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While the free story missions for Far Cry 6 were integrated into the main game, the season pass DLC content is entirely separate. Accessible from the in-game video game consoles at the major bases in Far Cry 6, or from the main menu if you just want to jump straight into the action, the season pass content explores the motivations of past Far Cry villains. The gameplay style also changes up a bit, with the DLC taking inspiration from roguelikes.

The third and final installment features Joseph Seed, the primary antagonist from Far Cry 5 and a secondary character in Far Cry: New Dawn. Oddly, Collapse is set between those two games, rather than after the end of New Dawn, which makes for some narrative challenges and an arguably weaker story than what we got in Insanity with Vaas and Control with Pagan.

From a gameplay perspective, Collapse is more or less identical to Insanity and Control. You start out relatively underpowered but quickly start acquiring weapons and abilities. Death is an ever-present threat early-on because dying means losing money, weapons, and temporary abilities. Eventually, you gain a permanent upgrade that allows you to collect your inventory by returning to the location of your death. Once that happens, death is still annoying, but it's not a major setback.

Visually, Collapse is a little disappointing, with the world map looking like a hodgepodge of locations rather than having a coherent visual identity. It's not as vibrant as the Montana wilderness in Far Cry 5 (I enjoyed wandering around in that game and taking it all in), nor does it have the postapocalyptic neon colors of New Dawn. Instead, it feels sparse and dull. This is in stark contrast to the imposing volcanic island of Insanity or the mountains and valleys of Control. Perhaps the dullness and muted colors were meant to be an allegory for Joseph's mental state, but if so, the story didn't make that connection.

In a similar vein, the audio cues in Collapse were also lacking, especially compared to the excellent use of music in Far Cry 5. Yes, licensing music is expensive, but good music choices can add extra depth to a game or TV show. Just look to Netflix and "Stranger Things" if you have any questions on that point. Collapse would have been an ideal place to highlight Hammock's music, with its haunting reinterpretations of Far Cry 5's choir songs being perfect companion pieces to explore Joseph's fractured subconscious mind.

Because Collapse is set between the events of Far Cry 5 and New Dawn, the story elements have some cognitive dissonance that wouldn't otherwise be there. For example, one mission in Collapse is set in New Eden and centers around Joseph's son Ethan, who he doesn't yet know. That alone is explained away as a premonition from God, but having the Judge appear as an enemy without any explanation doesn't make sense. After all, Joseph never betrays the Judge in New Dawn.

Keeping the story in between the two games also awkwardly limits where things can go with Joseph. None of the Far Cry 6 story DLCs have been redemption stories, but Insanity and Control both showed some evolution of their respective characters. In Collapse, Joseph is fighting against a voice that he perceives to be God (or is it the Devil pretending to be God?), but he gives in to that same voice when you complete the story. Instead of a narrative evolution, we get what amounts to a reset button. Of all three featured villains, Joseph had the most complexity going into the DLC, so it was disappointing to see him end up with a superficial treatment.

As the final DLC in the season pass, Far Cry 6 – Joseph: Collapse can aptly be described as more of the same. There are no innovative hooks or remixes to the gameplay, and the story is competent, but it doesn't hit the highs of the previous installments. It's meant to fill in the gap between the prior games, but the story nuggets feel more like a retread than new insight into Joseph's character. It's a missed opportunity for a deep dive into Eden's Gate's charismatic leader.

Score: 7.0/10