Primal Planet came as a bit of a surprise, considering I found it by pure luck when lazily browsing on Steam, and how much the presentation and gameplay speaks to me. Being a child of the 80s and 90s, dinosaurs were everything, and what is better than playing a metroidvania set during the dinosaur age to still that distant urge for nostalgia. The demo is a hefty one that really lets you dig into the mechanics, and overall, it’s well-designed, with a fun twist on the gameplay: you are not facing the jungle beasts alone!
Dinosaur planet
You play as a stone-age man with only one objective; keep your wife and daughter alive. It will not be the easiest thing, since you are living on a world with man-eating dinosaurs constantly on the look for a yummy snack. There is also something weird buzzing in the horizon with UFOs crossing the skies, which makes me think we are very far from Earth. So, stone-age dino survival with an alien mystery on top. Sounds perfect to me!
What I found fun when playing is that you are not alone in your struggles. You have your little trusty dino pal following you around, helping you with combat and whatnot. That’s not all, you can upgrade him with new skills, just like yourself, which makes him more than a mere sidekick. There is also some crafting involved, to make torches, and health items. It’s very light, so crafting haters can relax. However, it is connected to unlocking new areas to explore, as you must transport a live torch occasionally through the rainy jungle. Not as easy as it sounds, seeing as this jungle is really damn wet!
I had a swell time playing Primal Planet with its very charming gameplay. The visuals and sound are just top-notch in its pixel splendor, too. It hammers home that jungle feeling with beating drums and claustrophobic fauna that wants to smother you alive. Not too challenging, but great for when you just want to play something fun and relaxing, at least so far. Who knows what kind of dino horrors you will have to face on later levels. Thumbs up, I recommend you all give the demo a run. Especially, if you like 2D metroidvania platformers!
Thanks for reading.
/Thomas
Tom's Gaming Vault 