Primal Planet Review Summary

Exceptional Metroidvania Experience: Players consistently praise the game as an excellent and unique Metroidvania experience, highlighting its fresh take on the genre and overall high quality. Many consider it one of the best Metroidvanias they've played recently.

Stunning Pixel Art & Visuals: The game's pixel art style is universally lauded for its beauty, detail, and charm. Reviewers frequently mention the impressive art direction, animations, and how the visuals contribute to a cozy and immersive atmosphere.

Tight Controls & Smooth Gameplay: The gameplay mechanics, including movement, controls, and overall feel, are described as tight, responsive, and enjoyable. Players appreciate the smooth flow and well-tuned systems that make the game a joy to play.

Rich Prehistoric World & Creatures: The game's unique setting, featuring a vibrant world filled with diverse and interactive prehistoric creatures, particularly dinosaurs and aliens, is a major draw. Players love the variety and how the world feels alive.

Captivating & Addictive Experience: Players find the game's overall experience deep, engaging, and addictive, with a captivating story and immersive environments. The length is considered appropriate for the price, and the gameplay loop keeps players hooked.

Confusing progression and ending: Many players found the game's progression confusing and the objectives unclear, especially after the initial hours. This lack of guidance, combined with a disappointing and abrupt ending, led to frustration and a feeling of aimless wandering.

Unhelpful and basic map: The in-game map was a major point of contention, described as uninformative, basic, and difficult to navigate. Players struggled with the lack of detail, inability to view the full map, and absence of custom markers, making exploration tedious.

Grindy upgrade system: The upgrade and progression systems were criticized for being grindy, unrewarding, and not aligning with typical Metroidvania expectations. Players felt that upgrades quickly became obsolete or required excessive farming, and the system didn't open up new exploration routes.

Repetitive and simple combat: Combat was described as simple, repetitive, and lacking variety. Players noted a limited number of enemy types, few boss battles, and a lack of special features, leading to dull and unchallenging encounters.

Repetitive level design: The level design was criticized for being repetitive, with many areas feeling similar and lacking unique visual identity. This contributed to players getting lost or stuck, as distinct landmarks were scarce.

Skill-based progression: The game incorporates a skill point-based progression system where players earn experience by defeating enemies. These points can be allocated to increase stats like HP, attack power, and unlock new abilities such as double jump. The upgrade system is described as simple and not requiring excessive grinding.

Companion and co-op focus: A significant feature is the inclusion of companions, most notably a dinosaur pet (Sinosauropteryx) that can be controlled by a second player in local co-op. Players can also recruit other allies, and the map helps locate missing companions.

Metroidvania with unique twists: The game is primarily described as a Metroidvania, though some players note variations from the typical formula, such as less ability gating and the inclusion of crafting and survival elements. It's a 2D side-scroller with combat, crafting, and platforming.

Extensive crafting system: The game features a robust crafting system, allowing players to create various weapons like spears, clubs, and throwing knives, as well as consumable items and traps. This system is central to progression and combat.

Versatile spears and campfires: Spears are a versatile tool, usable for combat (melee and thrown), as torches to clear paths or activate mechanisms, and as temporary footholds. Campfires serve as crucial hubs for crafting, saving, and skill upgrades.

Excellent Steam Deck performance: Players report that the game performs very well on the Steam Deck, including the OLED model. Many believe it should receive official 'Steam Deck Verified' status due to its smooth performance.

Identified in-game bug: A specific bug has been identified by players that appears to be an inherent issue within the game's code, rather than a problem related to individual player hardware specifications.

Minor in-game stuttering: Some players have experienced minor stuttering in specific areas of the game. While present, it generally does not significantly impact the overall gameplay experience for most users.

Highly Recommended Game: Many players highly recommend the game, especially to fans of the Metroidvania genre, dinosaur themes, or those looking for a solid action experience. They often praise its overall quality and consider it worth the price.

Wait for Sale: Some players suggest waiting for a sale or a price drop, indicating that while the game isn't bad, its current price point might be a barrier for some. They believe a lower price would make it a better value.

Performance Issues & Bugs: Players acknowledge that the game has issues, particularly regarding performance and minor bugs. They express hope that these issues will be resolved, which would improve their overall recommendation and rating.

More Crafting & Upgrades: Players desire more depth in crafting options and wish for all upgrades to be equally viable, suggesting improvements to progression and customization systems.

Manage Expectations: Players advise tempering expectations before playing, suggesting that understanding the game's specific blend of mechanics and aligning personal preferences with its design is crucial for enjoyment.

Desire for future content: Players are highly anticipating future content, including DLC, sequels, and more games from this developer, indicating strong satisfaction with the current game and a desire for expansion of the universe. The ending of the game also hints at a potential sequel, fueling this desire.

Map navigation improvements needed: Players are requesting improved map functionality, specifically the ability to place custom markers and view other areas of the map. This suggests a need for better navigation tools within the game world.

Game length and progression: Players reported completing the game in approximately 4-9 hours, achieving a high number of achievements (46/50) and reaching Level 100, even on a first playthrough. This provides insight into game length and progression.

Controller recommended for PC: Several players noted that using a controller significantly enhances the gameplay experience on PC, with some even suggesting it's necessary for comfortable play. This indicates a preference for controller input over keyboard for this title.

Prehistoric setting and references: The game features a prehistoric setting and includes a specific reference to the animated series 'Primal,' involving an Allosaur mother and her lost children. This highlights thematic elements and potential inspirations.