Far Cry Primal

Ubisoft has recycled many ideas from previous titles and adapted them to the Stone Age, which is why Far Cry Primal features repetitive gameplay and unmemorable missions. Even so, it is a very bold gamble, with a renewed graphics and a big change for the Far Cry series, being more stealth oriented.

I’m really impressed by many elements in Far Cry Primal and there’s plenty to do. It all becomes a bit too repetitive in the end, though.

The fourth Far Cry put on an animal skin and tried a prehistoric act. However, virtually nothing has changed under the surface –good news for the fans but bad news for those who hoped for significant changes. Luckily the core mechanics of the original still work well.

Clubs and spears instead of firearms, and mammoths instead of cars. Far Cry Primal is a well-made and interesting take on the Far Cry formula, but in the end it just is not as good as the third and fourth installment.

Designed as "Ubisoft: A sandbox game", Primal fails to reach the bar set by its predecessors. The game world is vast and rich with details, but the game never actually motivates you to push the story mode to its conclusion.

Far Cry Primal is an incredibly interesting game that really nails the feeling of danger and survival at times. The game’s nearly non-existent, thin plot and tedious crafting system however hold it back from being great.

Far Cry: Primal won’t re-wire your expectations of what a game can be but it has just enough energy to pleasurably distract one over the length of its journey.

Far Cry: Primal is an example of how ambition doesn't always translate to success. It's overly familiar and overly safe, and it does little with its concept.

Far Cry Primal is a perfectly entertaining game, but it’s a hard one to get too excited about, especially when it seems as if only a few twists would’ve turned it into something considerably more interesting. As it is though it suffers from needlessly basic storytelling and a general lack of vision. Although it’s no disaster it does feel like a backwards step for Far Cry, and gives no real hint as to what its evolutionary future could or should be.

The game is greatly hindered in two key areas. First its story is nothing short of terrible. Second, and I think far more detrimental, is that it sticks dangerously close to the two games before it. From a pure technical standpoint, the game is sublime. It plays beautifully and is still an incredibly enjoyable game. But the lingering feeling like you’ve done all of this before never left me throughout my time with the game. And for a game that’s supposed to take place over 10,000 years ago that’s a problem.

The land of Oros is beautiful and full of life. That entertainment does not reach very far though, because human enemies can hardly be found and the story is a disappointment. Far Cry Primal offers the same action as its predecessors: an awesome feeling of hunting but gameplay that does not feel new.

Far Cry Primal is instantly pleasing to the senses and great to play. Stone Age is a really interesting setting and the whole map offers a lot of content and some great supporting characters. But from a certain point, you realize that the game lacks a solid story, charismatic antagonists, and that it's very repetitive.

Far Cry: Primal stands out as a game with an original, really well crafted world but in the end leaves quite a bit to be desired. Using primitive weapons, taming wild animals and observing interactions between all the inhabitants of Oros can be really fun. It's a pity that the game has a very weak storyline and copies gameplay mechanisms from previous installments. As a result, your view of Primal will depend on your feelings towards older Far Cry games.

Far Cry Primal really wants you to know that there are tons of things you can do in its prehistoric, open world. Unfortunately, you may not want to do any of them.

If you were hoping for more of a revolution to the formula, or didn't particularly enjoy the hunting mechanics in past games, then you're best off steering clear of this title. Of course, if you're merely looking to jump back into the familiar Far Cry gameplay loop in a captivating open world, then there's still plenty of fun to be had. And at the end of the day, who on Earth doesn't want to ride around on a bear?

While Far Cry Primal is a well-made experience, one I enjoyed a great deal, it oftentimes had me thinking about the routine the series has settled into, and envisioning a future where the Far Cry formula may not be as compelling as it once was, no matter how extraordinary the setting.

Far Cry Primal is a great spin-off for the Far Cry franchise, but it doesn't do anything drastically new.

Beneath this wildly altered aesthetic, for better or for worse, Ubisoft is still playing it safe. Personally, I found Primal to be far more entertaining than Far Cry 4, but even then it’s hard to overlook the series’ systematic regurgitation of ideas and concepts.

Far Cry Primal is basically everything I just described, without a whole lot of irony. Which is to say it often feels enormously, almost amazingly stupid.

Compared to recent Far Cry games, Primal is neither a relief nor a disappointment. It's really good at being violent open-world base-conquering simulator and it has a smattering of neat toys. Far Cry Primal is another One Of Those with a few wild tangents stretching and searching for new limitations. It's a predictable, albeit competently constructed, status quo machine humming along through another entry.

The seeds of a decent survival game are here. [April 2016, p.102]

Not as experimental as it wants to be, as Far Cry recycling hampers its endearingly silly premise. Primal finds itself stuck in the past in more ways than one. [Apr 2016, p.85]

While it presents itself as something new, different and vital, the truth behind this absurdly shallow veneer is that you've played this game before − at least if you've touched a Far Cry game since its third instalment.

For every idea that’s been given care and thought, there’s one that is far past the realm of cliché. This is less a diminishing return and more a warning that the series is flirting dangerously close with creative extinction. [May 2016, p66]

Far Cry: Primal feels like one long, optional side mission.

This one is worth your time if you’re simply looking for a unique take on the classic sandbox genre. Otherwise, it might not be a bad idea to lay low and wait for a price drop in the future.

In the end the new abilities, like taming animals and riding them, are great additions to the game, but they just aren't enough to save Far Cry Primal from being a fairly average and mindless adventure in a time long forgotten.

Primal takes the great structure of the Far Cry series, but little of its character. No clear goal and a limited arsenal end up making this feel a little prehistoric itself.

Ultimately, the lack of a gripping story or any standout characters strips a bit too much from the experience. It’s a solid effort that opens up more possibilities for first-person action, but without the highs a strong narrative could have afforded the game, it is left feeling a bit bare.