Reviews - LeChatEstNoir

Despite the name, Primitives is a remarkably sophisticated game for debutant game developers Ugly Stick. It is survival game - death comes quickly to the ill-prepared - but the learning curve is easy to adjust to, and after 10 minutes of playing you will care less about your own survival, and more about the precarious survival of your tribe, as they attempt to eke out a living on the desolate savannah.

The visuals are top notch. The landscape is beautiful, but it is the attention to character movement and detail that draws the eye - mammoths meandering on the plain; drop sites filling progressively as the game proceeds; artistically rendered tutorial screens. A lot of time has clearly gone into developing a distinctive style for 'Primitives', and it has paid off.

The game is still in the early stages of development, and there are still creases to be ironed out - the monster is less monstrous than absent minded, rushing into the camp arms flailing like he just wants to borrow a cup of sugar, but doesn't know how to ask; and without a map or point of reference, it's easy to get lost from camp, to die a cold, lonely death attempting to punch a mammoth to death.

Despite this, 'Primitives' is a fun, engaging game that with a distinctive play and visual style that's worth spending time on even in this early stage of development. Well recommended.