Primal Review

Developer	Sony Cambridge Studios
Publisher	SCEE
Genre	Adventure

When Primal was first announced, and I learned the game was being developed by the brilliant folks at Sony Cambridge Studios, I desperately wanted to know more about the game. See, Sony Cambridge is the developer behind one of my all-time favorite franchises; an extremely underrated series on PSone called MediEvil. The game and it's sequel were among the most creative and inspiring games to come along in years, thanks in large part to it's captivating story, lush graphics, and infinite imagination.

There is quite a bit of that imaginative talent that permeates around Primal as well, but the game isn't without it's own fair share of faults.

Gameplay - Primal tells the story of Jennifer Tate, a chick who lost her boyfriend Louis while in a nightclub; where Jen ended up in the hospital with very little memory as to what happened. Meanwhile, a creature from a far-off dimension appears in Jen's hospital room, and pulls her ethereal form from her body. He tells her she'll die unless the two work together to restore balance in Oblivion. The creature, a gargoyle who goes by the name of Scree, tells Jen that it's possible Louis has been taken to this abyss.

There is much more to Primal than the save-the-helpless-victim premise. The game is very Soul Reaver-ish; a third-person adventure game containing combat, puzzles, and exploration. Unfortunately, the game also boasts some of the most prominent flaws to such genres of game. So in short, Primal contains a bit of everything; both good and bad.

Primal's two most defining gameplay elements are what will keep you playing if nothing else would. The first is the idea of playing two characters at once. At any time, you can change between the game's two main characters, Jen and Scree. Better is the concept that both are used for very different jobs in the game. Jen is much more combat-oriented, but surprisingly, Scree is used for more numerous purposes, like collecting energy and harnessing it to replenish Jen's health. Scree also has the ability to climb stone surfaces, thereby allowing him access to places Jen doesn't. Both characters are equally needed to proceed in Primal, and both have their own style of puzzles to solve. In fact, many of those puzzles require them to both be involved at the same time.

The second of Primal's core gameplay revolves around Jen's combat abilities. Jen can shapeshift into different beings, each a representative of the race that inhabits that area. She also inherits their combat maneuvers. Jen can string her combat moves together to form combos, but with the very basic combat system, stringing moves together isn't nearly as engaging as it sounds. The shoulder buttons offer a decent amount of ergonomic play, but only after some getting used to. What's more, the enemies you face off against in Primal differ very little in the way they fight. Fortunately, they vary just enough to keep you interested, and along with other gameplay mechanics involved, Primal, though not revolutionary, doesn't fall flat either.

Our only true gripe concerning the gameplay is the fact that getting a bit stuck results in a ton of aimless wandering, which in turn, causes extreme slowdown in the pacing. One minute you're happily solving a well-thought puzzle -- which occurs directly after an exciting standoff against three enemies -- when suddenly, you're stuck as to what to do and where to go next. Jen can ask Scree for small hints at any time with a simple press of Triangle, but most of the time, the help is much too vague to actually...well...help.

Graphics - Beautiful. Indeed, Primal is a pretty game. We're familiar with Sony Cambridge's talents, but they still amaze us with each new project. Visually, the environments are suitably eerie, with crisp textures, detailed architectures, and impressive draw distances. There are a few standouts that we found could be done better, like the leaves on the trees, and animations in which they sway are kind of generic, but in all, the grand picture of the game is still pleasing to the eye biscuits.

Since we're on the subject of animations, we've got to comment on the hugely detailed character models and their appropriate animations for each move they make. Jen and Scree are beautifully drawn and textured, as are all of the characters and enemies in the game. The skin and garments look almost bump mapped and shadowed in all the right places. Each and every move made by a an in-game character is gorgeous to look at. Even the lip synching is on par with the best of 'em. The physics engine is a glorious triumph as well, with each and every movement onscreen by anyone looks almost alive.

But there are a few glaring issues that keep the graphics from being all they could be. For one, the framerate is choppy. Not the sort of choppy that you notice during heavy firefights in some games, but an overall choppiness that affects the experience as a whole. Just playing for a few minutes, we could tell that things weren't chugging along as smoothly as they could be. In any game, fluidity is important, and in Primal, you'll learn why.

We've also noticed a few clipping issues, especially when rotating the camera. Not bad enough to really slam the game for, but noticeable enough to point it out. In fact, the real downfall to Primal is the awful camera. You're allowed free manipulation of the camera with the right analog stick, but just as in most fully 3-D third-person games, the camera gets stuck on just about everything. What's more, the camera bounces up and down as Jen and Scree run, and with every movement at full speed -- like climbing stairs -- the camera bounces with each step. Nauseating, really. Playing Scree especially, can get tedious.

Sound - One area where Sony Cambridge always succeeded was in the sound, and their ability to captivate with each and every musical score. We've got to say that Primal does not disappoint here. In fact, we distinctly heard some classic MediEvil tuneage in certain places, and even when we remove those rose-tinted glasses, we still notice that all of the musical magic is still in full force. Sound does so much for a game, but in order to do so, it's got to be in the right hands. Thankfully, Sony Cambridge haven't lost their touch. Each piece has personality, and almost tell a story of it's own. That's when you know music is good.

From a sound effects standpoint, we can't complain, and the voice-overs -- which were all professionally done -- are fabulous. Not only are they appropriately voiced, but they are working from an ingeniously-written script, just adding to the brilliance.

Overall Value - It starts off a bit slow, but the more you play, the more engrossed you'll become. That's where Sony Cambridge's true talents shine through. The story, the music, and that imagination factor always seem to steal the show in one of their titles.

The gameplay hasn't been executed perfectly, but there are certainly welcome changes to the tired third-person adventure genre. It's no MediEvil (and I'll forgive Sony Cambridge for not making me a PS2 MediEvil...for now), but it's still a gratifying experience. Please don't dismiss this one without a sincere try.

Review by Brendon Hivner