[~2.5hrs in]
Initial thoughts: story is shallow enough to work within the era the game is set. The world feels organic, but the need to constantly use a vision overlay to identify resources breaks the immersion somewhat. Resource gathering feels a bit repetitive. Combat is frenetic; if you fail to kill them with an arrow, it consists largely of running in circles trying to bash the enemies head in with a blunt weapon. Exploration feels refreshing, though the constant threat that you may be attacked at any moment makes me reluctant to venture out to far from home base.
[~8hrs in]
Really getting into Primal now and making some decent progress. Next observation is how frustrating it becomes when you are trying to move forward with the mission sequence, and you are constantly attacked by wildlife, pulled off course by Wenja Events, or distracted by a nearby collectible. Hence why my completion is so high, yet my actual mission progress is poor!
[~10.5hrs in]
Spent almost an entire hour trying to find 2x Rare South Stone, and trying to get a badger to spawn as I needed 1x skin to finish crafting a specific item. That was super frustrating. In the end, I ironically got the badger skin from my Stash after resting at a bonfire. Almost finished all the crafting, skill unlocks, and village hut upgrades. I've ventured both north and south into the farthest regions, and unlocked 11/16 bonfires across the map facilitating fast travel. I get this stuff out the way early on so I can stomp through the quest sequences without getting waylaid with side content.
[~25hrs in]
As I come into the concluding content, I have enjoyed this title for the most part. I found some of the Wenja side quests a little repetitive and if I wasn't bothering to get the Platinum trophy, I'd likely have stopped doing them. The final Udam quest giving no XP felt a bit underwhelming when I still need to finish unlocking quite a few Skills. Really enjoyed many of the villager quest-lines like Karoosh and Urki. Biggest issue with the game is the way tamed beasts irrationally act at times, and how they get in the way, sometimes blocking you in somewhere until you dismiss them. The other major frustration is how when using the Owl to engage enemies, they immediately know where you are positioned in the surrounding wilderness and swarm you - it makes using the Owl largely useless beside getting the first couple hits in before all hell breaks loose.
[~30hrs Finish]
Just got the Platinum Trophy at 30hrs 15m. End game became very stale after finishing all the story content. Grinding side quests, replayable missions and collectibles for XP (which then capped) and finally Skill Points. Had a minor aneurysm when I was one Skill Point short for the Expert Wenja achievement and subsequently the Platinum Trophy... thankfully a new side quest appeared which rewarded a Skill Point and I managed to get it done. Overall, wholly enjoyed this game. Would recommend.
Initial thoughts: story is shallow enough to work within the era the game is set. The world feels organic, but the need to constantly use a vision overlay to identify resources breaks the immersion somewhat. Resource gathering feels a bit repetitive. Combat is frenetic; if you fail to kill them with an arrow, it consists largely of running in circles trying to bash the enemies head in with a blunt weapon. Exploration feels refreshing, though the constant threat that you may be attacked at any moment makes me reluctant to venture out to far from home base.
[~8hrs in]
Really getting into Primal now and making some decent progress. Next observation is how frustrating it becomes when you are trying to move forward with the mission sequence, and you are constantly attacked by wildlife, pulled off course by Wenja Events, or distracted by a nearby collectible. Hence why my completion is so high, yet my actual mission progress is poor!
[~10.5hrs in]
Spent almost an entire hour trying to find 2x Rare South Stone, and trying to get a badger to spawn as I needed 1x skin to finish crafting a specific item. That was super frustrating. In the end, I ironically got the badger skin from my Stash after resting at a bonfire. Almost finished all the crafting, skill unlocks, and village hut upgrades. I've ventured both north and south into the farthest regions, and unlocked 11/16 bonfires across the map facilitating fast travel. I get this stuff out the way early on so I can stomp through the quest sequences without getting waylaid with side content.
[~25hrs in]
As I come into the concluding content, I have enjoyed this title for the most part. I found some of the Wenja side quests a little repetitive and if I wasn't bothering to get the Platinum trophy, I'd likely have stopped doing them. The final Udam quest giving no XP felt a bit underwhelming when I still need to finish unlocking quite a few Skills. Really enjoyed many of the villager quest-lines like Karoosh and Urki. Biggest issue with the game is the way tamed beasts irrationally act at times, and how they get in the way, sometimes blocking you in somewhere until you dismiss them. The other major frustration is how when using the Owl to engage enemies, they immediately know where you are positioned in the surrounding wilderness and swarm you - it makes using the Owl largely useless beside getting the first couple hits in before all hell breaks loose.
[~30hrs Finish]
Just got the Platinum Trophy at 30hrs 15m. End game became very stale after finishing all the story content. Grinding side quests, replayable missions and collectibles for XP (which then capped) and finally Skill Points. Had a minor aneurysm when I was one Skill Point short for the Expert Wenja achievement and subsequently the Platinum Trophy... thankfully a new side quest appeared which rewarded a Skill Point and I managed to get it done. Overall, wholly enjoyed this game. Would recommend.