Would you believe me if I told you there was a character in the Far Cry franchise that could be thousands of years old? Sure, the open-world shooter certainly has its fair share of fantastical elements, but would Ubisoft dare go that far? I’d like to introduce you to the brand’s resident redneck, Hurk Drubman. He may look and sound like a beer-swilling dumbass, but sometimes people are more than meets the eye.
Less Class, More Sass
If Superman was raised in the deep south and his mother smoked meth throughout her first trimester, the result would likely be something like this lovable dipshit. Hurk has a way of endearing himself damn near immediately, primarily through his lack of giving two squirts of piss about any sort of polite decorum. Think of him like Larry the Cable Guy with heavy explosives and a total lack of self-preservation. When it comes to cartoonish gaming characters, this is about as colorful as they get, while still feeling like he could still be an actual person. I would go as far as to say that we all know a Hurk Drubman. They may not be this Hurk, but everyone has at least one Hurk in their life. In all likelihood, this is what makes him so goddamn endearing.
At one point or another, I think we’ve all had crazy ideas meander into our mind that are casually passed over due to its sheer insanity. A perfect example might be the idea, “why not weaponize monkeys by strapping them in explosive vests and have them do my bidding?” Any rational person would write this off as beyond preposterous, but to the likes of Hurk Drubman, this is a BRILLIANT plan. In fact, when he’s introduced to the player in Far Cry 3, this is EXACTLY the scheme that he’s trying to bring to fruition.
First appearing in the GameStop-exclusive Far Cry 3 DLC pack, Monkey Business, Drubman recruits the main protagonist to help him raid the proverbial booty of several pirates. He essentially acts as a quest-giver through a series of four different missions, spouting countless one-liners and making maximum use of his limited screen time. Even back then I thought he stole the show, so imagine my surprise when he showed up again in Far Cry 4!
Where’s Drubman?
Who knew that someone that was so uncultured could be so well-traveled? Once again appearing in pre-order DLC, this time around he was not only a quest-giver, but also a full-on participant in the action. Calling back to the primate-inspired shenanigans of the previous game, he’s trying to make amends to some sort of monkey god. Yet for some reason, the player finds themselves once again doing Hurk’s dirty work, while he fires off steady stream of amusing quips into the headset.
At each key point in the campaign, just when you finally had enough time to forget about him, he’d pop his head out of the ground like a drugged gopher, and offer up a new mission. His quests were a welcome palette cleanser that helped keep the tone more lighthearted. And the fun didn’t end there, because Drubman also made an appearance—his first in a playable form—in the game’s co-op mode.
The next appearance of Drubman was an unexpected twist to say the very least. In Far Cry Primal (yes, the same game that travels back to the era of cavemen), Hurk shows up again… kinda. In the form of an alleged ancient Drubman ancestor named Urki, this screwball once again managed to shoehorn his way into the series. There is nothing that concretely ties Hurk to Urki, but if you put the two side-by-side, the resemblance is uncanny. It’s hard to deny that these two goofs have a shared missing brain cell or two. Plus, there’s a moment in the campaign when Urki decides that it’s high time that he test out his newfangled flying machine, only to plummet off a cliff into the great unknown. When it happened, I couldn’t help but laugh my damn head off.
Returning Home
When it was announced that Far Cry 5 was heading back to the United States I feared that we would finally lose track of this globe-trotting munitions maven. Unbeknownst to everyone, Hope County was actually the home of one Hurk Drubman Jr. That’s right, our boy (who we had no idea was actually named after his father) was once again making an appearance, and this time his entire family was along for the ride. It turns out this crazy son of a bitch actually gets his “explosive” personality from his mother, who also happens to have a fascination with gunpowder. Ironically, in Hurk’s introduction in Far Cry 3 he actually states that both of his parents are pacifists, but over the course of the campaign this is proven to very much not be the case. But who needs a correct canon when a family has this much firepower?
Once you get through the main storyline of Hope County, things take a turn for the interstellar in the Lost on Mars DLC. Somehow, our boy has actually found his way to Mars, in an effort to help fend off a horde of alien spiders. Yes, you didn’t just have a stroke. That is actually what happened. Taking the insanity one step further, Hurk’s body is actually blown to bits at one point, so players must attempt to capture his head in a jar. Using what is left of his gray matter, his sentience is then transferred into a robot very aptly named, Brobot.
Even in digital form, this stooge manages to maintain his uncultured charm. Hell, his bot is even painted like a full-blooded ‘Merican, complete with his trademark do-rag to pull the entire look together. In a truly Hurk-ian move, there is a mission that revolves around trying to track down the arachnid that, “stole his wiener.” I will just leave it at that…
After all of this insanity, that still wasn’t the end of this dipshit’s adventures. Having somehow managed to reassemble his corporeal form, he managed to make a substantial contribution to the recently released Far Cry New Dawn. After the nuclear fallout settled, not only is he alive and well, but he is still a resident of Hope County, 15+ years later. Furthermore, despite his better judgement, he also managed to father a child! Named Blade (because of course he is…), his pint-sized offspring is the apple of his eye and one of the main reasons Hurk is still around in Hope County.
Firing on all Cylinders
He may be in his sixties, but there is nothing that is slowing this guy down any more than his already deteriorating intellect. As long as he has the chance to cause mayhem with the aid of his handy-dandy rocket launcher, then it is fine by him.
But what if Hurk wasn’t actually only 63 years old? If an Easter Egg in Far Cry 5 is to be believed (thanks Reddit!), Urki and Hurk could actually be the same person! As you can see, in his stash of boxes there’s one that is clearly labeled “Oros Shit.” Oros is actually the main setting of Far Cry Primal, which further connects the dots between these buffoons. Kyrat (the top box) is the main location in Far Cry 4.
I am going to put logic to the side for just a second. In a universe where a bumbling maniac can also manifest himself as a robot, then later rematerialize back in human form, is it beyond the realm of possibility that the Hurk and Urki could in fact be the same person? Sure, it is a bit far-fetched, but honestly, I don’t think it’s too big of a leap. Maybe Hurk is actually short for Hercules? Lord knows, that would explain his fearless altruism and inability to stay out of trouble.
Regardless of what you think of the character, time has shown that he’s one of the few constants over the previous five games. Hell, at this point he might as well be considered the secret main character in the franchise. This is Hurk’s world. We all just live in it. He’s somehow managed to exist as a redneck, robot, and possibly caveman. But to me, Hurk singularly exists as one of my favorite characters in all of gaming. Here’s to hoping that there are still plenty of adventures in his future.
I eagerly await Far Cry 6, staring Hurk and Blade Drubman in a never-ending series of post-apocalyptic buddy cop-esque shenanigans. Make it happen Ubisoft!
