Far Cry Primal Review Roundup

Is Far Cry Primal’s brutality worthwhile? Does the addition of beast taming make up for the loss of modern weaponry? Is it worth its weight in gold?

Far Cry Primal
Platform	Metacritic Critic Scores	Metacritic User Scores
PC	*Still to be scored	*Still to be scored
PS4	77	*Still to be scored
Xbox One	83	*Still to be scored

Are the scores as high as you expected, or perhaps lower than expected?

Perhaps you’re a little disappointed, having pre-ordered the game. Don’t be, the scores for Far Cry Primal aren’t bad, and critic opinions seem to reflect that.

IGN – 7.9

“Far Cry Primal succeeds in transporting the Far Cry formula back in time and comes to the table with a quiver of neat ideas and a dangerous and fascinating open world. The visceral and varied combat is fun, the beast-based gameplay is a winner, and the lure of camp-claiming, gear-crafting, beast hunting, and resource gathering remains irresistible. It’s weakened, however, by a disappointing lack of investment in its story, some often forgettable quests, and its vanilla villains, which unfortunately combine to make Primal feel like a step back from the memorable moments of Far Cry 3 and 4.”

arstechnica – Try It

“If you’re still charmed by the blueprint that was originally laid out in Far Cry 3, then by all means give this club a swing. See how it feels in your hands. If not, then nothing Primal attempts is going to change your mind about the trajectory of the series. If you’ve never run this particular grind before, know that there are at least two other games out there with slightly more verve and variety.”

Gamespot – 8/10

“When it uses the Stone Age setting to elevate the combat and reinforce the brutality of nature, it thrives. It fosters a give-and-take relationship with the wilderness, granting you the means to survive, but also the threats you have to overcome. That focus on primitive times can become a hindrance at certain points, with limited tools and repetitive combat, but in the end, Far Cry Primal stays true to its callous setting, fleshing out every layer of the captivating world it creates.”

Forbes – 8/10

“If you like Far Cry, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll like this as well. But if you’re becoming exhausted by ~20 hours of leveling, skinning, leaf-collecting, trinket-finding and map-clearing after the last few installments, Primal is definitely more of the same. The setting change is effective, but this isn’t going outside of the series’ comfort zone as much as Ubisoft might have you believe.”

Eurogamer – No Score

“A leaner, hungrier Far Cry from a bygone age that falls slightly short of achieving its potential.”

“If only the developers had taken this side of things further. As things stand, Primal’s endgame feels like it should be the start of a journey away from a formula that is losing its lustre. ”

Gamereactor – 8/10

“Looking objectively at Far Cry Primal as an isolated product, it is impossible to deny that it is indeed quite good, but it is not a completely isolated game. The fact that so much content from Far Cry 3 and 4 is recycled means that there may be players who find it overly familiar, and that is the biggest problem we had with Primal. The lack of any multiplayer option will also disappoint some, but Far Cry has always been mainly a solo experience. In short, if you still think you have more Far Cry in you, and if you appreciate the survival theme of the Stone Age, Primal is a safe bet.”

VideoGamer – 7/10

“Far Cry Primal is a very fun video game (which sounds like a sentence a child would write), but it is a video game you’ve played before. Think how much a new setting means to you – and how much you enjoy Ubisoft’s take on the open world genre – and the answer to whether you need this should be very clear. If you’re still on the fence, you can ride around on the back of a wooly mammoth should you choose. That’s alright…”

Destructoid – 7/10

“In some ways, Far Cry Primal is a breath of fresh air, but the methods it uses to shake things up are largely superficial or ancillary. There’s a dissonance between what is new and what is not.

While Far Cry Primal is a well-made experience, one I enjoyed a great deal, it oftentimes had me thinking about the routine the series has settled into, and envisioning a future where the Far Cry formula may not be as compelling as it once was, no matter how extraordinary the setting.”