Primal on PS2 (2003)

Brief synopsis of Primal

This latest third-person adventure from Sony is set in a dark, fantastical realm between the mortal world and the afterlife, where an eternal struggle between order and chaos rages. To be more precise, Abaddon (Chaos) has tired of his personal conflict with Arella (Order) and is breaking the rules. The natural order of Primal has been disrupted and the demons of the dark side are gaining in strength and power and upsetting the natural equilibrium.

In the game, players take on the role of modern girl Jennifer Tate, as she is pulled into the turbulent world of Primal and bestowed with the almighty task of sorting everything out. She must face the demons of an immortal realm and discover her own supernatural origin. A terrifying metamorphosis takes place as she begins to unlock her latent demon abilities.

Helping her along the way in her quest to pull the forces of order back from the brink of disaster is Scree, a noble and proud living gargoyle. Throughout the game, players can switch between control of both Scree and Jennifer, thus making use of their relevant abilities when certain situations demand it.

The game world in Primal consists of four diverse realms, inhabited by distinct demonic races, each one inextricably connected to the others. The first kingdom encountered is Solum, home to the Ferai, a rugged, primitive race of hunters. Aligned with the element of Earth, the Ferai culture centres on the natural laws of their environment.

Designed to effectively utilise the PS2's hardware architecture for optimal results, Primal features state-of-the-art motion capture animation, advanced AI and integrated cut-scenes. Dynamic loading and detail management methods are used to present environments of exceptional size, beauty and complexity with no load delays.

Overall, Primal is the epitome of high quality production. It's well put together, extremely impressive in the visuals department and is clearly the result of a lot of time, effort, care and attention. If you're looking for a gothic, demonic adventure then you need look no further.