Primal Planet, published by Pretty Soon and developed by solo developer Seethingswarm, is an interesting combination of Metroidvania, action platforming and survival gameplay. Set on a prehistoric world where humans and dinosaurs coexist, the game follows an unnamed caveman whose peaceful family life is shattered when a Tyrannosaurus Rex attack separates him from his loved ones. What initially appears to be a straightforward journey to reunite the family soon develops into something considerably stranger, as hostile tribes and an unexpected alien invasion complicate matters. It is an unusual premise, but one that gives the adventure a distinctive identity, particularly because the story is told almost entirely without dialogue. Instead, expressive character animations, environmental storytelling and carefully staged sequences communicate the events and emotions. This approach works remarkably well, creating some genuinely touching and occasionally surprising moments. Unfortunately, much of the narrative momentum is concentrated towards the beginning and end of the adventure, leaving the middle portion feeling somewhat underdeveloped.
The combination of exploration and survival is where Primal Planet really establishes its strengths. The interconnected world contains forests, jungles, mountains and extensive underwater areas, each populated by different creatures, environmental hazards and secrets. Dinosaur encounters are particularly memorable, as even relatively small predators can pose a serious threat during the early hours. Rather than simply fighting everything that moves, players are encouraged to observe their surroundings, gather resources and consider their options. Wood, stones, bones, herbs and meat all have practical applications, whether crafting weapons, preparing healing items or developing the equipment needed to survive more dangerous environments. Food management also adds an entertaining touch, as eating raw meat can cause unpleasant consequences, making a nearby campfire particularly valuable. These systems complement one another nicely, giving exploration a meaningful purpose beyond simply discovering the next section of the map.
Campfires are particularly important to the overall experience. Besides providing safe places to rest, cook food and save progress, they serve as hubs for crafting and character development. Experience gained through defeating enemies, discovering secrets and other activities can be invested in upgrades covering health, attack power, movement and underwater endurance. New abilities, including a double jump and an aerial dash, gradually expand the protagonist’s mobility, while crafted equipment introduces additional ways to approach obstacles and enemies. One of the more inventive ideas involves using spears for purposes beyond combat. A spear can be thrown into a wall to create a makeshift platform, while setting it alight turns it into a portable torch capable of clearing obstructive vegetation. These mechanics give certain environmental puzzles a welcome degree of creativity and demonstrate how Primal Planet makes its survival elements relevant to traditional Metroidvania progression. However, the sheer number of available upgrades occasionally makes the skill system feel unnecessarily elaborate, with some improvements offering considerably less practical value than others.
There is also a surprisingly substantial community-building element to the adventure. As family members and villagers are rescued, players can gradually rebuild their settlement, improving huts to unlock additional resources, crafting recipes and other benefits. Some villagers can even accompany the protagonist, providing useful assistance during encounters with hostile creatures. The small dinosaur Sino is another important companion, and particularly welcome is the option for a second player to join through local co-op, taking control of the little creature at any point. Sino has its own progression system and can be upgraded, although its combat capabilities are naturally more limited than those of the human protagonist. It is a charming addition, even if restricting cooperative play to this particular character feels like a missed opportunity. Allowing a second player to control one of the human companions would have made the feature considerably more versatile.
Despite the enjoyable combination of mechanics, combat is not quite as convincing as the exploration and crafting. The protagonist has a reasonably varied collection of options, including clubs, knives, spears, throwable weapons and traps, while certain encounters reward a more cautious approach involving distractions and environmental advantages. Movement itself feels agile and responsive, making it relatively easy to navigate the platforming sections, climb obstacles and move between different environments. Unfortunately, the actual fighting can feel rather rough around the edges. Hit detection is not always reliable, and attacks sometimes lack the satisfying feedback needed to make combat feel particularly impactful. Enemy behavior can also be inconsistent, with certain larger creatures occasionally becoming surprisingly easy to defeat by exploiting weaknesses in their positioning or artificial intelligence. Character progression eventually makes encounters less threatening as well, which can undermine the survival tension that makes the opening hours so compelling.
Exploration is both one of the game’s greatest attractions and one of its more frustrating aspects. There is considerable satisfaction in discovering hidden passages, finding useful resources and gradually gaining access to previously unreachable areas. The world also contains plenty of optional discoveries, encouraging players to revisit earlier locations once they have acquired additional abilities or equipment. However, the map does not always provide sufficient assistance when trying to navigate its interconnected environments. Its fragmented presentation makes it difficult to understand how individual sections connect, and the absence of custom markers means players cannot easily record interesting locations or obstacles that require returning later. This becomes increasingly inconvenient once the more structured opening gives way to a broader exploration experience, with important objectives sometimes scattered across the world without particularly precise guidance. Fast travel eventually helps, but its availability comes relatively late and the system itself is more restrictive than one might hope. The jungle environments can also begin to feel repetitive after extended exploration, despite the variety of creatures and lots of smaller environmental details.
Visually, Primal Planet makes an appealing impression with its colorful pixel art and lively animations. The presentation has a distinctly retro character, but the detailed environments, expressive creatures and fluid movement give it enough personality to avoid feeling like a simple exercise in nostalgia. There is plenty happening in the background, from insects and dinosaurs moving through the environment to the changing conditions brought by the day-and-night cycle and weather. Rain can even influence environmental elements such as fire, adding another small but welcome layer of interaction. The animations deserve particular credit, as they do much of the heavy lifting in communicating the narrative without conventional dialogue or lengthy cinematic interruptions. The contrast between the natural prehistoric environments and the considerably more advanced alien installations also provides some visual variety. However, the jungle-heavy locations can become a little samey, and the amount of activity on screen occasionally makes important details difficult to distinguish. Some interface elements, particularly around the campfire menus, also feel rather cluttered.
The audio presentation is generally effective, although it is not quite as memorable as the visual design. The soundtrack provides suitable atmospheric accompaniment to the prehistoric setting, with changes in musical direction helping emphasize important encounters and narrative developments. The music can also respond to particular situations, reinforcing the emotional impact of certain interactions with the creatures inhabiting this world. Nevertheless, much of the soundtrack tends to fade into the background during extended exploration, meaning it does not consistently leave a lasting impression. Environmental sounds, creature noises and the absence of conventional dialogue do help maintain the game’s distinctive atmosphere, but the overall audio experience is more functional than exceptional.
Primal Planet is a relatively compact adventure, generally offering around six to eight hours of gameplay, although completion time naturally depends on how thoroughly players explore its world and pursue optional discoveries. That is not necessarily a disadvantage, as the adventure manages to introduce an appealing collection of mechanics without overstaying its welcome. More importantly, its unusual combination of prehistoric survival, traditional Metroidvania exploration and unexpected science-fiction elements gives it a personality that helps it stand out in an increasingly crowded genre. There are certainly areas that could have benefited from additional refinement, particularly the combat, map functionality and uneven narrative pacing. Nevertheless, Seethingswarm has created an engaging adventure with plenty of charm, some genuinely clever environmental mechanics and a surprisingly effective story told through animation rather than words. Dinosaur enthusiasts and fans of exploration-focused action platformers should find plenty to enjoy here.
Score: 7.8/10