Primal Planet

About

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.

PERFECT FOR STEAM DECK! About the GamePrimal 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 b…

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90%Audience ScoreBased on 385 reviews

gameplay43 positive mentions

grinding26 negative mentions

Unique and immersive prehistoric setting combining dinosaurs, cavemen and sci-fi alien elements with excellent pixel art and animation.
Fun and smooth gameplay with solid platforming, crafting, resource gathering, leveling system, and a helpful dinosaur companion including local co-op functionality.
Emotional and engaging silent storytelling through visuals; atmospheric soundtrack and sound design enhance immersion.

Map and navigation system is limited and unclear, lacking features like notes, waypoints, fast travel and comprehensive area maps, causing frustration and excessive backtracking.
Combat is simple and becomes easy mid-game; some player upgrades have steep skill point costs, and some crafting items or secret rewards feel underwhelming or unnecessary.
Game is relatively short with an abrupt or anticlimactic ending, few boss fights, and occasional bugs or softlocks reported by players.

gameplay
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
54%
3%
The gameplay offers a charming blend of metroidvania, survival, crafting, and exploration mechanics, featuring smooth controls, engaging combat, and rewarding progression through skill upgrades and resource gathering. While some find the loop somewhat repetitive or simplistic, the inclusion of a dinosaur companion, base-building, and varied environments adds depth and emotional engagement, making it enjoyable and accessible for a wide audience. However, certain pacing issues, occasional clunky mechanics, and slower underwater segments slightly hinder the overall experience.
- “The gameplay is also simple but abundant: land traversal, fighting, resource gathering, crafting, and upgrading.”
- “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.”
- “While there is a lot that tries to expand the normal gameplay of hunt and bash including crafting and leveling skills, none of it really felt like it helped improve things.”
- “Gameplay is short (~10 hours for 100% completion) and rather bland.”
- “- half the game is underwater and the gameplay there is sluggish and not fun, really weird decision.”
story
97 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
58%
3%
The story is a simple yet meaningful and emotionally engaging narrative told almost entirely through visuals and gameplay without dialogue or text, creating a universal and immersive experience. Its minimalist, non-verbal storytelling effectively conveys relationships and themes, blending prehistoric and sci-fi elements in a Metroidvania style. While not heavily plot-driven, the story provides enough context and charm to complement the gameplay and atmosphere, with some players noting its heartfelt impact despite an occasionally abrupt or subtle ending.
- “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 story unfolds almost entirely without words, trusting visual storytelling to convey emotion and motivation.”
- “The silent storytelling is genius — every movement and interaction feels intentional, evoking empathy without a single word.”
- “There will be very little details on direction, quest progression and how to finish the game.”
- “Story eh nothing particular either with direct narrative (of which it has none, no dialogue) or environmental storytelling.”
- “At the end, if like me, you're so focused on just freeing your daughter, you can easily miss the final story beat.”
graphics
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
29%
5%
The game's pixel art graphics are highly praised for their detailed, charming, and aesthetically pleasing style that effectively conveys the story without dialogue. Reviewers appreciate the unique prehistoric setting, vibrant visuals, and smooth animations, noting that the art enhances the immersive and cozy atmosphere. While some find the pixelation heavy, the overall artistic direction is considered a standout feature that complements the gameplay and soundtrack beautifully.
- “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.”
- “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!”
- “Beautiful and detailed pixel graphics.”
- “Even though the graphics are pixelated, they are highly detailed in many aspects.”
- “Graphics are a bit too pixalated for my taste, but I can easily live with that due to the total package.”
- “Graphics: retro”
music
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
22%
5%
The game's music is consistently praised for its remarkable, atmospheric, and well-composed soundtrack that enhances immersion and complements the charming pixel art and diverse environments. While most find the dynamic music fitting and mood-enhancing, a few note occasional abrupt transitions or chaotic shifts that can disrupt immersion. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout feature that greatly enriches the gameplay experience.
- “Soundtrack is amazing and this game must be played with headphones on!”
- “The game contains well-composed and memorable background music.”
- “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 kind of annoying after some time.”
emotional
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Primal Planet delivers a heartfelt and emotionally resonant experience through its wordless storytelling, focusing on themes of companionship, family, and survival. The bond with the dinosaur companion and the protagonist's journey evoke warmth and empathy, making exploration and gameplay feel deeply personal and meaningful. While not heavily plot-driven, the game's emotional depth shines through its atmosphere, mechanics, and tender moments, earning praise as a memorable and touching indie title.
- “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 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.”
- “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.”
grinding
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
96%
Grinding in the game is generally manageable early on but becomes tedious and repetitive toward the end, especially when unlocking final areas or obtaining all skills and achievements. While grinding rewards upgrades and can make challenges easier, some players find required backtracking and scarce resources frustrating. Despite these issues, the grind is balanced enough for casual play and is often offset by the game's charming art and exploration.
- “It become quickly tedious and feels more like a difficult, and stressful day job rather than a fun game.”
- “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.”
- “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.”
atmosphere
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
73%
27%
The atmosphere is consistently praised for its immersive and richly detailed pixel art, complemented by an evocative soundtrack that enhances the prehistoric setting. Dynamic elements like a day/night cycle, weather system, and interactive dinosaur behaviors further deepen the sense of exploration and survival, making the game a standout atmospheric metroidvania experience.
- “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.”
- “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 art direction is beautiful, the pixel work is rich and full of character, and the music is incredibly atmospheric.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Stability reports are mixed, with some users experiencing significant bugs that hinder gameplay, while others report smooth performance, particularly on the Steam Deck and OLED Steam Deck for comfortable couch sessions.
- “Runs great on Steam Deck.”
- “It also runs great on my OLED Steam Deck, so it's great 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.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is subtle but effective, with occasional funny moments and Easter eggs that add charm. While not consistently comedic, the humor provides enjoyable surprises for players who discover them.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, with poor performance that worsens rather than improves as gameplay progresses.
- “I started playing and fought through the opening hoping that the poor performance would subside, but it intensified.”