Primordia: Game Review

Primordia is a loving throwback to old pixelated point and click adventure games. In the world of Primordia, humanity has wiped itself out. This leaves behind their machines, sentient robots. You play as one such robot, Horatio Nullbuilt, Version 5. But you won’t be on you own in the human-less world; you also have your sassy hovering ball, Crispin Horatio-built, Version 1.

The game starts with Horatio working on his ship, the Uniic (pronounce: unique) when the ship suddenly is attacked by a mysterious robot. When Horatio confronts the robot, he is shot and the robot steals the power core. Horatio reboots outside the ship and so begins your journey in the harsh wasteland. Along the way, you will meet a colorful cast of robots, such as the junk trader Leopold, the Humanist (Robot religion worshiping humans) robot Everfaithful, and the mentally scarred robot, Primer.

GAMEPLAY
This game is a loving callback to the old point and click adventure games, right down to the brain-bending puzzles and, “How was I supposed to know that?” moments. Your sassy companion Crispin is useful for more than just laughs; his mag-lev allows him to get to places out of Horatio’s reach, such as when he pushes a lamp off a ledge so Horatio could grab it. Crispin also functions as the in-game hint system. If you click on him, he will give a cryptic hint towards the solution to the puzzle, or if you bugged him to much, a sarcastic comment like, “Here’s an idea, let’s find some parts, build another robot, then ask HIM for advice!” will be yours. He also constantly complains about his lack of arms, usually if you ask him to do something impossible, like pick up part of the ship. The puzzle in the game range from no-brainers to puzzles that will have you clicking everything on screen until something happens.

On Horatio’s journey for the power core, he will eventually reach Metropol, the city of glass and light. He finds the city under the digital thumb of Metromind, who gives out energy in exchange for processing power. you slowly uncover, more about how Metromind seized power, which is a big spoiler so I’ll stop here. One thing to keep in mind is that the game has multiple endings, depending on the robots you have and the actions you take.

This game is 100% worth its price. It will make you laugh out loud, question the court system, and leave you questioning the morality of AI.