Primal

"It really didn't need the hype. An astounding game with a lengthy development time that was really worth the wait."

Introduction

I was initially very skeptical about Primal. I almost didn't want to like it - all the advertising and hype that surrounded the release made me wonder why, if it was so good, it needed such a huge advertising campaign. I still don't know why they felt the need to push it quite so hard. Of course, being one of those rare games that was produced in the UK, and being British myself, perhaps I got a slanted view of things - it's nothing new for a British game to be all over the British media upon release (The Getaway springs to mind here).

The critics have been mixed in their response to Primal, which is another reason why I was initially apprehensive. Not that I usually agree with the critics - quite often I find their scores incomprehensible. It's rare for any UK critic to slam a game as hyped as this, and many of the reviews were average, so I was a little concerned.

I was persuaded to buy Primal purely because it was half price in my local store for bonus card holders - I'm a bonus card holder and I'm bargain-hungry, so I decided to just go for it. I'm so, so, SO glad I did.

For everyone reading this who isn't sure whether to believe the hype or not - believe it. It's not perfect by any means - it has a few problems which I'll explain in more detail as I go on. But it's certainly a great game. And for everyone who hates Lara Croft (the comparisons are inevitable - it's an adventure game with a female lead character. Sad and harsh, yes; but there's no way around it) and is skeptical for that reason, Jen (the main character) is a nice antidote to Lara and her chest. Here's a character with a personality, a brain, and no crippling silicone weights anchoring her to the ground. Primal is a complex, puzzle-oriented adventure game that's all brains and no bull.

Story - 10/10

I really don't award top marks easily for any game, but Primal really deserves to get a 10 for story. It's not original - in fact, it's a little clichéd, but it's so impeccably constructed that it's actually believable, and that's so rare in the gaming industry. The story was quite obviously not neglected at all during development, and it deserves its top mark. I won't explain it in much depth here - story features strongly in this game and so I'd want to avoid spoiling it for you. I'll detail it vaguely though.

The game opens with a beautiful FMV showing Jen (the main character) with her boyfriend Lewis, who is the lead singer of a metal band. The story begins at a gig he's performing at in a club. One thing leads to another, and in this case ''one thing'' is a huge demon thing that is not dissimilar in appearance to a gorilla, and ''another'' is Jen and Lewis both ending up in hospital. The second playable character, Scree, is a stone creature who appears at the hospital with Jen. Scree and Jen team up and it's your generic ''save the world from the Bad Man'' scenario (hence my ''clichéd'' comment previously).

The story is very well linked to game play, with full explanation and full linkage throughout. None of that stuff where you get a brief FMV at the start and then an endless stream of tenuously related ''levels'' so beloved of adventure games. This really does feel like an interactive movie in terms of story development, but in a positive way - you are fully involved throughout, and the story always feels as though you truly are part of it, rather than being shunted along some pre-determined path.

Overall, story development is excellent. It may not be completely original, but it has been incredibly professionally scripted, and the dialogue is fantastic.

Graphics - 9/10

The appearance overall is absolutely stunning. The scenery is imaginatively constructed and full of beautiful details rather than anonymous, empty spaces. Some talented artists have very obviously been involved in this, and it's really paid off. The key word truly is ''imagination'' - they knew what they were doing. It's so easy to get thoroughly absorbed into whatever world you're exploring, mainly because the appearance is so immaculate. The details are such that the locations are actually believable - a rarity, it seems. The characters are also impeccably animated and smooth in appearance.

I hadn't realised exactly how much scenery contributes to the enjoyability of a game before seeing this. I don't recall seeing any game which was quite as well thought out. The extremely lengthy development time was not wasted after all - it was spent making Primal into the most breathtakingly aesthetically perfect game on the market. I'm not exaggerating here - I've played some gorgeous games before, but this looks better than all of them. If the locations have that certain something which makes them believable, then it impacts on the game as a whole.

Again, I have only one dispute here. In places, the scenery is too dark. Now, I know that it's dark specifically in worlds where it is supposed to be dark - one example is the first world you go to, where Scree actually tells you quite explicitly that it is dark all the time there. However, the developers made these places too dark. At times, you can't actually see anything at all other than the character you are controlling, which makes for some frustrating moments when you discover that you are running against a wall, for example.

