Look: The propaganda of Far Cry 6 in 10 unnerving images

Far Cry is known for its charismatic villains. Far Cry 6 is leaning into that, with The Mandalorian’s Giancarlo Esposito starring as Antón Castillo, the dictator of fictional island nation Yara.

“Paradise has a cost” is paraphrased from Far Cry 6’s story trailer. A key part of Castillo’s hold over Yara is the idea that he’s returning the nation to its former glory — or, making Yara great again.

Some posters pull from another common part of the despot’s playbook: Making a dictator look personable and beloved — whether anyone actually believes it or not.

Antón Castillo’s father ruled Yara until he met an untimely end, 50 years before Far Cry 6 takes place. Presumably, this image aims to lionize the entire Castillo family — or Antón is a lot older than he looks.

This poster ties in the cult of personality (is Castillo really so bad if he’ll help fix your car?), the “rebuilding paradise” angle, and another favorite fascist talking point: Us vs. them.

The idea of the “true Yaran” comes up a lot, as a convenient way to imply that dissidents are untrustworthy outsiders.

In Far Cry 6, Viviro is a natural cancer cure grown only on Yara. Despite this happy fellow on the poster, it seems Viviro is cultivated using slave labor.

Viviro is an important part of making Yara a major player on the world stage — making it a “gift” with some strings attached. And of course the salvation it offers is probably not all that it seems.

One thing about dictators: They’re not great at being subtle. Here Castillo’s regime goes fully mask-off, showing what’s really behind all its talk of Paradise and salvation.