Primordia (PC) Review

Sometimes the initial story is not particularly important, and in the case of Primordia that train of thought really does apply, since the journey at hand starts simply because a power source has been stolen and the lead character, Horatio Nullbuilt version 5, wants to retrieve what is rightfully his. Ah…'Nullbuilt'? Yes, the lead in this release is indeed a robot. This is a world where humans no longer exist, succeeded by robots they had previously constructed. These sentient beings go about their 'lives' building and rebuilding themselves and others around, with the new creation taking on the name of the constructor (hence 'Nullbuilt' being of unknown origin - in other words one of those protagonists with 'amnesia' of sorts…).

With the help of his floating side-kick, Crispin Horatiobuilt (see the connection now?), an adventure commences that is full of intriguing characters, very intelligent puzzles, with a whole heap of variety to keep engagement levels extremely high, and a story that reveals more and more, stripping back onion layers to reveal a core that almost brings a tear to the eye. As Horatio learns more about himself, his past, what is really going on in the world he thought he knew all about, players will be sucked in deep, and the spell is thankfully not broken by weak conundrums and aimless wandering back and forth, as everything is so smartly planned out that other developers really should take note of Wormwood Studios' excellence and grab as much inspiration from it as possible.

Using the Adventure Game Studio engine obviously restricts Primordia visually, yet the constraints - other than the awful font used that makes reading large chunks of text a real chore - help to push the art team to craft some marvellous locations to compensate. As for the interface, it can be slightly confusing to start with, but is actually more user-friendly than it indeed appears, storing not only key items collected and allowing for easy combinations of objects, but also keeping pertinent information close, ready for finding solutions later in the adventure, plus it allows for transitioning from some key areas to others without the need for always walking around.

It is all so carefully pieced together, and comes complete with some masterful vocal performances that complement the already epic soundtrack, making this one of the most well-rounded point-and-click adventures of recent times. Get ready for an eye-opening experience.