel—you might get lucky if the enemy takes a nap, but why take the risk? CQB is more of a Rainbow Six: Siege deal anyway.

One of Wildlands’ strengths is its vehicular variety. From dirt bikes to helicopters, boats to armoured personnel carriers, there’s no shortage of ways to traverse the massive map. Some of my most memorable moments came from missions which necessitated an aerial assault—leaning out of a helicopter, guns blazing, while my wife piloted us through enemy fire. What a rush! It felt like we were starring in our own ’90s action movie, albeit one where the lead actors occasionally crash into mountains due to poor depth perception. (I’m not pointing fingers, but I rode shotgun 90% of the time).

The game’s progression system, which allows you to upgrade your character’s skills, provides a satisfying sense of growth. You’re able to prioritise unlocking skills in the order that suits your play style. The branching skill tree allows you to focus on improving your weapon handling, drone competency, equipment variety, physical capabilities and AI capabilities. The skill tree is nicely balanced, and you’ll find yourself dipping into each of the skill tree branches evenly as you progress. My wife worked on upping her weapon skills and character stamina primarily, while I leaned more towards upgrading my drone efficacy, and unlocking equipment like mines and C4, which are great options when defending against oncoming enemy waves.

Stealth

While Wildlands excels in its action-packed moments, the stealth aspects can fall short when the mission demands 100% ninja-like invisibility from beginning to end. There’s a handful of sneaking missions that require you to remain undetected, and it’s here that cracks start to show. For missions in tighter areas, such as indoors or small compounds, where you need to get in and out without so much as disturbing a blade of grass, it’s here that frustration starts to set in.

You have access to two main gadgets for distraction: the flare gun and the diversion lure. In theory, these should help you manipulate enemy movements and create openings for safe passage or silent take-downs. In practice, well… let’s just say I’ve had more success trying to herd cats.

The flare gun, while occasionally useful, has a curiously short range and just loves to clip into the cover you’re hiding behind. More than once, I found myself accidentally signposting my position to the enemy because the flare buried itself in a wall that I had my back to.

As for the diversion lure, I’m convinced it must be emitting a frequency only audible to dolphins. Enemy soldiers seem to regard it with the same level of interest they might show a particularly unexciting patch of dirt. Unless it’s right under their boot, they will pay zero attention to your diversion lures.

These stealth missions aren’t terrible by any means, and they do help break up the pacing. But compared to the robust and satisfying combat, they feel a bit underdeveloped. It’s like the game is a master chef when it comes to cooking up action, but when asked to prepare a stealth dish, it serves you a slice of burnt toast and says bon appétit.

Sandbox

Wildlands’ rendition of Bolivia is nothing short of stunning. The environment spans lush rainforests, snow-capped mountains, salt flats, and lively towns. Each region feels distinct, offering unique tactical challenges and visual spectacles. Even in 2024, the graphics hold up remarkably well, particularly in terms of environmental detail and lighting.

The world feels alive, with civilian NPCs going about their daily routines and wildlife roaming the wilderness. This attention to detail extends to the bases and outposts you’ll be infiltrating, each of which feels uniquely designed rather than copy-pasted from region to region.

However, the sheer size of the map can sometimes work against the game. Travel times between objectives can be lengthy, and while the varied terrain keeps things visually interesting, I occasionally found myself wishing for more dynamic events during these traversal segments. It’s a bit like going on a road trip through the most beautiful countryside you’ve ever seen, but forgetting to bring any snacks or good music. Sure, the views are great, but after the first hour, you’re going to start getting a bit fidgety. And yes, you can indeed fast travel, but how immersion breaking is that?

Storytelling

Wildlands attempts to weave a complex narrative about the drug trade, corruption, and the moral ambiguity of US intervention. The story is told through a combination of cutscenes, in-mission dialogue, and collectible intel. While the overall plot is fine, the line distinguishing the good guys from the bad guys is very blurry.

