This is an "open-world' action game in which players assume the role of a US operative (Rico) who investigates the disappearance of an agent in a Southeast Asian island country. Players' objective is to de-stabilize the island government by performing various missions: assassination, demolition, "Stronghold takeovers," the rescue of hostages, etc. Players mostly use machine guns, sniper rifles, and explosives to kill enemy soldiers; players can use a grappling hook to scale tall buildings, zip between moving vehicles, or grapple enemies to vehicles and structures. Blood often spurts out of injured characters and stains the ground and walls. Bodies also react to postmortem damage, flailing (i.e., rag-doll physics) and emitting blood long after death. Within the free-roaming context (i.e., not missions), players have the ability to kill island citizens (never children); however, a "Heat Meter"-penalty system discourages these acts by attracting government agents and the local militia. During the course of the game, players may be required to transport a female escort to various locations or to visit a brothel called the "Mile High Club." The dialogue contains mild sexual innuendo (e.g., "[he] was swapping bodily fluids with a well known general"), as well as more direct references (e.g., "well renowned for his excessive and deviant sexual habits," "Mile High Club . . . so many sexual memories," and "To the guards you are just another whore hound!"). The game contains several missions involving drugs: Players must secure drug lines, find hidden drug cases to increase their "Faction meter," and transport drugs via trucks and helicopters. Although there are never any visual depictions of drugs (they are mostly just in cases and crates), the game contains several references to cocaine, amphetamines, heroin, and opium. The dialogue contains profanity—both in English (e.g., "sh*t" and "a*shole") and Spanish (e.g., "ch*nga," and "m*erda").
