Though a Metroidvania by definition, Primal Planet plays like a retro 2D action platformer/adventure game. Not one of the big names like Mega Man or Kirby, no. This is more like one of those obscure, gimmicky ones that you discover browsing for hidden gems and immediately want to play. Stuff like E.V.O.: Search for Eden, Gon, Ecco the Dolphin or the Dizzy games. Excitingly unique and weird.
You have your standard map, but the way you interact with Primal Planet’s small world is so immediate and personal. Each area is lively, filled with resources and critters of all sizes. The movement is simple and speedy, enemies are jumpy and powerful, progression is EXP-based, and each living thing on screen can be its source, from tiny bugs providing one point to giant dinos providing a whole level.
When you start, running from a Tyrannosaurus Rex with your family, you already have access to nearly the entire moveset; for a few skill points you can also unlock a double jump and an air dash. Not sure how a caveman can obtain this power by killing birds and flies, but with aliens being introduced into the mix fairly early, that question quickly goes out the window.
The story ramps up quickly, and it is a very strong one for a six to eight hour experience. It gives plenty of motivation, the pixel-art animation conveys things beautifully without words, and the conclusions are immensely satisfying. Primal Planet mixes interactive moments with cutscenes to great effect, never taking you out of the groove for long and allowing for the joy of discovery to take center stage.
Without dialogue, not everything is going to be pointed out to you. Once you are out into the world fully, you do get a selection of marked points of interest, but to reach the final screen, you will have to scour the land. Not just for keys to progress, but also for the best spots to gather resources, since the game is, in part, a survival sim of sorts as well.
The village, which you can move between several spots, is the centerpiece of any attempt at a particularly challenging section. You can upgrade it to spawn different resources when re-entering its location, rest to full health (it does not occur while resting at a checkpoint, Soulslikes be damned), or have villagers teach you new skills and recipes for crafting at a checkpoint. Sometimes you may not be able to progress without an antidote or an oxygen tank for underwater trips.
Found villagers can also join you as companions alongside your family. There is also your pet dino Sino, who can be controlled by a second player in co-op! It has skills to upgrade, but is much weaker than the spear-throwing, club-wielding player-controlled caveman. In return, it is effectively immortal, coming back after a while if its health is depleted, and can heal itself by snatching at bugs.
I only got to mess around with co-op a bit, but I greatly enjoyed it. The power discrepancy is not an issue in the face of being able to control this fast little gremlin of a dinosaur. It reminds me a lot of, once again, some retro platformers like Kirby Super Star, where a co-op partner could play as a similarly underpowered companion. It is incredibly charming, you do not get modes like this much nowadays.
Not that combat difficulty should be much of a consideration anyway. Again, this is a much speedier game than what you come to expect of modern action titles—enemies will very quickly jump and turn without always telegraphing it, but never in an overwhelming manner. Encounters are short—either you get the weaker enemy, the stronger enemy gets you, or you find a nice spot to keep it from hitting you as you beat it up with a club for a while.
This less involved combat is a very good fit as it gives Primal Planet a lot of flavor, ups the pace, and makes the whole experience feel more ethereal—everything passes you by so quickly. It balances nicely with the slower unlock system; should you want to grind a bit, you can just reach a side of the screen to have everything respawn and get rid of it in less than a minute. Rolling into a long jump back and forth past enemies to grab the reeds near a body of water so that blue plants can respawn back at your camp can get repetitive, though.
Water plays a huge part in Primal Planet in general; the entire east side of the map is basically just the ocean. It hides many secrets, and expanding your oxygen reserves via items or skills is one of the progression paths. There are unique enemies, items, and plenty of secrets that require some breath-hold training. Again, it feels like swimming used to be a bigger part of platformers than it is now, perhaps because water levels had a bad reputation, so I was once again pleasantly surprised by how much hides beneath the waves.
The oceanside, with dolphins flipping in the air, is the prettiest area in a collection of really great ones. The backgrounds feature unique color palettes for four different parts of the day, spears can be turned into torches to light the way in the dark, and the enemy sprites are menacing. Except for the aliens, those guys are pretty goofy, but in a good way!
Though it matches many of my forgotten favorites in charm, what is holding Primal Planet back is just how much of that impact from the first hour fails to carry over to the remainder of the game. The opening is so intense and so motivating, but you end up forgetting about it when the slower gameplay loop kicks in. I think both parts are good on their own, but they do feel like an emotional mismatch.
There is also just an overabundance of skills to pick from. Do I need something to lengthen the timer on antidotes when all they are used for is getting through a few three-second stretches? Does the double jump not completely nullify the cool mechanic of using spears as makeshift platforms that stick to walls? Is there any reason to boost the damage of the throwing bones when you already have stronger alternatives in your faster basic club and only a slightly slower spear? Not to mention all the upgrades for Sino if you are playing solo.
If you feel a bit lost in the modern action landscape and wish for a snappier, less calculated title, or if you just love bopping some dinos in the head, I think you really cannot go wrong with Primal Planet. It is not perfectly molded to create a fully cohesive experience—instead, it is a chaotic, difficult to pin down title that is a blast to blast through and will worm into the back of your head again when you least expect it with a thought like: “yeah, that Allosaurus was awesome.”
Mateusz reviewed Primal Planet on PC with a provided review copy.
