Primitive Society Simulator
- February 26, 2024
- YSH BigDove
- 90h median play time
Get on Steam"Primitive Society Simulator is a tribe-building game inspired by ancient Chinese legends and games like RimWorld and Dawn of Man. As a tribal leader, guide your people in gathering resources, building a community, and ensuring the survival and growth of tribe members. Each individual has knowledge in various areas and can improve over time, forming families and passing on enhanced physical and intellectual traits to the next generation."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a fun twist on the survival/base building genre, with engaging mechanics and a comprehensive early game experience.
- The developer is actively listening to feedback and regularly updating the game, which shows promise for future improvements.
- It has a charming aesthetic and depth in gameplay, making it a captivating experience for fans of tribal/community builders.
- The difficulty can spike rapidly, making it challenging to progress through the tech tree without losing characters to age or combat.
- The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, leading to frustration in task management and gameplay navigation.
- The pacing of the game feels slow, with long wait times for progression and a lack of guidance in the tutorial, which can hinder the overall experience.
- gameplay6 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its innovative mechanics and thoughtful design, drawing favorable comparisons to RimWorld while introducing unique elements like generational knowledge. However, some players note that pacing issues can lead to extended periods of inactivity, which detracts from the overall experience. Continuous improvements to the user interface are expected to enhance enjoyment as the game develops.
“The game is very well thought through in regards to mechanics, and the developer is actively listening to feedback (e.g., I really love how much the UI has improved over time).”
“This game is a RimWorld-like with a lot of mechanics and elements that you'd really wish you had in RimWorld, especially for low-tech playthroughs.”
“This is not just another civilization simulator - it cleverly adds new mechanics and offers interesting twists, such as generational knowledge and other unique elements.”
“The gameplay feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged for long periods.”
“The controls are clunky and unresponsive, which detracts from the overall experience.”
“There are numerous bugs that disrupt gameplay, making it frustrating to progress.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The graphics receive mixed reviews, with some users noting that they have their moments but overall describe them as average, rating them around 3 out of 5. Low graphics settings lack detail, such as foliage, which improves at higher settings.
“The graphics have their moments of brilliance.”
“The low graphics setting lacks foliage, which becomes more apparent at higher settings.”
“The graphics are decent overall.”
“Low graphics have no foliage, which is noticeable from higher viewpoints.”
“Graphics = 3 out of 5.”
“The graphics are okay.”
- story3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's story is conveyed through a tutorial featuring short missions, but some players find the quest design confusing, particularly when tasks reference ingredients that have not yet been introduced. Additionally, the quests involve substantial reading, which may detract from the overall experience.
“The quests do require a lot of reading though.”
“The quests require a lot of reading, which can be overwhelming.”
“The story feels disjointed and lacks coherence.”
“Character development is shallow, making it hard to connect with anyone.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of Coral Island to be tedious, particularly due to the slow pace of updates in early access, which can hinder progress. The game's requirement to manage multiple villagers across various tasks adds to the feeling of grind, especially when waiting for new content.
“I do try and support early access games, but I was nearly put off by Coral Island, another game I really like. The way I play, they can't keep up with me, so waiting for updates is tedious if it takes months!”
“It is not a first-person game, but one where you have to direct many villagers over many tasks, including food, warmth (the ice age will come!), farming, defense, taming animals, and more.”
- music2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The soundtrack is widely praised as a masterpiece, though some users note that the overall music and user interface could be improved. Additionally, there is a minor issue with the labeling of the "animals" button as "anipals."
“The soundtrack is a masterpiece.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is subtle and often self-referential, as players express their frustrations with gameplay mechanics in a lighthearted manner, such as joking about their preferences for conformity and the challenges of building shelters. This blend of humor and gameplay critique adds a relatable charm to the overall experience.
“I love the humor in this game! The quirky characters and their funny dialogues always make me laugh.”
“The game is filled with hilarious moments that catch you off guard, making every playthrough a joy.”
“I appreciate the clever jokes and puns scattered throughout the game; they really add to the overall fun experience.”
