Just Cause 3
Return to Medici to overthrow a dictator with chaos and destruction.
Just Cause 3 is an action-adventure game from 2015, developed by Avalanche Studios and released by Square Enix's European branch. It is the third installment in the Just Cause series, following 2010's Just Cause 2. The game launched worldwide in December 2015 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It is also available for purchase from the Xbox digital store and can be played on Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles through backward compatibility.
The story takes place six years after the previous game. Protagonist Rico Rodriguez returns to his homeland, Medici, a fictional Mediterranean island nation ruled by the dictator General Sebastiano Di Ravello. Players control Rico from a third-person perspective, exploring Medici's open world. The game received generally positive reviews, with critics highlighting its open-ended gameplay, destruction mechanics, and player freedom. However, some criticized the narrative as clichéd and uninspired, and noted performance issues, especially on consoles. A sequel, Just Cause 4, came out in 2018.
The gameplay is set in an open world on the island of Medici, which covers 400 square miles—similar in size to Just Cause 2's setting. The terrain is more volumetric, allowing for greater verticality, so players can explore caves and climb buildings more effectively. The world has five major biomes, each with unique landmarks and landscapes. Key tools from the previous game return, including the grappling hook and parachute, with improved mechanics. A new wingsuit is permanently equipped, letting Rico glide quickly across the map. When he lands while using the wingsuit, he can use the grappling hook and parachute to pull himself back up, and players can switch freely between parachute and wingsuit. The game offers a wide range of weapons—assault rifles, missile launchers, shotguns, RPGs—and vehicles like fighter aircraft, planes, ships, and exotic cars, which can also be used as weapons.
Several mechanics were overhauled. Players can tether multiple objects together with the grappling hook and increase the number of tethers by activating in-game mods earned through challenges. Parachuting is more stable, allowing players to shoot enemies from the air. Nearly every object and non-playable character can be grappled.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Just Cause 3
- Developer
- Avalanche Studios
- Publisher
- Square Enix Europe
- Director
- Roland Lesterlin
- Producer
- Adam Davidson · Bill Podurgiel
- Designer
- Francesco Antolini
- Programmer
- Andrew Yount
- Artist
- Zach Schläppi
- Writer
- Nathaniel Bryan · Patrick Downs · Katie Elwood · Benjamin Jaekle · Joe Laurino · Roland Lesterlin · Greg Orlando · Omar Shakir · Mike Varley
- Composer
- Henry Jackman
- Series
- Just Cause
- Engine
- APEX
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Just Cause 3 is set six years after its predecessor, following series protagonist Rico Rodriguez as he returns to his homeland of Medici, a fictional Mediterranean island country under the control of dictator General Sebastiano Di Ravello. The game is played from a third-person perspective in an open world environment. The world size is 400 mi², with volumetric terrain allowing more verticality, including caverns and scalable buildings. The world is composed of five major biomes, each with unique landmarks and landscapes.
The game features improved mechanics for the grappling hook and parachute from Just Cause 2, along with a new wingsuit permanently equipped by Rico. Players can tether multiple objects together, deploy GE-64 explosives, and use a variety of weapons and vehicles. A new mechanic called Rebel Drop allows players to pause and select equipment, which is then dropped in a supply cache. The game includes Challenge Modes such as wingsuit races and destruction frenzy. It features asynchronous multiplayer with challenges and leaderboards, but no cooperative or competitive multiplayer mode.
Reader's Guide
Just Cause 3 received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its open-ended gameplay, destruction mechanics, and emphasis on player agency. Criticism was directed at its narrative, which some considered clichéd and uninspired, and performance issues, particularly on console versions. The game can be purchased from the Xbox digital store and played on Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles through backwards compatibility. A sequel, Just Cause 4, was released in 2018. The game's focus on creativity and destruction, along with its large open world and improved traversal tools, contributed to its place in the action-adventure genre of the 2010s.
Did You Know?
- The game world of Medici is 400 mi² in size, similar to Just Cause 2 but with more vertical terrain.
- The wingsuit is permanently equipped by protagonist Rico Rodriguez and allows gliding across the world.
- In-game currency was left out of Just Cause 3, making supply drops more easily accessible.
- The game only features asynchronous multiplayer, not cooperative or competitive modes.
More in Adventure Games of the 2010s, Part 2 1-24
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