Primal Planet

About Primal Planet

Primal Planet is a single player and multiplayer arcade platformer game. It was developed by Seethingswarm and was released on July 28, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Primal Planet is a solo developed metroidvania that combines survival and crafting elements with a pixel-perfect aesthetic and an action-packed story, and it's all taking place on a lush planet filled with dinosaurs.Uncover the StoryEmbark on a thrilling journey as you follow the gripping tale of a cave dweller fighting to protect his family. Survive a brutal T-Rex attack and uncover a narrative b…

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Reviews

88%Audience ScoreBased on 462 reviews

story49 positive mentions

grinding28 negative mentions

Beautiful, detailed pixel art and animations create a lively prehistoric world full of dinosaurs and other wildlife.
Engaging exploration and world design encourage curiosity and reward discovery, supported by a flexible skill tree and crafting system.
Emotional story told without dialogue, featuring compelling family dynamics and a strong bond with a dinosaur companion, enhanced by a fantastic soundtrack.

The map system and navigation are limited and confusing, lacking markers or detailed views for other areas, leading to frustrating backtracking.
Combat is simple and sometimes feels repetitive or tedious, with some players finding early difficulty spikes and later parts too easy or grindy.
The game’s ending and progression lack clarity and satisfying closure, with some players experiencing unclear objectives, abrupt ending, or tedious final tasks.

