Primal uses a light RPG system that lets you unlock new techniques, weapons, and items as you earn experience through combat or exploration.
Oros is a massive, open world sandbox, filled with ancient behemoths to hunt and primeval predators to elude. The combat and beast taming blends together to make the world of Primal feel more personal. Petting doesn't do anything, but you don't often get to the opportunity to pet a lion or saber-tooth tiger nowadays, so it's a comforting little detail. You will need to feed your pet when they are wounded or incapacitated, and you can pet them if you're bored. Aside from attacking any nearby threat and warding off other animals, your tamed beasts make fine companions. As you unlock new skills, you can tame hunting cats, lions, and bears. Once you complete your first beast quest, you can tame small hunting animals, such as wild dogs and wolves. You can command them to fight whatever you are aiming your cursor at, giving you a chance to melee the target while it's distracted or shoot at other enemies. With so few ranged options at your disposal, tamed beasts are your go-to distance attack. You learn beast taming very early in Primal, so you will rarely hunt or explore Oros on your own. Primal's second major gameplay change to the Far Cry formula, beast taming, goes hand-in-hand with the inventory woes.
However, if you cannot kill your target with what you have equipped, it might just run off with all your arrows and spears embedded in its hide, never to be seen again. The game lets you collect used arrows and weapons from people you kill, which slightly alleviates the inventory issue. With only two clubs, two spears, and eight arrows at the start, there is a hard limit on what you can hunt or defend yourself against. Of course, as it is a console port, Primal also has an aim assist if you can't hit your mark, so you can always turn on that option if you are having trouble.Īs a struggling caveman, you have very restricted inventory space. Primal's requires a good amount of familiarity with the weapon, which I found very involving. Unless you are engaged in an ambush, you will need to lead your shots if you want to hit moving targets. Arrows have a clear trajectory and a very noticeable travel time, unlike the sniper-like arrows found in Rise of the Tomb Raider ($306.98 at Amazon UK). That said, throwing a club at an enemy can prove valuable in a pinch.Īrrows are your go-to projectiles for most encounters, but even they have their limits. This is ideal for hurling spears, but not so much for tossing clunky clubs. The right mouse button puts Takkar in throwing stance, which lets you toss a weapon at a target. The left mouse button performs a quick attack, and holding the button unleashes a stronger blow. The biggest change Primal makes to the Far Cry formula is the focus on melee weaponry. Since 1982, PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. ( Read our editorial mission.) I played Far Cry Primal on PC, but the game is also available for PlayStation 4 ($306.98 at Amazon UK) and Xbox One ($306.98 at Amazon UK). But its story is simpler and more straightforward, so if you were hoping for eccentric villains and outlandish melodrama, Primal may leave you a tad disappointed. However, your mileage may vary: If you love the open-world exploration and freedom, Primal has that in spades.
It's one of the best PC games you can buy. Melee combat and beast companions set Primal apart from past Far Cry games and make exploration feel much more personal and engaging.
The prehistoric realm of Oros is chock full of lush foliage, massive game animals, and an absurd amount of predatory beasts. You play as a stone age hunter named Takkar, and your goal is to secure a safe haven for your people, the wandering Wenja tribe.
With Far Cry Primal ($59.99), developer Ubisoft abandons all political pretenses and focuses on what made Far Cry stand out from its peers when the series debuted: the open-world sandbox.