This Be Where Savage Things Live (Far Cry: Primal Review)

During the Stone Age humans were not on top of the food chain. Far Cry: Primal captures this feeling from the get go. You play as Takkar, a long lost member of the Wenja tribe who has found his way to Oros, a promised land of sorts for the Wenja. But there are other tribes there too. And they don’t like playing nice with others. So, in typical Far Cry fashion you have to set forth and conquer the wild lands and trust me, this time it’s really wild.

The world that you are thrown into is absolutely stunning. The rays of light (sunlight or moonlight) shining through the big redwood trees, the over growth of bush and the colorful flowers scattered around makes this game one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen and heard since you are always hearing strange and wonderful sounds that the animals make. But don’t let that make you think it is any less savage. The world of Far Cry: Primal is brutal, in fact I think it is the most brutal world the Far Cry series has ever thrown players into. There are no shops, no cars, no guns! You’re left to craft everything which means constantly looting and gathering supplies and crafting. Which is something I always appreciate in games. For a player, like myself, who avoids using the fast travel feature, it is a dangerously beautiful world to run around in.

At one point I ran up a hill at night and met a pair of glowing eyes staring right back at me. It was a saber tooth tiger carrying a deer. We took a brief moment to stare at one another, both as surprised to see each other before the tiger casually dropped the deer and charged towards me. I ran away and screamed like a little girl. Or one time I was playing around with the bow and shot randomly out in the bushes only to hear a goat give on last bleat before it died. There’s also that time I shot down what I thought was an eagle, feeling very proud of myself while I looked for the body to collect feathers only to realize it was some other kind of bird. Oh yeah, and there’s that time I tried to burn these rival cavemen and accidently set myself on fire…but you don’t wanna know anything about that…

(You can watch the clip this screen is taken from on my page)

I really enjoy the hunting in Primal. When you shoot an animal with the bow and arrow they kick wildly then run off, leaving a trail of blood (which you can use your nifty hunter sense to track) and after a while they give up the fight and die. But I’m not always the one doing the hunting. Whether it be a pack of wild dogs or a pack of wolves or some hungry, cannibalistic cavemen, there is always something trying to get a piece of you in Primal so being alert all the time is how to survive.

The story isn’t as prominent as the previous Far Cry games. I still think Far Cry 3 had an amazing storyline with very well developed characters. Primal manages to capture the caveman simulator very well and I really like the fact that the characters don’t speak English but rather a native language that makes it feel more immersive (There are subtitles of course). And when sneaking into an enemy camp where the enemy actually lives I have stumbled on cavemen eating, sleeping and making more cavemen which makes it feel authentic. It’s all fun and games until they spot me and get angry for being a peeping tom. Primal is authentic to the Stone Age era and the performances from the secondary cast are very well done but don’t expect an engaging story out of it. I’m finding it hard to care about the characters or story.

However I do often laugh at these cavemen’s primitive ways from drinking weird-ass-shit to treating dung as something sacred. The main character isn’t as developed as the previous Far Cry characters. I don’t know what to feel about Takkar, just that he’s a caveman and he has a killer beard. And that he isn’t shy to touch poo or drink eyeballs. Yeah, cavemen drank some freaky shit.

(Hunting is key to survival for cavemen...)

A nice addition is being able to build and upgrade your very own village for your Wenja brothers and sisters. And every little thing you do, be it minor or major, helps them out. I get a good feeling when I see my villagers roaming the area hunting and gathering. And upgrading your gear, weapons and skills is quite important if you want to survive. However, night time is another story entirely. If I’m out and about at night I’m normally running away from something that wants to eat me. Fire plays a big part in surviving night time as most animals fear it and you can quickly set your club alight to use it as a torch. But it doesn’t last forever because the club actually burns! I was quite impressed by this little detail.

(Who's a nice kitty, hmm? Yes you are! Do you want some caveman meat?)

Then there’s the beast taming. Once the skill is unlocked you can throw a piece of bait and attempt to tame a vicious beast. The beasts are fun to play with. I feel like a total caveman-bad-ass when I shoot an arrow at one rival caveman and quickly point to the other and tell my lion to attack. And boy, are the attack animations good in this game! When my lion attacks a boar it pounces on it and drags it down to the ground just like the lions do on Animal Planet! Or my wolf would jump on a caveman and rip out his throat. Then I’d pet them, feed them and point my blood thirsty homicidal critter to their next target. Each animal has different stats being Strength, Stealth and Speed. Obviously the bigger the critter, the stronger, the small, the faster and stealthier. I can also summon my Owl who is my eyes in the sky. He tags enemies for me and can do a variety of things like dropping bee bombs or clawing enemies to death. I really enjoy this addition to the game.

(I guess she really did want some caveman meat...)

I really feel like I am part of a living, breathing eco-system in Far Cry: Primal. The audio is brilliant from the sound of cracking skulls to the iconic sounds that the animals make. The fact that night time is more dangerous adds a fun element to the game. The gameplay might be the same Far Cry formula that they’ve used since Far Cry 3 but I don’t have a problem with that. Far Cry has a good formula and if it ain’t broke then it don’t need fixing. I personally hope they don’t change up that formula any time soon. I like to pick up a Far Cry game and feel familiar to the controls. Primal changes the concept which is refreshing.

(I really hope there isn't anything creepy hanging around out there...)

If you haven’t picked up a Far Cry game before, seriously, what is wrong with you? This is one of the best series in the gaming world and Primal has added a nice new twist on it.

From a stunning vibrant open world full of danger and mystery to a brutal and satisfying combat system, Far Cry: Primal is a special game. However, I do feel that the story and main character fall short. If you are a Far Cry fan I can tell you that a Far Cry without guns actually works, and it works pretty damn well. If you haven’t played a Far Cry game before then get out of your cave and get savage with Far Cry: Primal (Hah, I made a pun!).

This game is truly savage at heart and it gets a Groovy Sticker from me!

Let us know what you think of Far Cry Primal on our Facebook page or hit me up on Twitter if you have some looting locations. As always, fly high and stay Groovy. Good gaming, folks.

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