story
124 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40% positive mentions, 58% neutral mentions, 2% negative mentions
The game's story is simple yet emotionally impactful, conveyed entirely through silent visual storytelling without dialogue, resulting in a charming and universally accessible narrative. While some find the plot straightforward and occasionally lacking depth or clarity in quest progression, the heartfelt themes of family, survival, and exploration resonate strongly. Overall, the story complements the gameplay and atmosphere well, delivering a memorable and touching experience despite its minimalist approach.
- “Primal planet is a gorgeous pixel-art metroidvania with a touching story told without words.”
- “The silent storytelling is genius — every movement and interaction feels intentional, evoking empathy without a single word.”
- “Its blend of exploration, crafting, understated combat, and silent storytelling creates a journey that feels both ancient and deeply human.”
- “Some story cues are left on the map, but the problem is if you have one random villager on one side of the map and another random villager on the other, you have to figure out on your own which guy will unlock what it takes to get to the other.”
- “But by the time I got to the end stretch, I simply lost interest to run around the map another 8 times to find what I needed for the final mission.”
- “There will be very little details on direction, quest progression and how to finish the game.”
gameplay
114 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43% positive mentions, 54% neutral mentions, 3% negative mentions
The gameplay offers a fun and accessible blend of exploration, combat, crafting, and survival mechanics set in a charming pixel art world, with a straightforward control scheme and an engaging progression system. While some players find the combat and pacing occasionally awkward or repetitive, the variety of mechanics—such as a dino companion, village building, and skill upgrades—add depth and encourage exploration without excessive grinding. Overall, it’s a well-executed, heartfelt metroidvania with a satisfying gameplay loop that appeals to fans of the genre, despite some minor rough edges and simplicity.
- “The gameplay loop is fairly simple and intuitive; the areas are fun to explore and you're able to find most secrets pretty easily.”
- “Players can choose to confront threats directly or avoid them through stealth and environmental awareness, adding flexibility to moment-to-moment gameplay.”
- “The inclusion of a dinosaur companion adds both mechanical and emotional depth, offering assistance in combat and traversal while reinforcing the game’s themes of companionship and coexistence.”
- “Combat is really awkward, with animations that don't match actual impact zones or hitboxes. Thrown items take too long to travel and aren't much use despite being designed as a core combat mechanic.”
- “The major story beats are so rapid and disruptive to gameplay that you feel like you've been in a car crash while leaving the scene of another, without being allowed to control the vehicle in either event.”
- “Half the game is underwater and the gameplay there is sluggish and not fun, a really weird decision.”
graphics
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61% positive mentions, 34% neutral mentions, 5% negative mentions
The game's graphics feature charming, detailed pixel art with a distinctive retro, prehistoric aesthetic that many find beautiful and immersive, enhanced by fitting music and smooth animations. While some users find the pixelation and repetitive visuals occasionally cluttered or less refined, the overall art style and visual storytelling effectively contribute to the game's cozy, engaging atmosphere. This blend of nostalgic pixel graphics and strong artistic direction is frequently highlighted as a major strength of the game.
- “The graphics are some of the prettiest pixel art I've seen in recent memory, the gameplay is very solid, with a fun leveling up system, the soundtrack is really good and fits the vibe of the game well, and I really liked the characters and story!”
- “Even though the graphics are pixelated, they are highly detailed in many aspects.”
- “The graphics are excellent (huge highlight for me - if you like what you see on the store page you will love what's in the game), the movement is solid, the puzzles were satisfying, but not overly complicated.”
- “Add to that the general noisy visuals that make it hard to tell incoming enemy bullets from random background elements and it just... got under my skin too much.”
- “Most of the visuals are repetitive and uninteresting.”
- “Graphics are a bit too pixelated for my taste, but I can easily live with that due to total package.”
music
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72% positive mentions, 23% neutral mentions, 5% negative mentions
The music in this game is widely praised for its atmospheric, tribal, and dynamic qualities that enhance the prehistoric setting, with many highlighting its memorable soundtrack, excellent composition, and how well it integrates with the visuals and gameplay. While most find the music immersive and a perfect complement to the game's pixel art and environments, a few note occasional issues with abrupt changes or volume inconsistencies. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that significantly elevates the gaming experience.
- “The soundtrack and wonderful pixel art all blend together very well, and there is quite a variety of beasts and locations to explore.”
- “The tone, visuals, and music are all spot on; there is such majesty to certain maps, especially the underwater ones, which you can explore on a dolphin's back and feel that Ecco vibe.”
- “Complementing this is a soundtrack that blends ambient soundscapes with melodic themes, reinforcing mood without overpowering the experience.”
- “I find the music very average, and after a certain event at the beginning of the game, the cheerful music resumes as if nothing had happened, which broke the immersion.”
- “The dynamic music is poorly done and changes too often, which makes everything messy.”
- “The only detail I don't like about the game is that using the map cuts the music abruptly, which became kinda annoying after some time.”
emotional
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
Primal Planet delivers a surprisingly emotional and heartfelt experience through its charming pixel art, silent storytelling, and strong bond between the protagonist and their dinosaur companion. The game's simple yet touching narrative, centered on family and survival, resonates deeply without relying on dialogue, creating a warm and personal journey that many players find memorable and emotionally engaging. Though not plot-heavy, its emotional impact is amplified by intimate gameplay elements like crafting, exploration, and companionship, making it a standout indie metroidvania with genuine emotional depth.
- “Primal Planet, developed by Seethingswarm and published by Pretty Soon, is a strikingly personal and atmospheric metroidvania that blends prehistoric survival, exploration, and emotional storytelling into a cohesive and memorable experience.”
- “The way the game builds their bond is heartfelt and refreshing, compared to the overused trope of killing off the whole family five minutes into the intro.”
- “Crafting, exploration, and puzzle-solving aren’t just functional — they drive the emotional core forward.”
grinding
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 3% neutral mentions, 97% negative mentions
Grinding in the game is generally manageable but can become tedious and frustrating, especially toward the end where skill upgrades and certain progression items demand significant backtracking and resource farming. While some players appreciate the ability to overlevel and ease challenges through grinding, others find it monotonous and liken it to a chore rather than enjoyable gameplay. Overall, grinding is a notable aspect that may impact pacing, with a mixed reception depending on player tolerance for repetitive tasks.
- “The XP needed per skill level scales fast and hard, to the point that anything above level 4-5 or so would take hours of grinding when some skills cap out at like 14; thankfully you also don't need more than that in any skill to get 100% completion.”
- “Combined with hard to read combat in general, this makes the early game a tedious grind fest of hoping you're lucky enough to kill more dinos than you take damage.”
- “Unfortunately, exploration feels criminally unrewarding, progression is very grindy since most skills require more than 1 point to upgrade, the unlockable skill options beyond double jump and dash are bland and range from 'I guess that would help' to 'you don't know it yet but if you don't pick this boring upgrade now you can nearly soft-lock your game,' and the bad map combined with the literally backwards in-game direction made me quit playing.”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67% positive mentions, 33% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game excels at creating a rich and immersive atmosphere through its beautiful pixel art, dynamic environmental elements like day/night cycles and weather, and an evocative soundtrack. The integration of exploration, platforming, and survival elements alongside detailed visual and audio design deeply enhances the prehistoric setting, making the experience both atmospheric and emotionally engaging. Overall, the atmosphere is a standout feature that significantly enriches the gameplay and storytelling.
- “What I love most is how immersive it is: beautiful pixel art and a surprisingly great score build atmosphere, the dinosaurs fight each other and can be distracted by food, there’s even a day/night cycle and weather system to really sell the whole setting.”
- “The art direction is beautiful, the pixel work is rich and full of character, and the music is incredibly atmospheric.”
- “Primal Planet, developed by SeethingSwarm and published by Pretty Soon, is a strikingly personal and atmospheric metroidvania that blends prehistoric survival, exploration, and emotional storytelling into a cohesive and memorable experience.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The humor in the game is subtle, with a few funny easter eggs that some players appreciate. However, the comedic elements may be overshadowed by aimless wandering, which can feel tedious and dampen the overall amusement for some users.
- “The gameplay is funny, but I spent waaaaaaaaaay too much time wondering.”
- “I recommend it, but the funny thing is I almost dropped it maybe halfway through.”
- “The few easter eggs I found were funny.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions
The game's stability is inconsistent, with reports of significant bugs impacting the experience, though some users note it runs well on devices like the Steam Deck and OLED Steam Deck, making it enjoyable for certain play sessions.
- “Runs great on Steam Deck.”
- “It also runs great on my OLED Steam Deck, making it perfect for couch sessions.”
- “I'm not gonna lie, this game is a buggy mess.”
- “I shall change my review once the fixes have been implemented since I have no interest in playing a buggy game currently.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions
The game's optimization is mixed, with some users praising its perfect performance and smooth controller support, while others report worsening performance issues and technical problems early on.
- “+ Perfect optimization, great on controller, zero technical problems”
- “I started playing and fought through the opening hoping that the poor performance would subside, but it intensified.”