Primal
| Primal | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | SCE Studio Cambridge | ||
| Publisher | Sony Computer Entertainment | ||
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
 March 25, 2003 April 11, 2003 March 18, 2004  |
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| platform | PlayStation 2 | ||
| genre | Action adventure | ||
| Subject | Fantasy | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Gamepad | ||
| medium | DVD-ROM | ||
| Age rating |
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Primal is an action-adventure computer game for the PlayStation 2 game console released in 2003 by Sony Computer Entertainment . Primal tells the story of Jennifer Tate who, after her boyfriend was kidnapped, has to restore order in four mystical realms of the fantasy world Oblivion together with a gargoyle named Scree .
action
The plot begins with Jen, the protagonist, and Lewis, her boyfriend at a concert, when suddenly a creature appears and kidnaps Lewis. Jen herself is injured and passed out in the incident. Later in the hospital, she has an out-of-body experience , and while standing next to her body, a small living stone statue, a gargoyle named Scree, appears and takes her to the Nexus, a connecting world between the four realms of Oblivion and the world of mortals .
Arrived in the Nexus, Jen learns that the chaos is spreading in the four realms and that she and Scree have to restore order.
Solum is a cold world bathed in eternal darkness. The style of the world is reminiscent of ancient Rome and the world is inhabited by the Ferai, a ram-like race that is strong and honorable but good-natured despite its intimidating demeanor.
Aquis is an underwater world populated by the Undine. The Undine need a complex filtering system to make the water habitable for them, and it is Jens' job to repair it.
Aetha is a rainy mountain world populated by the Wraith. The Wraith people are divided into two social classes: the aristocrats and the rural folk.
Volca is a world of fire, stone and desert that is inhabited by the Djinn. The Djinn are reminiscent of Egyptian gods.
Game principle and technology
The player can control both Jen and Scree in Primal and switch between the two characters at almost any time by pressing the Select button. Jen is able to fight opponents and transform into Undine, Wraith, Ferai or Djinn form, while Scree is able to climb walls and transfer his spirit into statues that he can then control. He can also transform into a rigid stone statue, making him invulnerable. He is unable to fight opponents.
The basic gameplay of Primal consists of both battles and puzzles, as is usual for an action adventure. The focus is usually on the puzzles, which often require a coordinated approach by both characters, for example Scree can climb a tower and then lower a rope to enable Jen to climb.
The shapes Jen can transform into give her new skills such as swimming, time manipulation or stronger attacks, but each of the shapes loses energy when hit by opponents. If this energy goes to zero, Jen transforms back into her human form.
When Jen's life energy is used up, her astral body is thrown back into her actual body, which is still in the hospital. The player then takes over Scree and has to reach the next rift gate within a time limit to get their astral body back.
Production notes
The Ghosthunter , released a year later, has a completely independent story, but was developed by the same team and uses a similar graphic style and similar gameplay, it is, so to speak, the spiritual successor to Primal.
reception
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From 36 aggregated ratings, Primal achieved a score of 73 on Metacritic. The German magazine 4Players praised the story, game world, graphics and sound, but criticized the gameplay, which sometimes took getting used to and was too simple.