Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey

 PC
User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 282 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 129 out of 282
  2. Mixed: 43 out of 282
  3. Negative: 110 out of 282

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  1. MetaDoner
    Sep 17, 2020
    10
    Been playing for a total of 12 hours so far and I'm highly enjoying it. There is so much thought and effort behind their work for this game that gets my attention, even if it has some flaws in some areas. I give this game a 10 because I think we need to give encouragement to get similar but even better and improved version of these games in the future. I don't think the game is complicatedBeen playing for a total of 12 hours so far and I'm highly enjoying it. There is so much thought and effort behind their work for this game that gets my attention, even if it has some flaws in some areas. I give this game a 10 because I think we need to give encouragement to get similar but even better and improved version of these games in the future. I don't think the game is complicated as many claim it to be. You unlock most of your basic skillsets through trial and error which fits well with their concept of evolution. The controls are a bit clunky and might be in need of improvement especially if you play with keyboards, but you get used to it and it's not a big deal to be honest. The concept and idea is very interesting and think we need similar but better versions of games like these as mentioned above. There is always room for improvement.… Expand
  2. d3bb5
    Apr 14, 2020
    3
    Es un juego contra intuitivo. Los controles son penosos. Lo mejor son los gráficos, espectaculares
  3. DADDYJMONEY
    Dec 11, 2020
    10
    Best game ever made by far for SURE! Just gotta get through the learning curve
  4. CheesyFriend
    Aug 28, 2019
    4
    I'm very sad leaving this review...
    I genuinely enjoyed game and I do not consider my time wasted. All the flaws were manageable except literally gamebreaking. Adults died, so you left to die too. You can't progress anymore and finding new people with elder ones is unbearable. Gameplay is too slow by itself, I just dont want to spend another 10 hours just to progress a little more.    I'm very sad leaving this review...
    I genuinely enjoyed game and I do not consider my time wasted. All the flaws were manageable except literally gamebreaking. Adults died, so you left to die too. You can't progress anymore and finding new people with elder ones is unbearable. Gameplay is too slow by itself, I just dont want to spend another 10 hours just to progress a little more. Basically I just discovered how to make a spike. It's sad to imagine how much I'm missing out but I don't care to know anymore.

    This score is well deserved. Either you intended to make that rule or you missed such horribly obvious stupidity, it's sheer atrocity.    … Expand
  5. Tidytib
    Sep 2, 2019
    4
    I don't like rinse and repeat games. This was boring. this goes into 'games I will never play' list
  6. DrShepherdLIVE
    Dec 3, 2019
    0
    1. Epic Game Exclusive
    2. Creator blames players for bad review instead of improving his bad game design
    (Yongyea reviewed it)
  7. Destinylver
    Aug 29, 2019
    4
    So to all those who want to love this...I'm right there with you. But despite wanting to love it...I can't and it doesn't deserve your love.

    It was bad enough that it's an epic store exclusive but whatever but to be launched in this buggy broken at times state is unacceptable even in an era where this is all too common. But let's imagine it works. Ancestor is a survival game. But    So to all those who want to love this...I'm right there with you. But despite wanting to love it...I can't and it doesn't deserve your love.

    It was bad enough that it's an epic store exclusive but whatever but to be launched in this buggy broken at times state is unacceptable even in an era where this is all too common. But let's imagine it works.

    Ancestor is a survival game. But while game a like the forest or subnaitica are amazing in scope and ambition and follow through. Ancestor reaches for the sky but much like your ape the gsme reaches, misses and fall.

    Graphics: they aren't terrible but in 2019 with a kick ass pc they're pretty bad. Almost last gen at times. Also there is little variety. The ui and menus are be at though. But the cut scenes are a night mare and you can't skip them...and they repeat...a lot. Lots of graphical glitches. Clipping and texture and pop-up issues. Average.

    Sound: Great but much of its really quiet and they use audio gimmicks for gameplay which aren't obvious. Overall good.

    Gameplay: what could have and should have been amazing is pretty poor. Repetitive, boring, uninspired, lazy and disappointing. At times it's ok and shines and you see what you imagined but then it sabotaged itself. It's like the game hates or doesn't care about the player. Traversing is ok though hit and miss. Fighting is really clunky. You do the same thing again and again. And then you die and loose too much. There are other areas outside of the forest but it takes too long and by the game and you don't feel you've achieved much. Overall: average to poor with moments of what could have been.

    Lastability: 50 hours if you're insane. Otherwise you'll be board after 7 and not 7 good hours. 7 hard awkward annoying hours and then a little fun and it goes no where for the next 20. Overall long enough but what's the point if it's no fun.

    Value : play a demo and have a blast. Wait for a sale. Watch an hour of twitch eitherway as this game is very niche.

    I just want to repeat that the devs really screwed all the people who were excited and supportive. It could be fixed if the sorted out the dying and mating and combat and added some more monsters. Also resolved all the bugs etc. But they didn't care about us when they launched this early access game so don't hold your breath. I'd be angry at the devs but they screwed themselves and their wonderful idea the worse.

    4/10 (5 If you love monkey /ape or homoids? sex ;)    … Expand
  8. atilander
    Aug 27, 2019
    1
    After some hours of doing the same thing over and over, a tiger appearing magically from nowhere (it doesnt matter if u move to a new place he just appear again every few minutes).
    Its boring, buggy and really very bad done. Feels like an Early Access game in all aspects. A waste of money and as usual i cant review the game on the store to warn other users. I give it a 1 because at least    After some hours of doing the same thing over and over, a tiger appearing magically from nowhere (it doesnt matter if u move to a new place he just appear again every few minutes).
    Its boring, buggy and really very bad done. Feels like an Early Access game in all aspects. A waste of money and as usual i cant review the game on the store to warn other users. I give it a 1 because at least the game runs...    … Expand
  9. Pelmenjo
    Aug 31, 2019
    7
    the game is not bad, at the beginning the crafting and learning system is very interesting, but the game is too long, so by the end the game becomes boring.
  10. Pancakejake
    Sep 2, 2019
    8
    Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is a really ambitious game that is actually pretty good. If you go in blind or mostly blind and try to learn everything for yourself at the beginning, it makes the whole game feel more interesting. The map is actually very large and impressive, don't be deceived by the somewhat small beginning area. At some point in the game (10 or so hours) you sort ofAncestors: The Humankind Odyssey is a really ambitious game that is actually pretty good. If you go in blind or mostly blind and try to learn everything for yourself at the beginning, it makes the whole game feel more interesting. The map is actually very large and impressive, don't be deceived by the somewhat small beginning area. At some point in the game (10 or so hours) you sort of figure out the game a bit more and the game-play changes up a bit. But, eventually, no new game-play mechanics are introduced, which is fine for a while, but especially towards the end of the game it gets a bit boring and "grindy". I don't believe that everyone is going to be great at this game, which may be discouraging, but overall the game is pretty fair, I have not had any of my clan members die and and have progressed fairly quickly. Don't be afraid to try new things and explore, as the game rewards you for this. But go at your own pace and when you feel comfortable to be a bit more risky, go for it. Overall, I believe the game is worth at least trying for a few hours if it seems like something you would like. I'm personally really looking forward to the 2nd volume after this game.… Expand
  11. iliketortugas
    Dec 3, 2019
    0
    i hope the director gets used to lower numbers the entitlement put me off of continue playing the game
  12. bloodbornefever
    Oct 31, 2019
    0
    Oh dear... This game is just so.. Annoying.
    The concept could be great but next time try to work on the gameplay. It's not bad but just a waste of time. There is nothing to do in this game.
    Sadly, yes it is called a "game" Watching doculentary on bbc is more fun.
  13. U93T91
    Aug 30, 2019
    9
    I have put about 15-20 hours into the game already. Listen, it is not a game if you want to be told what to do. The first hour of the game I was trying to figure out where to even go. This game warns you at the beginning, it's not going to help you. It really won't. But it is an amazing game, a little buggy yes but that is what updates and patches are for. If you like to be challenged,I have put about 15-20 hours into the game already. Listen, it is not a game if you want to be told what to do. The first hour of the game I was trying to figure out where to even go. This game warns you at the beginning, it's not going to help you. It really won't. But it is an amazing game, a little buggy yes but that is what updates and patches are for. If you like to be challenged, trying to figure out what you can do with a branch or leaf then this is the game for you. It's challenging but once you get the hang of it and as the community discovers more, it will be beautiful.… Expand
  14. DarkNacht
    Dec 3, 2019
    0
    Games is very very very rough, bad controls, worse horse riding in video games.
  15. xArk
    Aug 28, 2019
    2
    Beautiful environment and an interesting idea, but too many design flaws.

