Ever since its announcement last October, there’s been a lot of discussion surrounding Far Cry Primal, the upcoming prehistoric open world game from Ubisoft. Some fear that Primal will be hindered by its Stone Age context, while others are excited to see something so distinct in an industry cluttered with modern and futuristic first-person shooters. With the Xbox One release just three weeks away, I thought that I would compile a list of some of the reasons why I’m personally looking forward to Far Cry Primal.
An entirely new prehistoric setting
For the first time ever, the Far Cry series is going into a completely novel direction, one that has never been approached by another developer. Rather than taking place on a modern tropical jungle island or in the Himalayas like some previous installments, Far Cry Primal transports us to a completely unknown region in the year 10,000 BCE. That being the case, Ubisoft has the power to bring us an open world unlike any other. There are no obligations to create aesthetic, life-like locations that correspond with typical religions or cultures. There are no geographical limits, as Earth changes so dramatically over the course of 12,000 years. Ubisoft has already shown us some pretty gorgeous atmospheres in recent trailers, and has the option to allow players to explore caves, jungles, icy mountains, and even volcanos in vibrant environments. So far we’ve already seen so much mythology and fascinating characters, such as one collector of human ears, that I’m quite excited to see how these themes translate to the landscape itself.
Engaging new animals, both friendly and hostile
It may be easy to frown on Ubisoft for not following through on the dinosaur-themed Far Cry that many people wanted, but I’m much more excited about seeing a game with mammoths and saber-toothed cats instead. It was disappointing to see that Microsoft cancelled BC in late 2004, a game that was supposed to come out on the original Xbox and feature vicious dinosaur adversaries, but earlier this year we got ARK: Survival Evolved on Xbox One to satisfy those needs instead. Other prehistoric creatures are far more rare in modern media, and it’s exciting to see Ubisoft branching off so much. Furthermore, creatures like the mammoth are evidently more than just a re-skin of the Far Cry 4 elephant, which could not be killed. All the rare animals in Primal can be fought, and many of them can be tamed and used in combat. There’s even a controllable owl which acts as a scouting drone.
Say hello to the language of the Wenja
For Primal to truly capture the essence of the Stone Age, Ubisoft worked with anthropologists and linguists to create a fictional language for the Wenja, the game’s principal tribe. Several more variations were also formed in order to characterize enemy tribes. It’s exciting to see such a risky move executed so well. The voice actors sound as if they’ve been speaking this language their entire lives, every chord of speech filled with sentiment while maintaining the primitive resonance so important to caveman dialect. Perhaps certain especially attentive gamers will even learn bits of the Wenja language themselves.
No more guns!
There’s been a lot of controversy over whether or not removing modern weapons from a Far Cry game is a step back for the franchise. Personally, I’m enthusiastic about going back to the basics. Gamers love variety, and there would surely be some backlash if Primal presented the same combat options as its predecessors. Clubs, hatchets, spears, and bows and arrows, on the other hand, demand that new techniques be developed in fighting. I would much rather sneak up to my prey with a javelin than go through the bland experience of emptying a clip into its flesh.
Rather than purchasing weapons, players will have to craft and upgrade their own, remaining attentive to the supplies and resources available. Combined with the ability to utilize friendly animals in combat, I’m pleased with this evolution towards unsophisticated combat in a Far Cry game, and I can’t wait to see how it plays out.
Playing with fire
Fire is a great new toy in Far Cry Primal, and one that is essential to a story about cavemen. Whereas there were a few specific flame weapons in previous Far Cry games, Primal allows you to light countless objects on fire. Masses of grass can be burned away in order to reveal new locations, primeval huts and settlements can be set aflame, and enemies can be ignited with the bash of a blazing club. What better way to get revenge on a barbaric enemy than to kindle his home?
There’s no way to accurately predict the quality of a game before its official release, but no matter how Far Cry Primal turns out I appreciate the chances that Ubisoft has been willing to take on this game. I have high expectations for Far Cry Primal, and I hope that it proves itself a solid title while also paving the way for more diverse genres in gaming’s future. Only time will tell if it can.
Tristan was a regular ICXM contributor between 2015–2017, publishing 51 articles across opinion pieces, game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative. They post on X as @tbogost.