Gaming review - Far Cry: Primal

What I find more compelling is the 'Stone Age' period and the evolution of man (and Woman of course) and his ability to build tools and structures during the end of the Ice Age.

The excitement that fossilised animal bones were found bearing some stone marking's as recently as 2010 in the Kenyan Valley's, is enough to get any geek of the history on our planets development wanting to build a time machine and travel back to 10,000 BC with a spear. However, until my time machine is finished being built, I'll settle for the incredibly immersive Far Cry: Primal.

In Primal, you put on a loin cloth and play as Takkar, who is a member of the Wenja tribe and finds himself in the fictional, European plains of Oros after surviving a brutal sabretooth tiger attack. Shortly after, you are tasked with rounding up your fellow tribespeople and fighting back against the inbred tribe Udam, cannibals who hail from the frozen north, and the Izila, hailing from the south region with a tendency to set everything on fire. The three tribes are not just fighting for land but also for survival, and this is what makes Far Cry Primal an intense and enjoyable battle to the death.

The Udam tribe are an exceptionally fierce pedigree. These cannibals are often found hanging around campfires, as well as devouring the insides of their freshly slain enemies. The leader of the Udam tribe goes by the name of Ull, a terrifying, giant, scarred hulk of a man and guess what? He's after your blood. However, besides the animalistic tribes, most of the game's dangerous encounters arise from nature. Primal still adopts the basic open-world framework of a traditional Far Cry game, with a cascading series of outposts to capture, weapons to unlock, and the large amount of upgrades at your crafting disposal. But the Stone Age setting is far more forewarning than those of past Far Cry games.

In Primal, merciless animals travel in large packs, hunting and preying on your every move as a collective whole. A day/night cycle also adds more tension to a world that is already packed with two enemy tribes that are trying to kill you, a plethora of blood thirsty predators and your defence is a spear, a club and an animal companion. The world gets a lot more dangerous during nightfall, it becomes more aggressive and you start to question whether you have enough animal fat to light your club to warn off preying beasts.

The focus on survival seeps through the entirety of Far Cry Primal. In the north, the cold becomes a danger factor, you must have the right clothing and supplies to endure these treacherous conditions, this makes each bonfire a glowing glimmer of safety as you struggle to stay warm. In Primal's rich and intriguing swampland, avoiding danger means avoiding the water, where underwater predators are waiting to pounce at any given moment.

Unlike previous Far Cry games, you are less equipped to tackle the many hunters and packs of wild animals. No more are the guns, grenades and the gloriously over excessive rocket launchers, there are no rifles, sticky bombs or explosive barrels. In Primal it is stripped right back to the bare bones (Literally), clubs, spears, slingshots and hand made traps are all part of a very basic but effective weapons system. This does not only bring a slow, consistent pace of combat, but it also adds to the overall distinct feel and tone to the game. You're a lone wanderer here, not a walking armoury. Despite the fact that there are more ways to die in this Far Cry than any other previous entries in the series, Primal never feels too difficult - there's a fine balance between tension and having fun that heightens the whole adventure.

One feature I found myself enjoying more than I maybe should have, would be the ability of our protagonist Takkar who just happens to be a beast tamer extraordinaire. Tensay (The shaman of the Wenja tribe) takes Takkar on some less than meaningful adventures that involve drinking what can only be described as a stone age version of the bloody Mary (But without the alcohol). Then we see Takkar's spirit animal, the owl, who leads him to master the art of how to tame a beast, which in gameplay terms means throwing a bit of bait out when a predator is closing in to maul you to death and getting close enough to tame them.

The creature can be ordered to attack enemies from a long range, where as your owl can be used to suss out any tricky situations before you go jumping in all clubs blazing. What I really like is that your feathered friend can highlight enemies from the sky, and once you've upgraded him (Yes, you can even upgrade your owl) he can even attack them with his piercing talons or drop an abundance of weapons on the unsuspecting rivals.

The main story missions don't seem to offer the same choice expectations as Far Cry 4. However, you can still choose which missions you want to do and when, but there aren't as many repercussions for your behaviour as there appeared to be in the previous game. This isn't necessarily a bad move by Ubisoft as it adds more realism to Far Cry: Primal.

Away from the story campaign there's enough variety to keep you busy, even if you get distracted from the main storyline for a few hours like I did, just wondering around the incredibly captivating world of Oros with my companion exploring and finding random side quests. It's all damn good fun. The variety in the landscape is often breathtaking and immersive, even if at times it can get the better of you. The lack of GPS ensures you that you can spend hours finding your way across the mountainous landscape. Thankfully, there's always something to distract you from these quirks, especially if your furry friend needs petting.

The Verdict

The decision to take Far Cry to the stone age was a huge risk from Ubisoft, with the franchise looking slightly worn out after it's previous instalment - it was a shock when it was announced that there would be a new addition to the series so soon.

However, the risk has paid off, with a huge (and I mean huge) open world with a fully immersive setting and a world that really captivates the time period. Far Cry: Primal is a brilliant game, with lots to see and do. For fans of the series you certainly won't be disappointed, despite the regular mechanics and feel that remains in all titles within the franchise, it still offers something fresh and diverse to keep you traversing through caves

and over mountains for hours on end.

I do believe Ubisoft should take this time to go out on a positive high and do the same with Far Cry as what they have chosen to do with Assassins Creed and take a well deserved break from the series and come back bigger and stronger.