Far Cry Primal has been revealed by Ubisoft, after the publisher conducted a weird livestream event on YouTube in which they slowly revealed a cave wall for nearly two hours, before shutting said stream down and posting the game’s launch trailer somewhere else entirely. It didn’t make a lot of sense, but we’ve finally received our first glimpse of the next Far Cry, and it looks set to be a dramatic departure for the series, at least in terms of its setting.
Have a read below of everything you need to know about Far Cry Primal following its big reveal:
It’s set in 10,000 BC
The game is set in the Mesolithic era, a period of the Stone Age which lasted from around 10,000 BC to 5,000 BC. The Mesolithic era is mainly known for the significant evolution of tools and weaponry utilized by prehistoric humans, with them creating bows, spears and other such items to help them with hunting and building shelter.
As noted by Primal‘s Creative Director Jean-Christophe Guyot, the Mesolithic era is “the first time man put a stick in the ground and said this is mine.” Far Cry has always seen man being pitted against nature, and that will be the focus of Primal, with you fighting for survival during a time period when man wasn’t at the top of the food chain.
Our hero is called Takkar
Far Cry Primal‘s protagonist is Takkar, a man who finds himself in the volatile setting of Oros after “losing everything.” Though the reveal trailer depicts Takkar fighting alongside his fellow tribesmen, it’s not yet known whether he will be joined by any friendly characters during his adventures in the Stone Age, or whether he will be fighting as a lone wolf throughout its duration, though eventually he will “rise to power and lead his own tribe,” so expect to at least form a settlement throughout the game’s duration. Takkar will be voiced by Elias Toufexis, who provided the voiceover work for Adam Jensen in Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
It has woolly mammoths!
If you’ve always enjoyed Far Cry but have felt that it could do with a few more woolly mammoths then you’re in luck, because judging from the reveal trailer Far Cry Primal will be very mammoth-centric. The trailer seemed to indicate that slaying the prehistoric elephants would be a big facet of Primal‘s gameplay, with the player-character teaming up with a group of fellow tribesmen in order to take them down. If Primal follows in the footsteps of previous Far Cry games, you’ll presumably be able to carve a wallet out of their carcasses in order to carry more spare change.
It likely won’t have dinosaurs
People have dreamed about a Far Cry with dinosaurs, and while Far Cry 3 expansion Blood Dragon kinda included them in the form of the titular Blood Dragons, we still haven’t been granted the opportunity to gut an Allosaurus and turn their insides into a quiver for our bow yet. Unfortunately, it looks like that won’t be the case in Far Cry Primal, either. The game takes place after the Ice Age, so all dinosaurs will have therefore been wiped out. Of course, Ubisoft could throw a curve ball at us and reveal that there’s a pesky T-Rex hiding somewhere on the game’s map, but if the game stays true to its setting then dinos won’t be making an appearance.
However, it will have a variety of other animals for you to hunt/be hunted by, including saber-toothed tigers and bears, so if you’re a little disappointed that you won’t be able to chase down some raptors then rest assured there will be plenty of other things with big teeth for you to be mauled by.
It features a wide variety of weaponry
The Stone Age setting inevitably means that guns are off the table, but Ubisoft claims that there’s a huge selection of weaponry available to the player in Primal, from clubs, to blades, to spears.
Bows will also continue to play a pivotal part in the Far Cry world, though this time around they’re looking to be one of the deadliest weapons at your disposal, rather than the thing you whip out when you want to make a trick shot and look all fancy.
Crafting is a big feature
As you’d expect from a game set in 10,000 BC where survival is key, you’ll be doing an awful lot of crafting in Far Cry Primal. Players will start out by collecting wood and stone in order to create their first weapons, before eventually gathering more powerful resources that will allow you to create improved weapons and tools. Players will also be tasked with gathering food, while rivals will also look to steal your equipment from you.
There are animal systems and a day/night cycle
Ubisoft have stated that the game will feature animal systems, which we presume will mean that they are aware of their positioning within the food chain and therefore fight each other in the game’s open world when they’re not trying to feast upon Takka, and that a day and night cycle will make a huge impact upon the world, with many predators only coming out at night.
The setting of Oros also has many different ecosystems that you’ll travel through during your time with Primal, with these then allowing for greater variety in its gameplay. You’ll have to survive in the snow and in the blistering heat, all around Oros’ central landmark – a glacier left over from the Ice Age.
Far Cry Primal will be released on February 23rd, 2016. Check out its reveal trailer below:
