As always I would like to start this out with a huge thank you to Private Division, Take Two Interactive and Panache Digital Games. Getting a review copy of a game is always an honor and appreciated and this is no exception.
I have to say I honestly didn’t know what to expect going into this one. A survival game about the evolution of humans from our earlier ancestors seemed interesting yet silly. Where is the fun in playing as a sort of half monkey half human thing that can’t talk and has to figure out how to use tools? Turns out that is basically all of the fun.
As the game starts you instantly notice the jungle is a beautiful and dangerous place and you play as a small child, scared and trying to find a place to hide. Once you do this you will swap to an adult tasked with finding this child and leading it back to your tribe. A tribe you can switch between any member of by simply walking up to and selecting the appropriate option.
It is important to know outside of telling you what you need to do, such as building a sleeping spot, this game will not hold your hand. It explains the basics and it is left up to you to guide this tribe among its journey, from a group that walks like apes on all fours but can stand and swing sticks to standing upright and hunting with make shift spears and everything in between.
The game can be repetitive however, but this is all survival games. It seems worse in this one tho because rather than chopping down trees you are finding new things to eat or smell and examine. You can’t even drink water until you examine and smell it. This adds to the experience tho, as like the tribe you are also learning about this world that has been beautifully crafted for you.
The strongets part of this game to me is also its weakest part. If you enjoy the survival genre and want it to be as realistic as possible and just leave you to it, this game does an amazing job. If this however is your first survival game or you aren’t familiar with how they work this might be really frustrating for you. I do have to give this game a solid 8/10 and recommend it to anyone that likes this sort of game. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.