Fortunately, the game has an in-built method of countering this - it's possible to access the menu and alter the brightness settings so that you can at least see where you are going. Still, was it too much to ask for them to at least put some realism into these dark areas? If you can see your character, then why is it impossible to see whether you're walking against a wall or not?

Sound - 10/10

Full marks for sound? I don't think I've ever done that before. I don't give top marks easily, but here it is warranted.

Incidental sound in Primal (sound effects, and so on) is only very vaguely noticeable. This is a positive comment - allow me to explain. If you walked outside now, into the street, think of the sounds that you would hear. You probably wouldn't notice them unless you paid specific attention to your surroundings, but you'd hear birds, traffic, the movement of the air, trees rustling in the breeze, and so on. When you go outside in your day to day life, you don't notice these sounds - we're so accustomed to our surroundings that we don't tend to hear that which is around us every day. However, if something unexpected happened - a bang for example - you'd undoubtedly notice.

So why is it that in the majority of games, all you hear when you are out and about is either music or your own, very loud footsteps? It's unrealistic and unnatural. In Primal, this is not so. You hear sounds which perfectly relate to the scenery, and it melds with the graphics wonderfully. If there is a fire, you'll hear the familiar crackling of a flame. If there is a source of running water, you'll hear it splashing gently. And so it goes on. This is how sound should be - you get used to it. It's like being outside your own home, once you've explored a world and become accustomed to the sounds there. When you enter a new world though, it just adds to the experience and helps you to explore.

This is the way gaming should be with reference to sound. Developers - take note! I've truly never seen such a remarkable example of how to make a game. So, with all that praise, there has to be something wrong, right? Nope. Nothing. Nada. The whole game is perfect.

Final point for the Sound section - Voice Acting. The script is entirely voice acted. I always get concerned about voice acting in games - it's usually so bad. In Primal, it's entirely professional and flawless. The actors here are first rate. Apparently the developers specifically hunted for the right voices to make absolutely sure that it would fit properly with the story and the characters' personalities, and again, it paid off. The performances are convincing and brilliantly acted.

Game Play - 10/10

Yet another 10 - I must be feeling generous. Actually, I'm not feeling generous - I never feel generous. Primal scores a 10 for Game Play because there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, although this clearly depends on your perspective and personal tastes. For me as an individual, Primal deserves its score of 10. However, if you don't like solving puzzles, then you'd likely award it much less.

The reason I would put Primal into the ''Adventure'' genre rather than ''Action'' (other than the intricately developed story) is because game play is reliant on your ability to explore and solve problems and simple puzzles. Enemies are scarcer than in other games of a similar ilk, and thinking things through is a fundamental aspect of the game. This is refreshing - a game that not only has a brain of its own, but requires you as the player to both have a brain of your own and be willing to use it.

The problems typically revolve around the fact that you have two playable characters each with different strengths and weaknesses. Scree and Jen can both access different areas, where they must solve problems, obtain items or make the area available to the other character in order to progress. Whoever constructed the puzzles clearly thought them through - none of them are too difficult, but they're not too simple either. It all adds to the overall involving feel of the game.

Controls are logical and natural. They're also easy to learn, so no worries there. The essence of the game is simplicity, but complexity therein - you don't notice how sophisticated it is, as you steadily become embroiled in the story and immerse yourself thoroughly into this game. It's such a joy to be absorbed into it too - there's no end of nooks and crannies to explore and it's never stressful. The camera initially feels a little strange (it can be quite random) but there are controls to make the camera focus on whatever you want it to focus on, and this is glitch-free.

Primal is certainly not a short game at all, but it's the kind of game that you'd want to take your time over in order to get the most from it. It's so pretty that it deserves your full attention at all times to make sure you see everything! The fact that it's so good also makes it eminently replayable.

The Bottom Line

A rare top score from me for Primal, and it's certainly deserved. This has been a long time in the making, and it's certainly paid off. I really do recommend this to anyone - it's going to be a classic, seriously.

Sequel, please!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/14/03, Updated 04/14/03