Far Cry Primal is an action adventure video game by Ubisoft that follows on from the popular Far Cry video game franchise. Available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows, Far Cry Primal takes a unique spin on Ubisoft’s renowned open world shooter structure and redefines it for a prehistoric world, thousands of years ago.
The game is set in the Stone Age, at the beginning of the Mesolithic period in 10,000 BCE, and follows Takkar, a lone member of the Wenja tribe who has been left stranded in Oros, an area in the wild filled with forests, caves and prehistoric beasts such as saber-tooth tigers and woolly mammoths, after an ambush attack on his hunting party. As Takkar, players will take part in story missions to build a new Wenja village and tribe. This includes exploring new territories, attacking enemies, capturing outposts and developing relationships to access new skills and unlock and upgrade equipment.
Unlike other Far Cry games in which players utilise guns and vehicles, players in Far Cry Primal are restricted to melee weapons, the likes of spears and axes as well as more long range weapons such as bows and slings. Where players would normally simply purchase weapons, Far Cry Primal encourages innovation and lateral thinking in crafting weapons in order to possess more lethal weapons. Not only that, but the game features a rather interesting day and night cycle which affects gameplay as different occurrences take place at different times of the day.
Far Cry Primal further establishes itself as being different and innovative compared to the earlier Far Cry games in that it equips players with two never before seen abilities: tame and pet. With a game like this, the available action to tame and pet dangerous beasts allows for easier control over them and thus provides players the opportunity to seek assistance from these beasts when hunting or killing.
I enjoyed Far Cry Primal. When it comes to video games, my preference is always a game with a solid narrative, stunning visuals and smooth gameplay. Far Car Primal not only hooked me with the captivating cover artwork prior to release but also caught my interest with the game’s unusual narrative. The plot of Far Cry Primal and the time period in which it is set in, is a huge draw card for a history fan like myself (who also has a fascination with human evolution). Being able to take charge of reforming a tribe and having disputes with opposing tribes gave the game a realistic feel and insight into what life was like in the Stone Age.
The game itself is picturesque and beautiful with great detail going into the graphics and art of the landscape, the beasts and the tribesmen. How often can you see a very realistic looking mammoth on screen? This just made the game far more appealing to me personally.
Far Cry Primal‘s gameplay felt smooth and straightforward with standard actions such as running and attacking feeling perfectly natural as with any other game of its kind. What made it novel and so much more fun were the aspects of hunting and community building, which to me, felt like my very own insider look into the processes of evolution. The only aspect of the game that I found tiresome was the incredible depth of the game. There was just so much to explore and it took me a while to get used to the game’s controls. Once I got used to this though, it all went well.
If you are a fan of the Far Cry games and/or want a game that’s enjoyable and relatively easy to get a handle on, then I would definitely recommend Far Cry Primal. Who wouldn’t want to play a game with sabre-tooth tigers anyway, right?