The game’s portrayal of its villains is a mixed bag. The main antagonist adheres to a twisted moral code that seems to permit all manner of atrocities, but he turns his nose up at lying. It’s an interesting character concept, but the execution sometimes veers into caricature. His introduction makes clear his mission to serve as ruler of Bolivia and establish the country as a narco state, and that he definitely has plenty of red in his ledger. Mind you, the ‘good guys’ don’t appear to be paragons of virtue either. And as the main campaign plays out, you’ll witness some majorly dubious acts that our ghosts and their superiors carry out.

Side missions and collectibles flesh out the world and provide additional context for the conflict, but the meat of the plot is typically dished out during the closing cutscene of the main story missions.

Technical Performance and Longevity

Over two complete playthroughs—one on normal difficulty and another on a mid-rank Tier 1 difficulty—I found Wildlands to be remarkably stable. Playing on PC via the Ubisoft Connect app, my wife and I encountered only occasional connection issues, which were usually resolved quickly. Once we were able to join the other’s lobby, it was always smooth sailing.

The game offers some replay value, with multiple difficulty options to suit various play styles and skill levels. For those seeking the ultimate challenge, there’s the hardcore ‘Ghost Mode’ where death is permanent. It’s about as forgiving as a cactus mattress, but for some players, that challenge awaits.

Then there’s the Tier 1 mode, which becomes progressively more challenging as you climb the ranks. By the time you reach the higher tiers, enemies become so lethal that even looking at them funny might result in your untimely demise. It’s a great option for players who find normal mode about as challenging as a toddler’s jigsaw puzzle.

For completionists, there’s easily 50+ hours of content when factoring in all side missions and collectibles. The varied approach options for each mission also encourage experimentation and replays. Plus, the game tracks all sorts of stats, from your furthest sniper kill to the total distance you’ve travelled across Bolivia. It’s great for bragging rights, or for realising just how much of your life you’ve spent virtual trucking across a digital South America.

Christian Considerations

Now, it’s crucial to address some of the more worldly aspects of Wildlands. The game doesn’t shy away from mature themes and content, and there are elements that Christian players—and especially parents—should be aware of:

• Language: Profanity is pervasive throughout the game. Characters, including those controlled by players, use strong language frequently. One particularly egregious example has a character dropping six F-bombs in a single sentence. The blaspheming of Christ’s name as a casual exclamation is also present and frequent.
• Violence and Gore: The game features realistic depictions of violence. Blood sprays when enemies are shot, and some cutscenes show graphic violence, including corpses and torture scenes. One disturbing example involves a decapitated head being flaunted in a cutscene.
• Moral Ambiguity: The player characters often engage in morally questionable actions, including threatening and forcibly coercing informants. There are even instances where the ‘good guys’ murder unarmed, non-resisting enemies in cold blood. The game wears its moral relativism proudly on its sleeve.
• Drug Use: As the central conflict revolves around a drug cartel, narcotics play a significant role in the story. There’s a particularly unsettling scene where the protagonists force a character to consume cocaine at gunpoint. Missions sometimes task you with destroying drug stockpiles.
• Spiritual Content: The game features a mix of Catholic and pagan religious elements, often twisted for nefarious purposes. One character, ‘El Cardenal,’ perverts holy Scripture, specifically verses from the book of Revelation, in an attempt to invoke ‘Santa Muerte’ (Saint Death).

These elements, particularly the language, violence, and moral ambiguity, make Wildlands unsuitable for children and younger teens. Adult Christian players should exercise a double measure of discernment when evaluating if this game is suitable for your consumption.

Conclusion

Wildlands offers a vast, engaging tactical sandbox that shines brightest when played cooperatively. Its blend of stealth, action, and strategic planning creates memorable moments, especially when things go awry, and you’re forced to adapt on the fly. The game’s depiction of Bolivia is visually stunning and varied, providing a beautiful backdrop for the chaos that unfolds.

The depth of the gameplay systems, from the robust weapon customization to the variety of approaches available for each mission, ensures that players can tailor the experience to their preferences. Its longevity and replayability are commendable, with various difficulty options catering to both casual players and hardcore enthusiasts. Whether you’re a fan of long-range sniping, close-quarters combat, or vehicular mayhem, Wildlands has something to offer.

Ultimately, while Wildlands excels in its gameplay and world design, its thematic elements and content issues make it a game that Christian players should approach with caution and discernment.