    For a game about being "creative" and surviving, there really isn't much to do- eat, drink, procreate, make stick, give stick to other ape, kill a tiger or get killed by one. I don't think dragging yourself through the game at a comatose pace qualifies as fun. Becomes incredibly dull and repetitive really fast.    Beautiful environment and an interesting idea, but too many design flaws.

    For a game about being "creative" and surviving, there really isn't much to do- eat, drink, procreate, make stick, give stick to other ape, kill a tiger or get killed by one. I don't think dragging yourself through the game at a comatose pace qualifies as fun. Becomes incredibly dull and repetitive really fast.

    Even with a full HUD and full tutorial some things remained unclear. Camera angles can be super awkward sometimes.

    Tutorial is really half-assed, some basic mechanics are not even explained. I'd recommend reading a guide to even have an inkling on what to do after the intro because the game sure as hell doesn't care about giving you any directions.    … Expand
  16. Xenofono
    Aug 29, 2019
    8
    This is a great game that's very rewarding when you figure it out. It's true that it could explain some of the necessary mechanics a bit better, a few players are going to experiment with everything as the developers intended but a majority are probably going to look up some tips on the internet. Then we have the ones that can't even read what little info the game actually gives you andThis is a great game that's very rewarding when you figure it out. It's true that it could explain some of the necessary mechanics a bit better, a few players are going to experiment with everything as the developers intended but a majority are probably going to look up some tips on the internet. Then we have the ones that can't even read what little info the game actually gives you and then come here and leave faulty reviews.

    First och all I need to mention that despite what some liars are writing here you can skip the videos by holding the left center button on the xbox controller, not sure what button you need to hold on other inputs.

    Secondly, people that are complaining about animal attacks can't have figured out how to make the first basic weapons because once you kill off some of the predators they start respecting you a lot more. If you go exploring with a few Ape buddies and you all have a spear then you should be fine at the start of the game.    … Expand
  17. iXsoLutioN
    Aug 30, 2019
    7
    First of all, this game isn't for everyone. It's a niche game about evolution and the hardship that come with it. The game purposefully doesn't give you a lot to go on, because you are supposed to explore.

    To address some of the unjustified criticism, there is a skip cut scene option, it's even shown in both the Keyboard & Mouse and in the Controller settings. Personally I have not    First of all, this game isn't for everyone. It's a niche game about evolution and the hardship that come with it. The game purposefully doesn't give you a lot to go on, because you are supposed to explore.

    To address some of the unjustified criticism, there is a skip cut scene option, it's even shown in both the Keyboard & Mouse and in the Controller settings. Personally I have not experienced any major issues in 15 hours of gameplay besides a couple of wild creatures getting stuck in the environment.

    Figuring out different combinations of items is a blast and whenever you come across something new you start to wonder how you can combine it with already known items. The world is gigantic and feels very much alive.

    After 15 hours I've now started to get to the point where progressions seems to be dragging on a bit too much. The amount of new combinations I can discover during an hour of gameplay has almost reached 0 and the combat doesn't seem to change from the start to the game until the end, which wouldn't be a problem in itself if it was more than just a single correctly timed button press with some RNG element attached to it.

    I'm in love with the concept of the game and I'm very excited to see if the Devs can polish the game with future updates to the point where I can recommend the game to everyone, instead of just to a niche audience. For me personally the game is definitefely worth the 40€, but if it ever goes on sale I'd definitely recommend you to pick it up.    … Expand
  18. ravenari
    Aug 29, 2019
    10
    Pay attention to not get eaten and feed yourself and your family.

    You really are going to need it. All these people getting eaten did not take the time to learn. Your senses and memory are very important. Remember what does what, maybe store some things in the settlement to cure yourself something. Things take practice. Also you can switch to keyboard in the options. For a new    Pay attention to not get eaten and feed yourself and your family.

    You really are going to need it. All these people getting eaten did not take the time to learn. Your senses and memory are very important. Remember what does what, maybe store some things in the settlement to cure yourself something. Things take practice.

    Also you can switch to keyboard in the options.

    For a new release too, this game runs smooth on my computer. Usually new releases crash it a lot.

    I think this is a wonderful game to be honest.    … Expand
  19. AllNewSuperfake
    Jun 9, 2020
    2
    EDIT: -2 points for not fixing anything since release and instead focusing your energy on whining about unfair treatment and oh so obviously dumping 10 point reviews. I retract my statement that the company deserves your support.

    You can find a lot of potential and an *idea* of a great game, but while you are fighting the controls and the pretentious wannabe scientific language to    EDIT: -2 points for not fixing anything since release and instead focusing your energy on whining about unfair treatment and oh so obviously dumping 10 point reviews. I retract my statement that the company deserves your support.

    You can find a lot of potential and an *idea* of a great game, but while you are fighting the controls and the pretentious wannabe scientific language to explain the most mundane tasks to stay "challenging" you fail to find the fun in this one.

    All of this happens in an environment that is completely static once your first fascination wears off. Everyone and everything is just sitting around, doing nothing, waiting for you to take control of them to repeat the same tasks over and over again.

    The only times wildlife interacts with each other is in cutscenes and of course to chase you around, and all the intimidation in the world doesn't impress badly coded AI. All progress in the game is barred by rhythm games, time limits and QTE's, and of course following the steps the developers thought of and guessing which steps they *did not* think of when figuring out new tools or ways to handle your tribe.

    It is nice to see this type of game making a comeback, trying out new subjects and mechanics. It's the only reason why I don't regret spending money on this, I want to see more games like this. It's also the only reason why I would recommend this, but thanks to the chosen platform there also won't be a whole lot of communication between the developer and the community, which stands in the way of improvements for the future.    … Expand
  20. MrWilsonWilson
    Aug 31, 2019
    9
    A very all around polished and deep-but-simple game. Difficulty is there, you have to work out your brain to figure out the game, which will not hold your hand at all so be prepared for a challenge.

    The map is gorgeous and fantastic, the apes feel real and their evolution is accurately slow and difficult. The volume 1 of the game just overs about everything you'd expect it to and leaves    A very all around polished and deep-but-simple game. Difficulty is there, you have to work out your brain to figure out the game, which will not hold your hand at all so be prepared for a challenge.

    The map is gorgeous and fantastic, the apes feel real and their evolution is accurately slow and difficult. The volume 1 of the game just overs about everything you'd expect it to and leaves you hungry for more. Also the evolution skill tree is no joke and the breeding system is on point. The game makes a LOT of sense in the way it works, but you will have to actually try to understand it.    … Expand
  21. Iwashere2177
    Sep 2, 2019
    8
    I would rate my experience a 10 but the game itself an 8 and will explain why.

    The greatest strength of this game is that you feel like you are in control of a living thinking breathing creature. Most games in this genre feel mechanical as if you were shoveling things into a robot. The climbing is as solid as you would expect from the makers of Assassins Creed. The games greatest    I would rate my experience a 10 but the game itself an 8 and will explain why.

    The greatest strength of this game is that you feel like you are in control of a living thinking breathing creature.
    Most games in this genre feel mechanical as if you were shoveling things into a robot. The climbing is as solid as you would expect from the makers of Assassins Creed.

    The games greatest strength is that it doesn't explain much beyond controls, but there are some things it should have explained. These thing if explained in game would have spoiled nothing but eliminated much frustration.

    The biggest thing is that there is a button to skip cut-scenes while most games flaunt this, this game hides behind the key-binding options. The second big thing is that while crafting you are waiting for a quite tone to release the button.    … Expand
  22. Gnomzilla
    Sep 6, 2019
    10
    Just love it, it is different and makes me to play it for hours...not the best controls, graphics and etc, but game idea is something new!
  23. Angell
    Aug 29, 2019
    7
    So far the game is pretty decent overall. A solid survival title, but has a lot of room for improvement.

    Cons: • User Interface can be downright annoying. The camera angles and lack of options for customizing them can also be incredibly frustrating. If you're facing a tree you can't look in 360 or use your senses in that manner either. like my primate can turn his body and head to look    So far the game is pretty decent overall. A solid survival title, but has a lot of room for improvement.

    Cons:
    • User Interface can be downright annoying. The camera angles and lack of options for customizing them can also be incredibly frustrating. If you're facing a tree you can't look in 360 or use your senses in that manner either. like my primate can turn his body and head to look over his shoulder...
    There's also no way to monitor what apes are paired with who and which ones are family. A family tree should be implemented for better planning your mating, even if it's something that has to be evolved. The only way to understand these is if you analyze every ape and try to remember who is who, because immediate family members cannot mate. Nothing like playing matchmaker to find out your last two are brother and sister which means you're losing at least two children, which is crucial.

    • The game does a horrendous job of explaining the basic mechanics such as mating, which is one of the most important things in the game. ZERO explanation. I get that they wanted the game to be about exploring and learning, but I don't need to learn what hole to stick it in and how, neither to my apes. Another mechanic is the audio ping. ZERO explanation. Every action in game has a "tick" sound when you should execute the action. Grooming, hitting, striking, dodging, etc. Literally every action that has meaning comes with an audio cue for the player.

    • The Ape AI is kinda garbage, I get that they're learning, but even when you have some evolutionary feats that say they can do certain things like mimic switching hands and crafting it becomes a giant headache.

    • With that said the initial intro to the game becomes incredibly difficult. The player struggles and starts over a few time just to pick up the basic mechanics when they should have been explained better. The premise of it being about exploring and learning with no help so that you get better immersion with the apes is taken a step too far here. Once you have the basic mechanics down it's smooth sailing though.

    PROS: After all that nonsense...

    • The game is fun to explore. Climbing trees and jumping from canopy to canopy can be quite enjoyable. I never really had the experience where I was falling so often, the game isn't broken here. Other players are just trash at aiming and timing their jumps and swings.

    • Though the game starts out incredibly rough and slow, it does get better, faster, and easier as you evolve. Everything from movement, analysis, communication, combat, etc... Think of Kingdom Come: Deliverance in a sense. This can be quite satisfying as it shows true progression (once you nail the basic mechanics and know what you're doing at least).

    • The wildlife is not as other reviews make it seem. You don't get stalked and jumped by random spawns. Certain wildlife will linger in areas until they are cleared, they respawn with a new generation, sometimes they do wander as far as I can tell though. Even if you do get jumped by one, you have enough time during the "reaction" phase to dodge and make your way to safety. They can be difficult to kill however because you often lose or break items after a successful hit or a dodge. There are evolutionary feats for this though. Be patient.

    OVERALL: If the mechanics were explained better to start, the game would be much more enjoyable for the entirety of the player base. Having to start over repeatedly because you made dumb decisions with your lineage for something that should have been taught from the beginning is mind numbingly frustrating. Quite enjoyable after that however. I've yet to unlock everything and am still experimenting with combos and such. I look forward to seeing where the devs go with updates and DLC. This title has unlimited potential.

    *Edit
    Some features are still coming to light as I play. The bonds developed between Apes are not permanent as you can choose a new mate for better family planning.

    • Later features come as you evolve through the ages and upgrade your feats.

    • Once you discover new locations and build a bigger clan you can restart fresh with custom settings instead of spawning at the default start. These include your biome, the location within the biome, and your clan size. This may make a sizable difference to the player.

    The game still needs work, but it can be thoroughly enjoyable if you power through.    … Expand
  24. Cybert
    Aug 30, 2019
    10
    This game aint for lite gamers or casual gamers. It is for hard core gamers!
    The game is insane hard and I love it! It is a new concept, worth buying. Finally not a grinding game, not a game like 10 others on the market. I am looking forward for chapter 2!
  25. Freygea
    Aug 31, 2019
    10
    This game is very immersive. Hard to explain if you have not played it but somehow, with the rhythm needed, the devs have created a way in that you really feel like you are learning a skill. It is such a great feeling watching yourself and your clan evolve.

    This game is new and polished with a solid release. No bugs encountered in 45 hours of gameplay thus far. I have been playing    This game is very immersive. Hard to explain if you have not played it but somehow, with the rhythm needed, the devs have created a way in that you really feel like you are learning a skill. It is such a great feeling watching yourself and your clan evolve.

    This game is new and polished with a solid release. No bugs encountered in 45 hours of gameplay thus far. I have been playing non-stop. I also have noted streamers playing long days because it is pretty addictive. Very immersive.

    I am looking forward to the whole Trilogy.    … Expand
  26. SimonCheyen
    Aug 30, 2019
    8
    One of the most unique and rewarding survival games I've played in recent years. It's uniqueness though won't be for everyone (hence bad scores out of spite). Yes, it could use a bit more polish and time in the oven but for it set out to do it succeds with flying honors. It perfectly gives you the sense of the journey our species went through, how much trial and error we had to endureOne of the most unique and rewarding survival games I've played in recent years. It's uniqueness though won't be for everyone (hence bad scores out of spite). Yes, it could use a bit more polish and time in the oven but for it set out to do it succeds with flying honors. It perfectly gives you the sense of the journey our species went through, how much trial and error we had to endure and how dangerous the world was (Tigers are actual predators, they do not spawn suddenly, they are just hard to notice). I absolutely adore the atmosphere of this game and that sense of discovery. Game controls and systems can sometimes work against but its nothing that cant be fixed. All in all great first game by Panache and can't wait for next chapters. To all of you that would try this game: play with headphones, look for audio cues for almost everything, it helps a lot. Go off and explore, there is a lot of to see (you are huminid, climb damn it) and find - some of the easter eggs/events. Stay away from guides (apart from UI icons description) and, above all else, dont be afraid to restart. I absolutely enjoy this game, and i dont like survival games in general, that says something.… Expand
  27. BrPp
    Aug 31, 2019
    9
    Its a cool,interesting and unique survival game
    One dificulty and interesting gameplay good graphics , good lore and good advance
  28. Pifpaf
    Sep 5, 2019
    9
    Good game with tough beginning. Tutorial is very short but after studying short help in menu all things were almost clear. Fight is super easy once you learn how (release with sound). Only issue I have is of no state of your clan members and one can easily die of bleeding when you do not notice, despite there is medicine all around you. And some bugs.
  29. Legion245
    Nov 26, 2019
    9
    Amazing game, beautiful world, but punishing!

    Overall this is a wonderful experience, but it's not for the faint hearted, and it's not a fast paced mindless shooter or action RPG, it's all about evolution, discovery, and just trying your best to not get f**ked up by basically everything else in the world. Be that because you accidentally ate a poisonous plant, or didn't see the tiger    Amazing game, beautiful world, but punishing!

    Overall this is a wonderful experience, but it's not for the faint hearted, and it's not a fast paced mindless shooter or action RPG, it's all about evolution, discovery, and just trying your best to not get f**ked up by basically everything else in the world. Be that because you accidentally ate a poisonous plant, or didn't see the tiger sneeking up behind you while you were desperately trying to quench your thirst.

    Nothing is ever really that easy in this game, but the challenges and resultant reward for surviving a generation are awesome. Sure it has a few rough edges, but if you enjoy the challenge of survival games and have an interest in this chapter of evolution, this is the game for you.

    This game will definitely upset and frustrate some players over and over again because they aren't good at being patient, or try to tackle something beyond them, but they will know it's because they made a bad choice rather than the games engine killing them due to bugs or other issues.

    Essentially, this game is great if you love the subject matter,and enjoy survival games /mechanics, and like managing these attributes. It has a deep beautiful world, with all kinds of challenges to overcome. The skills tree / genetic traits are a wonderful edition to the games core survival, and having your choices impact future generations makes these choices seem even more impactful.

    Do not buy this if you think it's Assassin's Creed The Monkey Chronicles, do not buy if you don't enjoy survival games, do not buy if you have the attention span of a GameRanx reviewer, do not buy if you don't have patience.    … Expand
  30. Zodwraith
    Apr 21, 2020
    0
    I find it hard to choose a score for this because I want to give the idea a 10 but the implementation a 1. So 5 right?
    Epic exclusive. There's a point off.
    Way too easy to head down a dead end path that you can't see as such and be forced into a full reset to the beginning. There's another point off. This deserves a hard 3 but don't think that makes it a bad game overall, just too    I find it hard to choose a score for this because I want to give the idea a 10 but the implementation a 1. So 5 right?
    Epic exclusive. There's a point off.
    Way too easy to head down a dead end path that you can't see as such and be forced into a full reset to the beginning. There's another point off.

    This deserves a hard 3 but don't think that makes it a bad game overall, just too many unforgiveables. I've got about 40 hours into it trying to break into what I feel should be a deeply rewarding game and I just never got there, even when I started succeeding with evolutions.

    Here's a typical couple play hours:
    Find sticks.
    Find rocks.
    Strip sticks.
    Sharpen sticks.
    Head out.
    Stop CONSTANTLY to smell, listen, bark, inspect.
    Get attacked by XYZ.
    Sticks break killing XYZ.
    Find all the dropped weapons that aren't broken.
    Climb all over looking for mats to heal.
    Heal wounds on you and clan.
    Find more sticks and rocks to sharpen sticks, then do that.
    Everyone is starving and too stupid to eat or drink without you showing them.
    Find obsidian, thank God. Then try to find them again after your clan members drop them in the grass.
    After 10 outings you realize it's easier to just go alone instead of babysitting your entire down syndrome clan.
    Decide to try and keep to trees. Get frustrated by horrible controls while climbing that require precise nonsensical positioning. Yeet yourself into the nothingness while aiming at a branch that was JUST RIGHT THERE.
    Return to camp to have random members just be gone.
    Realize once again you don't have enough members for evolution and finding outsiders is too rare for how far you have to travel at a snail's pace. Try traveling quickly and you're terrified of unknown areas making you freak out without inspecting everything around you just 50 yards from your "known" area.
    Reconsider for the 15th time to uninstall the game.

    The pacing is punishingly slow. EVERYTHING you do is slow. Sharpening one stick takes 15 clicks(!) if you don't have the right tools. (keep obsidian in your camp)

    I've got over 40 hours into it but I should have been at this point within hour 5. Rewards for pushing yourself through the soul crushing monotony are pathetic. It's sad because I really wanted to like this game. Graphics are really nice and the premise of the game is intriguing. Unfortunately this is all destroyed by clunky controls, horrible mechanics, and the same slow process over and over and over again. After typing all this out I think it's lucky I went as high as 3. You should never punish the player for playing the right way.

    Edit: After seeing Desilet's response to less than glowing reviews that we're all stupid or lying that this isn't the greatest game ever made I'm changing my review to a zero. Anyone that egotistical needs to be knocked down a notch, especially if he thinks THIS is a masterpiece of gaming, while in the same breath saying they had to cut corners due to time constraints and lack of resources. Give me a break. You didn't build Assassin's Creed all alone, but obviously you think you did. Guess we see now the talent on AC wasn't you huh?    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

42
#42 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019
54
#54 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 71 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 71
  2. Mixed: 37 out of 71
  3. Negative: 6 out of 71
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 28, 2020
    40
    The game has an original setting and at first attractive environment. Unfortunately for players, millions of years are truly dragging, and the sluggish gameplay makes the struggle for survival a struggle for your own sanity. [Issue#298]
  2. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Oct 11, 2019
    57
    Poor climbing and fighting aside, the gameplay loop is mind-numbingly tedious: eat, drink, make babies, sleep. Keep doing that for hours, and you’ll unlock one semi-useful perk or another, so you can eat, sleep and drink some more. [Issue#240, p.40]
  3. Impulsegamer
    Sep 27, 2019
    82
    For anyone interested in a rough idea of what our early ancestors went through as they slowly evolved over time… this game does offer an effective look and feel for that. It has some pretty irritating issues… but for the most part it is likely to draw you in and see you exploring your environment trying to unlock that next ability that will unlock the next branch on the family tree. Evolutionary denialists… well I assume they are not even considering this title anyway, for everyone else… if you can get past the hangups… Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey actually manages to mix a bit of education with an interesting game that may well find you absorbed for hours on end.
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