Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3330 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2003-04-11
• Platform: PlayStation2

Amazon.co.uk Preview
Primal may be just the game to jump in and grab Lara's 3-D adventuring crown while the latest Tomb Raider game is again delayed. Even at a relatively early stage in its development Primal is already looking like something special, with its super-detailed, moodily lit graphics and huge sprawling game world.

Perhaps closest to Soul Reaver in terms of overall mood, the game begins with heroine Jen getting dragged into the Nexus--a conduit to one of four netherworlds that she must bring back into balance between the forces of good and evil etc, etc.

Relatively uninteresting as the story is, it does at least provide two main characters-- Jen the sword-wielding messiah and Scree the dwarfish gargoyle who can crawl up stone walls and possess statues. You can switch control between either character at any time with the other following behind in your wake, although there are plenty of puzzles that force you to split up and use Jen and Scree's various abilities separately.

At the time of this preview there are some months to go before Primal is released, but it is already looking impressively polished, with a fun combat system that's neither too shallow nor too complex, and even a non-annoying 3D camera. Indeed, the only problem--arguably--is the dodgy rawk music that starts up whenever you pick a fight with a bad guy. This is definitely a game to look out for. --David Jenkins

This preview is based on an incomplete version of the game; features or problems mentioned above may not appear in the finished game.

Official PlayStation 2 Magazine
"Epic stuff... a finely crafted adventure which reveals its depths gradually. 8/10."

Manufacturer's Description
Primal lies in a dark, fantastical realm between the mortal world and the afterlife, where an eternal struggle between order and chaos rages. Abaddon (Chaos) has tired of his personal conflict with Arella (Order) and is breaking the rules. The natural order of Primal has been disrupted and the demons of the dark side are gaining in strength and power and upsetting the natural equilibrium.

Join Jennifer Tate, a modern girl, as she is pulled into the turbulent world of Primal. She must face the demons of an immortal realm and discover her own supernatural origin. A terrifying metamorphosis takes place as Jen begins to unlock her latent demon abilities. Aiding her in her quest to pull the forces of order back from the brink of disaster is Scree, a noble and proud living gargoyle. Players can switch between Jen and Scree throughout the game.

Primal consists of four diverse realms, inhabited by distinct demonic races, each one inextricably connected to the others. The first kingdom Jen and Scree encounter is Solum, home to the Ferai, a rugged, primitive race of hunters. Aligned with the element of Earth, the Ferai culture centres on the natural laws of their environment.

Designed to effectively utilise the PlayStation 2's hardware architecture for optimal results, Primal features state-of-the-art motion capture animation, advanced AI and integrated cut scenes. Dynamic loading and detail management methods are used to present environments of exceptional size, beauty and complexity with no load delays.

Customer Reviews

Primal Scree-am (Sorry!)
I have picked this game up and played it again recently and I had forgotten how good this actually is.

People complain about the combat in this game. I can understand why. It is simple and requires the minimum of skill but this game isn't really about the fighting.

Most of the game is spent exploring the locations and solving mostly environmental puzzles. The worlds are not exactly huge but provide enough of an area to make you feel like part of something much bigger.

The puzzles vary in quality. Most involve the use of your two characters and rely on their different skills. Jen is your typical annoying 'strong' female character but just remains on the acceptible side without straying too far into the stereotypical. Her skills revolve around fighting and climbing.

Her partner on this journey is Scree, a gargoyle. Being made from stone he cannot be killed but he cannot fight either. His role is usually to help Jen overcome some environmental obstacle, for instance, climbing up a wall and lowering a rope so Jen can climb it.

The story is okay. Each world has a sub plot that ties into the main games overall plot. Some of the banter between the main two protagonists can be quite amusing.

Recommended to people who like a less combat dependant adventure game.

PRIMAL!(sexy half-demon goth rock chick runs for Lara vote!)
Primal progresses through four realms in the Parallel world of Oblivion. In Each realm her appearence changes dramatically and each realm is ruled by either the forces of order or chaos, and something major is messing up the balance.

Unusually, unlike other games, which claim to be deep and fantastical and try to be as complex and open-ended as possible, Primal sesigners have devised a storyline, which is stuck to throughout the game, wearing it's linear nature with pride.

Reasons for buying it:
-Deep, dark and huge.
-Broad, intultive puzzles.
-Very nasty monsters.

Reasons for leaving it:
-Vague sense of being unfaithful to Mrs Croft
-Not a game that gets along with natural light.
-Where's the mini-gun?
(AS YOU SEE DIGGING HARD FOR BAD POINTS!)

Graphics/visuals: Gorgeous. Slinky characters, near-edible textures!
9.4/10

Sound: Alf soaring and dramatic. Decent acting!
8.9/10

Gameplay: Simple, fun. Combat a teeny bit simplistic.
8.2/10

Life span: Huge and linear. The save-anywhere option is great.
8.6/10

OVERALL SCORE AND THOUGHTS:
I give this 8.8/10 (88%)

-A finely crafted adventure, which reveals its depths gradually, unfolding at a pace to suit even the most fantasy-challenged.

Very Cool
I recently bought this game in my local games shop not really knowing if it would be any good. I had heard mixed comments about it from online reviews and from those of Playstation 2 magazines - however, I was pleasantly surprised. I found it to be suprisingly addictive very quickly, and the huge detailed environments are amazing. The controls are easy and simple, making it that more enjoyable. Not quite up there with the likes of Tomb Raider (only 1-5 mind you, Angel of Darkness was very dissapointing) but following extremely close behind. This is a very recommended purchase from me as it is just so captivating and gripping with its fantastic story, graphics, controls, and environments. An overall great game. 8/10.