There is something satisfying about facing seemingly insurmountable odds in video games. Whether these odds are narrative or mechanical, the fun comes from rising to the challenge and mastering the methods of success. Gray Boss Game Studio has tapped into this with their rogue-lite game Primal Survivors, available on Steam and on PlayStation.

In many ways, Primal Survivors plays like an old school arcade game. With no tutorial or other preamble, after leaving the main menu you are dropped into a quick series of selection screens. While this could prove to be overwhelming, you’re only given two options for every category which limits the potential for choice paralysis. However, despite the concise summary of what the modes, spirits, and weapons entail, you are dropped into the game all but blind.

Controls and Playstyle

The controls are easy to pick up, which is good as you will need to figure out how to move and shoot right away. The left joystick controls movement, while the other determines where you aim. The right bumper and trigger are responsible for the class skill and weapon attack respectively. This leads to the game being right hand heavy, and for me that resulted in a lot of wrist pain that prevented me from enjoying the game for long periods of time. While the game has an “auto shoot” option, all that does is make it so you don’t have to continuously hold down the right trigger. This helped with the strain a little bit, but did not solve the root issue: the use of the joystick for aiming.

Despite the discomfort, the game is engaging and fun. The arcade feel of it scratches an itch that is often not met in modern gaming. There is something satisfying at scrambling to figure out how to use the controls, so you get the most out of your quarters, a pride that comes from finally facing the first boss.

Progression

There are two main methods of progression in Primal Survivors. Permanent upgrades earned via the bones collected in your runs, and level-based power ups during a single run.

Selecting permanent upgrades is visualized as a sort of skill tree, with the abilities and boosts separated into different elemental categories. These boosts include options such as reducing your active skill’s cooldown or having a 5% chance of poisoning your enemies. Once you purchase an upgrade, you can choose to equip it or not. You can only have a certain number of each tier active, but you’ll eventually be able to unlock them all and experiment with different combinations.

During your run you build a deck of abilities based on the cards you draw and select from. As you gain experience through defeating enemies, every new level comes with a choice between three random boosts that will last for the rest of your run. These power-ups include bonus damage under certain conditions, earthquakes that will be randomly summoned, and my favorite: sword-like gusts of wind that automatically target the nearest enemy.

Sounds of the Jungle

As you get into the rhythm of the game, wandering the pixel jungle and cutting down hordes of foes, you have ample time to take in the sounds and aesthetics of Primal Survivors. The music perfectly encapsules the energy of the genre and setting, with drums taking center stage. The UI sound effects, combat noises, and environmental ambience strike a balance between retro and unobtrusive. Despite how good it is, there’s only so long you can listen to the same piece of music. While it is long and loops seamlessly, I found myself wishing for another track to add auditory significance the progression of the game. Especially when facing off against bosses.

For the majority of the game, you run around cutting paths through battalions of bugs. However, in a successful run you fight three separate bosses. They each have different attacks, different patterns of behavior, and two phases apiece. Unfortunately, these fights are rather lackluster and I found them tedious, and glitchy. I was having fun running around and building my deck of powers! Why did I have to stop and lose momentum? There was nothing really rewarding about the process, not even a change in music. Once you defeat a boss, you get to choose a special power from three options. These are better than your standard cards, but they don’t make up for the lack of satisfaction.

Conclusion

Overall, Primal Survivors is promising. The gameplay is solid. The developers clearly have a love for the genre, with old school sensibilities that bring a lot to the table. There are definitely areas that could use improvement, but not so much that it makes the game unplayable. Far from it! If you like rogue-lite, shooters, and retro vibes: this game is for you.

Primal Survivors is available on PC and Playstation and retails for $4.99. Afil Games generously provided a review key to NeverMore Niche.