Villordsutch reviews Far Cry Primal…
In the break from our normal numerical Far Cry series and our beloved, ever so psychotic, very vocal person of hatred, Far Cry Primal takes us back to 10,000 BC, to a time where the only thing that matters is survival.
The whole feel of this new universe has changed; if you were to step instantly from Far Cry 4 into Far Cry Primal you would stumble and rapidly run out of arrows within an instant. Gone are the numerous pieces of tradable loot for high-damage ammo and in come reeds, wood and flint to create the perfect arrow, club or spear. Even the idea of trading and money is clearly out of the window; you’re here to survive and unite your people – the Wenja – and in this graphically beautiful world that’s what you’re going to do.
After the brutal introduction of Far Cry Primal we find our protagonist of the story, Takkar, enter the rather vast valley of Oros and it’s here we must begin our journey to unite the splintered family of the Wenja, who have become strewn throughout the many nooks and crannies of this land. On your travels you come across numerous major characters who aid in the evolution of your tribe including the Shaman who upon a vision quest, leads you on the path to taming the animals of Oros starting with an owl. It’s your life goal to unite the Wenja, however it’s not going to be easy with the flesh-eating Udam and the fire-masters Izila tribe encroaching into Oros also.
As mentioned above Far Cry Primal isn’t Far Cry 4, this game is for the hardened player. There are no vehicles you can set onto “drive” that will happily take you to your destination, you can’t plant landmines to take out a woolly mammoth or two, and you can’t zoom in with a 12x Sniper scope to take out a high-ranking Izila leader sitting cosy in the middle of a camp. Everything here is designed to feel like you’ve earned it. You only gain the use of transport via Sabertooth tigers and bears once you’ve a) tamed the beasts and b) unlocked the skill points, so up until that moment you’ve got to get out there and complete the numerous missions to get the XP and skill points.
The use of your tamed beasts is something quite brilliant; each have their own skillset and it’s not just placed on strength, skill or speed. Take a minute to check out their skills for they could save you valuable time in foraging for materials or skinning other animals or even marking enemies; even skilling up your Owl – which is used for marking enemies – can bring in devastating aerial attacks. Of course as you progress you also gain the ability to ride the bears and the Sabertooths tiger too.
The valley of Oros is both amazing to look at and it’s rather massive; it’s made even bigger by the fact for most of the game you have to cross it by foot. There’s a smart introduction of a snow capped area to the north which Takkar’s clothing is unsuitable, leading to you gathering not only more useful members to your growing community, but also rare supplies too, so your clothing can be altered. This world is covered in resources and using your “Hunter Vision” – you detect them throughout the land easily, and gathering more members to the Wenja tribe you will see your daily stash filled up as they too go out collecting for you.
What is lacking from Far Cry Primal is the charm of a really good villain. Yes we have Ull the leader of the Uldam who is extremely brutal, however he isn’t Pagan Min or Vaas. He has no character, no humour and I’ll be honest if it wasn’t for the fact he was a flesh-eating, murdering cave-dweller you can’t understand why he’s here. I know the world cannot be full of flamboyant evil doers like those mentioned above, however this is what Far Cry Primal lacks, without the humourous or psychotic interruptions throughout the, ‘Go there’, ‘Defend this’, ‘Rescue them’, quests you start to get a slight feeling of ‘rinse-and-repeat’ after a while. You’re glad when you visit Urki, the rather nice but dim Wenja, just to bring a smile to your face during the killing and arrow fletching. Granted it would have been difficult to introduce an enemy monologue within these brand new languages created just for the game (and without a walkie-talkie), however it’s still an important missing element.
Far Cry Primal is an very enjoyable game. You have a new take on an old play-style, you’re made to work for your accomplishments also you’ve been given the ability to not only send a bear into battle but to ride a Sabertooth tiger across a fern strewn world, this is something everyone should experience. However, the lack of psychotic interruption, helping with the narration, throughout the story makes the game feel – on occasion – ever so repetitive; still we always have goats to bother and sabertooth tigers to ride.
Pros:
+ Feeling of accomplishments with the game
+ Far Cry Primal looks stunningly beautiful
+ The introduction of taming beasts soon makes you forget not having a sniper rifle.
Cons:
– Without vocal evil doer narrating (or even yourself) the game can feel rather repetitive on occasion.
– Due to the above con the quests can feel ever so slightly similar.
Rating:- 8/10
See Also: – All Flickering Myth’s Far Cry Primal coverage click here.
For more information about Far Cry Primal, visit the Ubisoft website. Far Cry Primal is out now on the PS4 and Xbox One, expect to see it arrive on the 1st March for the PC.
