Primal Planet: A Beginner Friendly Metroidvania with Dinosaurs and Heart

Primal Planet is a charming and accessible adventure game set in a colorful prehistoric world. You play as a cheerful caveman living with your wife, daughter, and adorable pet dinosaur named Sino. The game stands out because of its friendly dinosaurs, beautiful pixel art, and simple, heartfelt moments like hugging your family and carrying your daughter on your back.

Your goal is to protect your loved ones and uncover the mystery behind strange machines that suddenly appear. You will explore lush jungles, face both helpful and dangerous dinosaurs, and solve environmental puzzles with creative tools like spears and fire. For example, you use fruit to distract enemies, sneak past sleeping T-rexes, and throw spears to reach new areas. As you progress, you save villagers, learn new skills like swimming longer underwater, and improve your abilities to explore new parts of the map.

The gameplay feels smooth and fun. You can do double jumps and even use a rolling jump to leap farther, making movement enjoyable and rewarding. There is little grinding or difficult resource hunting. Most materials for crafting medicine or tools are easy to find, and if your pet Sino gets knocked out, it quickly comes back to help again.

Primal Planet does not use any spoken or written dialogue, but the story is easy to follow. Early in the game, your wife and daughter are kidnapped and your village is destroyed. The main goal is to rescue them and figure out why advanced machines are showing up in your world.

What makes Primal Planet special is its lively art and atmosphere. The world is filled with friendly giant dinosaurs, lively plants, and mesmerizing underwater scenes with glowing jellyfish and electric eels. The game is more relaxed than other popular metroidvanias and is not punishingly hard. You can choose to avoid tough fights or face carnivores, but running away is often a simple option.

The story and map exploration are straightforward, and upgrades come naturally as you play. While the game wraps up a little quickly and some objectives might send you searching across the map, it never feels frustrating thanks to the enjoyable controls and relaxing world.

Created by a solo developer, Primal Planet is a gem that combines easy to understand gameplay, lovable dinosaurs, and delightful visuals. If you are new to metroidvania games or just want a heartwarming adventure, Primal Planet is a wonderful place to start.

Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/primal-planet-is-my-favorite-new-metroidvania-because-it-has-friendly-dinosaurs-gorgeous-pixel-art-and-you-can-hug-your-wife/