Far Cry Primal Review

A prehistoric spin on a modern series

By: Ryan Ramakrishnan

Reviewed on PlayStation 4

With a unique direction in setting and time period, “Far Cry: Primal” does something fresh for the first person shooter its story predates.

“Far Cry: Primal” couldn’t keep me engaged with its underwhelming plot; however, in the gameplay department, Ubisoft Montreal exceeds in every way. With plenty of new animals, weapons and locations, “Far Cry: Primal” delivers a different but still very familiar experience for the series.
Story
“Far Cry: Primal’s” main draw is its prehistoric take on the modern day “Far Cry” franchise. We are brought back to 10,000 BCE. The game’s characters and their voices, behaviors and appearances, environments and the many animals of the world are created perfectly for this time period and setting.

Unfortunately, by the end of “Far Cry: Primal,” the story didn’t stick with me all that much. You take on the role of Takkar, a hunter working to lead his Wenja tribe in the land of Oros. Milestones and moments like saving enslaved prisoners, taming large beasts and fighting enemies are nothing short of interesting on paper. The thing is however these rarely come with notable depth or drama, failing to bring heavy weight to the story at hand.

The main protagonist, Takkar, doesn’t seem to get enough development, ultimately making him come off as shallow. I truly felt like I didn’t get much of an incentive to care about Takkar by time his story wrapped up. An established, memorable villain isn’t quite notable either. “Far Cry 3” presented the player with an unpredictable, crazy villain in Vaas and Far Cry 4 has the sadistic Pagan Min, “Far Cry: Primal” presents us with Ull and Batari, both of which have a memorable moment or two but generally do little to impress the way “Far Cry” of the past has.

Besides Takar and the two antagonists, there are a few recurring side characters. Jayman, a huntress, Wogah, a craftsman and Karoosh, a warrior all aid Takkar in his journey. These three, in addition to a few others here and there, aren’t much different than the main character(s) in that they lack overall depth.

Gameplay
There is a weapon wheel with two types of melee weapons, as well as a bow and arrow. Heavier iterations and upgraded versions of these weapons come with time. I would have liked a larger variety of weapons to choose from; however, it fits the time period but the game also does very well with the weapons it provides.I absolutely loved being able to stab and smash my way through enemies with both the spear and club. Turning them into projectiles was of equal fun, particularly with the spear. With the additional ability to light these weapon and the arrows on fire, combat rarely felt stale.

Otherwise, you gain access to a few different sharp stone and bone items to kill with from afar, as well as traps and sting and fire bombs. More often than not, these throwable and projectile-based weapons went unused for me personally, as I far preferred the melee and bow and arrow combat.

What “Far Cry: Primal” does exceptionally well is its beast taming and animal combat. There are several different animals including but not limited to dholes, wolves, jaguars and cave bears. You can tame them to take out enemies both stealthily and brutally. Beast master hunts offer some exciting challenges to gain access to special animals. You are also able to ride some animals, making for quick, exciting travel.

You can call your eagle in instantly to scope out the area and track down enemies, animals, resource and more. The eagle can also be used to perform a stealth kill.

“Far Cry: Primal” comes with upgrade systems, crafting and a skill tree. These, especially the experience-based skill tree, aren’t too hard to progress through. Partaking in the entertaining hunting in the land of Oros, filled to the brim with animals of all sorts, makes gathering resources less of a hassle.

Graphics
Oros is designed nicely in “Far Cry: Primal.” The Stone Age is represented through beautifully ancient vistas and a bevy of continuously roaming animals. Around every corner, I came across plenty of animals ranging from small elk to colossal mammoths alike.

I found the setting of “Far Cry: Primal” to have an overall authentic feeling, representative of the time period it depicts. There is a multitude of forests and caves to explore and massive mountains to scale. It is a treacherous, large-scale and truly fun world to adventure through.

I was impressed with the villagers’ design and the same can be said for their huts and locations in general. While characters’ personalities and motives weren’t outstanding, Ubisoft Montreal put a lot of work into the characters’ designs. Facepaints and scars, ancient clothing or lack thereof and the use of animal fur and bones are all seen in accurate glory.

Sound
“Far Cry: Primal’s” soundtrack didn’t do much to particularly standout; however, I should imagine creating a proper soundtrack for a game set during the Stone Age is no small task. With tribal music of sorts, “Far Cry: Primal” more or less nails the tone of the game. It isn’t the music that matters in this experience as much as the sound effects around you.

The natural environments come packed with animals and chaos galore, all with equal naturalism. Beasts roar and charge into combat, clubs have a loud impact when slamming enemies and you can hear the fires burn down screaming foes.

Content
In traditional Ubisoft’s fashion, “Far Cry: Primal” has no shortage of tasks to complete. Like many of Ubisoft’s recent games, the map is essentially a huge checklist. Collectibles in the form of Daysha Hands and Izila Masks are spread out in the open world, alongside plenty of side missions, animals to hunt, upgrades to craft and alliance huts to build. It’s a game that will keep you playing for hours if you enjoy the world and combat it specifically thrives on; however, much like “Far Cry” or other games of this nature, you’ll grow tired quickly if you find some of the many tasks to feel monotonous or too familiar.

Conclusion
I ultimately had a good time with “Far Cry: Primal.” The series is by no means going to remain in the Stone Age so this fresh take on “Far Cry” is welcomed. It has some brutal and entertaining melee and animal combat. The world looks pretty and authentic, while coming filled to the brim with animals to pet, ride and hunt. I forgot the names of the characters or why they mattered not minutes after completion; however, “Far Cry: Primal” succeeds at providing me an exciting adventure and gameplay loop in a world dying to be explored more in gaming, ultimately making it a worthwhile spin off to the series.

What was your favorite animal to tame? Did you enjoy “Far Cry's” take on the Stone Age? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.