theHunter: Primal

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theHunter: Primal is a single player and multiplayer survival shooter game. It was developed by Expansive Worlds and was released on March 31, 2015. It received neutral reviews from players.

In theHunter: Primal, players are immersed in a prehistoric world filled with extinct animals. Using primitive weapons, such as spears and slingshots, hunt down species like the Woolly Mammoth and Smilodon. Experience a realistic, open world hunting simulation that challenges your survival skills in the stone age era.

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57%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,486 reviews

graphics230 positive mentions

stability216 negative mentions

Great graphics and immersive atmosphere that captures the feeling of being hunted by dinosaurs.
Unique gameplay mechanics that require patience and strategy, making it rewarding when successfully hunting dinosaurs.
Fun multiplayer experience that enhances the thrill of hunting and surviving together with friends.

Limited content with only five dinosaur species, leading to repetitive gameplay.
Numerous bugs and glitches that affect gameplay, including issues with AI and hit detection.
Lack of developer support and updates, leaving the game feeling abandoned and unfinished.

graphics
403 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
34%
9%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising the beautiful environments, detailed dinosaur models, and immersive atmosphere, particularly when settings are maximized. However, several users report significant graphical glitches, outdated engine performance, and inconsistencies that detract from the overall experience. While some consider the visuals impressive for an indie title, others feel they fall short of modern standards, indicating a need for updates and improvements.
- “The graphics and designs of the dinosaurs and the whole map are very pretty.”
- “Beautiful graphics and ambient noises in the wild create a sense of atmosphere, and it's incredible how immersive the game feels.”
- “The graphics are amazing, the sound design is probably the best of any game I've ever played, the dinosaurs are well designed and the terrain is well crafted.”
- “This is a half made game with sub-par graphics, unexplainable ambient sounds, a terrible progression system, clunky game mechanics, and has also been abandoned by the developers.”
- “The graphics are complete shit, I can't move around without being killed by a utahraptor or t-rex because the graphics make the trees and grass stretched and obscure my vision, I was happy with the graphics and was happy with the game.. now I'm thinking that it was a waste of my money.”
- “The graphics are dead awful, I can't seem to have it run smooth either even on low graphics.”
gameplay
313 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
63%
13%
The gameplay of "The Hunter: Primal" is a mixed bag, with many players noting its beautiful graphics and immersive environments but criticizing the numerous bugs, clunky mechanics, and frustrating AI. While some enjoy the stealth and tracking elements, others find the gameplay repetitive and lacking essential survival mechanics, leading to a sense of boredom over time. Overall, the game shows potential but suffers from significant issues that detract from the overall experience.
- “The gameplay is fun!”
- “It has a lot of interesting and unique mechanics.”
- “The game has a good environment to go around, good sound and gameplay.”
- “It has no way to save your progress, the gameplay is boring, and the controls are just frustrating.”
- “This is a half-made game with sub-par graphics, unexplainable ambient sounds, a terrible progression system, clunky game mechanics, and has also been abandoned by the developers.”
- “The gameplay is clunky, the dinosaur AI is predictable, the game has numerous bugs and crashed a few times during my experience.”
stability
222 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
1%
97%
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous reports of bugs and glitches affecting gameplay, including issues with dinosaur AI, character controls, and multiplayer functionality. