Far Cry Primal

Far Cry Primal is different from a lot of other FPS games, it takes a lot of bold risks to deliver a authentic experience. As a human in 10,000 BCE players must adapt to a new system, where everything wants you dead and getting supplies means going out into the wilderness and collecting it yourself. Far Cry Primal can feel repetitive at times but remains loyal to the callous atmosphere, craving out each layer of its rich world in easily to handle portions. 

The setting of Far Cry Primal is the most impressive. Taking a trip 10,000 BCE where survival is determined by adapting to the situation at hand. You take control of Takkar as his attempts to reunite his lost tribe the Wenja. Scattered around the vast plains of Oros are your people and you’ll have to search frozen plains and dense forests while attempting to survive the dangers hidden in there terrain. As Takkar locates and unites his colorful cast of villagers Far Cry Primal’s progression system begins to shine.

Don’t expect to purchase any upgrades in Oros, the economic systems that gave players a chance to purchase necessary supplies in other games does not exist here. Instead everything must be scavenged and crafted. As you recruit new Wenja they share their knowledge of improving different weapons and bombs to aid you in surviving. 

The Wenja aren’t the only tribe in Oros, other groups exist that want nothing more than to wipe your people from existence. The Udam are cannibalistic people are vicious. After they kill you your body will serve as meat for their people. The Izila tribe are arrogant, believing that they charismatic leader Batari’s divinity can protect them from anything. It also helps that they have advance weapons based on hurling fire at you! The Wenja are outgunned on both fronts and require the strength of a powerful warrior to survive, that’s where you come in.

As Takkar you represent the spirit and power of the Wenja tribe. As the Beast Master Takkar is gifted with the unique ability to tame and command wild beasts in Oros. This includes his trusty Owl that grants him an aerial view of the terrain, Bears, Tigers, Wolves and Badgers. Each one of these creatures can be swapped out for another at anytime and have distinctive abilities and some have variants, similar to Far Cry 2’s buddy system.

The beasts in Taker’s arsenal are the best addition to Far Cry Primal. Each creatures brings new talents and strategies when taking any given objective. Animals taming has been simplified to tossing bait and holding down a button, however legendary beasts require long hunts ending in a final battle between Takkar and the creature. 

Each animal as specific skills that are ideal for select situations. Bears are great for frontal assaults since they attract all the attention from hostile enemies and tigers are ideal for stealth missions. Later on in the game you can even mount certain creatures and take them into battle with you. While you cannot tame a Mammoth riding one into battle and throwing enemies hundreds of feet into the air using the creature’s giant tusks is always entertaining. Determining what creature to bring is just as important as your weapons.

Takkar himself is a dangerous warrior. Trained in using axes, bows, spears, and other projectiles such as shards and bombs Takkar has a varied weapon set. Each item can be upgraded, some can be ignited to set enemies on fire, and thrown. Other items can temporary improve certain attributes such as becoming fire resistant or increasing Takkar’s speed by consuming certain plants. Because you cannot purchase supplies from vendors Takkar must locate most of his resources. Takkar’s tribe will also aid him by collecting items daily. If that wasn’t enough Takkar also has Eagle Vision, allowing him to effortlessly track hostile targets, locate useful items and hunt easier during the night which cause enemies to change their tactics such as humans carrying torches and animals become more aggressive. 

Combat relies heavily on three elements; fight, stealth or flee. Due to the lack of weapon diversity and importance on resources deciding which plan to execute usually comes down to what’s left in your inventory. It becomes stale quickly due to the lack of weapon variety but given the game’s atmosphere it’s fitting. Expect to triage a lot of your supplies, Oros is unpredictable and times you can find yourself taking advantage of a given situation or trying to recover from it. Such as when a Mammoth decides to take out an entire outpost than sets its eyes on you.

As in past Far Cry games you’ll gain experience by completing missions, killing enemies and collecting collectables. Earn enough and you’ll earn a skill point that can be invested into skills to improve Takkar’s many talents. Missions are given either through specific characters or dynamically show up while running around Oros. These side missions tend to repeat themselves, having Takkar play babysitter for most of his tribe. Freeing captives, helping in repelling attacks and other bland activities.

Expect to die a lot, especially on the higher difficulties. Despite being blessed with a lot of special skills Takkar has a glass jaw. With his beast companion Takkar can destroy entire settlements, which when captured serve as fast-travel points, by himself but a couple of bites from a wolf will put him down. The checkpoint system is also unforgiven, expect to backtrack through a lot after dying. It’s the most difficult Far Cry game available, especially for players who choose to take the aggressive route.

The story of Takkar had a lot of promise during the beginning chapters. Dealing with legendary mythical tribe leaders, spiritual journeys and challenging obstacles. However towards the end the momentum is lost and the game ends uneventfully. Unlike other Far Cry games the main antagonists never reach the same acclaim such as Vaas or Pagan Min. 

It’s clear that Ubisoft took a lot of time developing this world. Enemies and animals alike will participate in this world regardless if Takkar is around. Animals will hunt, enemies tribes will wonder around the landscape and uncontrolled fires will burn large amounts of the terrain. The same detail was put into the animations. Cutscenes are beautiful detailed and rich voice acting amplifies the experience. It’s clear that the developers put a lot of effort to ensure that player felt like they were in looking through the eyes of someone living during this period. The animals are the outstandingly designed and animated, at times I would pet my companion just to see how incredible the design for each of these creatures are.

This stretches into the sound design. The animals specially have been crafted to each have specific sounds, just listening around you can hear whether a something is currently hunting or hiding.

Far Cry Primal is another grand installment in this franchise. While the story doesn’t stand up to the same quality as past entries the gameplay more than makes up for it. The land of Oros is full of beautiful settings to explore and the diverse weapons and creatures at your fingertips encourage creative plans. The missions and gameplay can become repetitive but the world of Oros is such a captivating world you’ll dismiss these short comings and get swallowed whole once you start playing.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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