I’ve really enjoyed the Far Cry series to date. While I missed out on the first at the time, my experiences with the rest of the series have been positive ones. Since Far Cry 3 it has settled into a style and format that makes you know it is a Far Cry game. When Primal was first announced, I, like many others, assumed it would be to Far Cry 4 what Blood Dragon was to Far Cry 3, a shorter affair based in a thought or idea totally separate from the main game. But when it was revealed that it would be a fully-fledged release, I was concerned. I didn’t know whether it would have the appeal or longevity with it being set in the Stone Age, away from the guns and mayhem of the previous game. And it is a concern that hasn’t entirely been eased.
You are Takkar, a member of the Wenja people in Oros. Oros is a fictional landmass in Europe, populated by rival tribes – The Udam and Izila along with dangerous predators such as the Sabertooth Tiger. As Takkar you need to help the Wenja build their village, its population and take the fight to your rivals. With the last few games in the series, the antagonists have really been the games strength. Their performances and intrigue surrounding their character really drove the game forward for me, and it is a shame that none of the characters are able to do that this time. It is difficult to be invested in a protagonist that grunts his way through the game (yes there are subtitles) and the enemies don’t throw up the same level of interest as Pagan Min or Vaas. There are some nice supporting characters you’ll interact with, but without the big characters of the previous games, it feels like Primal falls a bit flat in the story department.
Primal’s biggest strength is the era it is set in, the game world as a whole, and some of the gameplay ideas that have gone into it. Ubisoft Montreal’s recreation of a Stone Age land mass is great. Everything is as simplistic as you’d expect, and it uses Far Cry’s crafting system to great effect. Without collecting supplies from animals, trees, plants etc. you won’t have anything. No weapons, no way to heal. It is a good job that all of the supplied needed are easily found. And I think this is a bit of a negative. Not at any point did I feel I was struggling to craft the next item, or more arrows, spears or anything else. In fact my pack was mostly always full of nearly every item I’d come across. In the cold sections of the game Takkar cannot survive for too long without the cold having an effect. But by the time I spent any real time there I had already crafted the clothing so that the cold wouldn’t affect me at all. So I had lost the challenge that part of the game could have provided. Maybe it would have been an idea to put the animals whose skin’s you need solely in that environment so there would be a struggle at first, so there would feel like an accomplishment once you did have the nice warm coat you’d need.
I think what Primal struggles with is variation. A really fun addition to the game is the ability to tame wild animals. But bar the ‘master hunt’ rare animals all are approached and tamed in the same way, with the same bait. So taming the badger feel exactly the same as taming a bear. Having different baits or traps could have provided a different experience for each one, but it isn’t there. On the subject of variation, you can expect to have the usual Far Cry outpost capturing and collectibles, and on top of that are the side missions, and ‘random’ occurrences while you are in the world. These are going to be one of only a handful of different scenarios, such as defend 4 people against a few waves of enemies, or escort to a certain place. In fact, for poor variation you only need to look at the map and compare it to that of Far Cry 4. Yes it is exactly the same. Of course it has had an overhaul with regards to actual appearance, textures and the like, and I probably wouldn’t have even noticed had I not been made aware of it thanks to external sources. But surely, if you’re creating a full priced games you owe it to the fans to at least make a new map?
I have generally enjoyed my time with Primal, despite how negative the above all sounds. I really like that Ubisoft have taken a brave move to create a game in a world that isn’t touched in video gaming really. And it is one that I personally find interesting, and it is the premise that kept me going back to play some more. I just feel that it could have been a lot better if it was a smaller add on for Far Cry 4, in a more condensed package, providing more of a challenge that you would probably expect to have in a Stone Age period. There are certainly some strengths to the game, and if you are looking for a first person game set somewhere different to the norm, there is plenty here to keep you busy for a long while. Previous games have had enough about their main story to distract from the repetitive nature of the side stuff, unfortunately Primal doesn’t.
**Thank you to XCN for the opportunity to review this game**