Intense missions are the bread and butter of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon, as the Ghosts are called to action whenever things go south somewhere on the planet. From upsetting the devious plans of ultra-nationalist groups to striking against narcotraffickers, Ghosts have their hands full. But some of the operations this reconnaissance unit carries out hit it particularly hard. Whether they involve conflicting decisions or raise the stakes ever higher, the following missions rank among the most nerve-wracking moments in the iconic Ubisoft series.
Arresting El Pozolero – Wildlands
El Pozolero is the sixth mission that pops up in the tenth mainline installment in the series, which ventured for the first time into open-world territory. At the time, Wildlands was the biggest open-world title ever developed by the French studio. Taking place in the fictitious Bolivian province of San Mateo, this extraction mission unlocks after completing The Death Truck. Your main objective is to locate El Pozolero before eliminating the guards to capture him. Once you’ve secured your target, you take him to a safe hideaway, where you show him a detailed list of all his victims.
While the scope of the atrocities he committed warrants a lifelong prison sentence, you quickly realize that your captive has the cognition of a child. In effect, the Santa Blanca Drug Cartel recruited him after he lost his construction job and used him to dispose of their murder victims by dissolving them. While guilty of melting hundreds of bodies, El Pozolero is incapable of grasping the horrific extent of his crimes. This moral ambiguity makes that story mission as emotionally taxing as it is intense. Besides, putting away every cartel boss who gave citizens only two options between working for them or being killed feels that much satisfying by the game’s final showdown.
Breaking programmers out of jail – Breakpoint
A direct sequel to Wildlands, Breakpoint may call for a catch-up to fully immerse in its narrative. If so, gamers can read the Wildlands story breakdown we published on Ghost Recon Net. For all its engaging plot, the tenth installation in Ubisoft’s tactical shooter series fuelled much controversy among gaming circles. Disparaged for its constant bugs and crashes, Breakpoint also frustrated long-time fans with its half-baked and repetitive missions. That said, the ultimate mission in the first episode ups the ante significantly.
This jail-breaking finale puts you in charge of infiltrating a prison to rescue a group of programmers that tried to stop a drone backdoor program research designed by the interrogator turned torturer Ilsa Herzog. Slipping past patrols and drones effectively builds up the intensity, leading into an exhilarating chase sequence. After you’ve eliminated the enemy vehicles that trailed you, the time has come to put Herzog down for good. Arguably, the mission culminating in a helicopter crash can feel like an anticlimactic way to kill off such a major antagonist. Still, gamers with a thing for prison escape themes are in for a treat.
Ruining a narco’s resort – Wildlands
The Casino mission sees Ghosts called upon to send a message to the heir of a wealthy Mexican drug lord, jet-setter Carzita. This shady businessman runs an elite resort in Bolivia for high-ranking members of the Santa Blanca cartel, politicians, and personalities in the know. Your goal is to hit the casino to drive out the VIPs that used to flock there. If the mission succeeds, the Santa Blanca entertainment complex will shut down. The squad also uses recon skills to put Carzita on the spot by filming a high-profile resort guest in a delicate situation. Overall, the second mission in the Agua Verde province is a wild ride, but it might have taken better advantage of its lavish location.
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The Ghost Recon franchise is no stranger to high-tension quests and storylines. While the above missions do not involve ticking-time bombs and nukes, their narrative implications and cool mechanics add much weight to the experience.