For the love of everything good in this world, it took me a long time to get to writing this review. To put it in perspective, Far Cry: Primal came out in early February. I played it all the way through 100% completion when it came out, and now, at the end of August, I am just now getting to writing the review. With that in mind, this may very well be a shorter review than I normally do, and it may very well be one of the least well-written reviews I've ever written, just because it has been so long since I have played Far Cry: Primal and I need to just go ahead and get it done. Let us get started.
I will just go ahead and admit it now: I am one of those people who didn't get into Far Cry until Far Cry 3. Maybe that makes me a poser, but the fact remains. I got Far Cry 3 around Christmas time in 2012, and it was second only to Mass Effect 3 for Game of the Year that year. Then, two years later, Far Cry 4 came out. A lot of folks were disappointed, but I still enjoyed it. It is true that Far Cry 4 was basically just more Far Cry 3, but more of a winning formula is not a bad thing. Now, four years after Far Cry 3, we have Far Cry: Primal, and once again we find the formula largely unaltered.
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In Far Cry: Primal, you play as Takkar, the beastmaster of the Wenja people in somewhere around 10,000 BCE. In the land of Oros (central Europe), the Wenja people have all been eradicated by neighboring tribes: the Udam and the Izila. The Udam are basically neanderthals, while the Izila are an advanced people who have discovered fire and wield it as a holy substance. I suppose the fact that the game takes place in the stone age is one thing that separates Primal from 3 or 4. Unfortunately, that short blurb about the story is all the story there is (which is another thing that separates Primal from 3 or 4).
One thing you can almost never accuse Ubisoft games of is not trying with the story. They don't always succeed, but there is always something resembling a plot. This is not the case in Primal, however. The entire game is just you doing things for villagers and eventually taking down the neighboring tribes with no major events tying these things together. One seriously gets the impression that Ubisoft didn't even try here.
Let me give you an example of what I mean: I had upgraded enough to ride Mammoths, so I got on one and rammed through some brush or something like that. I then got a mission indicator instructing me to storm the gates of the Izila temple and take care of them once and for all.
The problem?
I hadn't been formally introduced to the Izila yet in the main story.
Far Cry: Primal is a game whose plot is so poorly put together that you can accidentally stumble upon an end game mission once you're upgraded enough.
Characters in Far Cry: Primal are not much better. At best, they are just flimsy, and at worst, they are Urki. Urki is the *pained expression* quirky character. Despite being a caveman in central Europe, he speaks in a Texan accent and Ubisoft is intent on letting us know, "hey, he smells bad!" Other than Urki though, the characters are so unremarkable that I can't think of anything else to say about them.
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The story for Far Cry: Primal is incredibly weak, but thankfully, the setting is fairly compelling...to some degree. When you first set out into Oros, it is easy to be amazed by the flawlessly recreated stone age Europe. It gives you the sense that, while mankind is fairly advanced at this point, we are by no means superior to the rest of the life on Earth. Oros is constantly finding ways to force you to survive, and it is one thing that Primal does better than its predecessors. However, were you to ask me to name one location or describe one place that stands out, I wouldn't be able to. The problem with Oros is that everywhere looks exactly the same (with the exception of the frozen portion of the land), and while this one look is certainly impressive, it isn't memorable...if that makes any sense at all.
As in previous Far Cry games, the map is littered with collectables, side quests, and challenges. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this review, I got 100% completion in Far Cry: Primal, so if you were compelled enough to seek 100% completion in Far Cry 3 or Far Cry 4, it is fair to say you will feel the same way for Far Cry: Primal. So far, I have only been spelling out the negatives for Primal, but it should be telling that I still was compelled enough to do everything.
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One other area in which Primal differentiates itself from its predecessors is in the way that it approaches its gameplay. It is still the same in that you will be conquering enemy outposts and claiming points of interest either stealthfully or recklessly, but instead of doing so with guns and grenades, you will be doing so with clubs, bows and arrows, and spears. It is arguably more restrictive that way, but I personally found it refreshing. The clubs do the most melee damage but the least damage when thrown, the spears do equal damage whether used for melee or as a throwable, and bows obviously do the most "throw" damage. You have multiple clubs, multiple spears, and multiple arrows, and clubs and spears can break after too much use. What is truly refreshing about this system is the fact that there are no vendors to buy arrows or the like from, so you have to constantly craft to replenish your arsenal. As you travel across Oros, you'll come across several kinds of trees and rocks, and you'll need to pick them up if you want to survive. It adds a neat little survival element to the game that really helps the moment-to-moment gameplay without being too much of a hassle.
Now, the actual combat in Far Cry: Primal will be familiar to you if you are a Far Cry fan, despite the fact that you are using different weapons. For stealth you have rocks and takedowns, as usual. For regular combat you have regular enemies, quicker berserker enemies, and heavy enemies. So, there is really nothing new there, and that isn't a problem. Like I said, more of a winning formula is not a bad thing.
So, to summarize the overall gameplay of Far Cry: Primal, it is the tried and true gameplay of previous installments with the added benefit of unique moment-to-moment weapon replenishment. In other words, it is safe to say that Far Cry: Primal's gameplay is a success. If you only play Far Cry games for their combat, trust me, you will love Primal.
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There is one last thing that I'd like to talk about before I conclude, and that is the biggest difference between Primal and previous installments: the animal taming. Takkar is the beast master of the tribe, so he has this connection with nature. There are many, many hostile animals in Primal, and you can tame each of them. When you tame an animal, you can call it from anywhere to accompany you, and different animals have different benefits. It was a neat idea, but in the end there are only three that you feel inclined to use at any moment: the black panther, the cave bear, and the saber-tooth tiger. The black panther can take out enemies stealthfully, the cave bear is the strongest, and the saber-tooth tiger is the fastest. It is a compelling collection quest, but that is about it. You also have an owl that is basically your binoculars if binoculars were capable of dropping fire or berserk grenades. I liked how Ubisoft chose to transition the binocular mechanic from previous installments into the stone age, but it made stealth far too easy once you got the owl upgraded.
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I know for a fact that I have left out some smaller details, but this review has been delayed countless times, so I needed to get it done. To the best of my knowledge, I have covered the major points, but if that isn't the case, just know that I wrote this review in under an hour (whereas normally I spend a few days). I mentioned in my Indie Review Extravaganza that I am trying to write a review for
every game that I play this year, and after this review, I will be caught up.
So, for Far Cry: Primal, if you've liked the Far Cry formula since 3, you'll probably like this. The story is crap and the setting, while visually impressive, is ultimately forgettable. However, the gameplay is as solid as ever and the added survival elements add a little bit of much needed spice to the formula. It is ultimately a solid product with plenty of entertainment value, even though the overall package is less remarkable than previous Far Cry titles.
Let us review:
Horrible, flimsy, nonexistent plot -1
Poor character development - .4
Forgettable setting -.3
So, the final verdict for Far Cry: Primal is...
8.3/10 - Good
Ok work, Ubisoft, ok work.
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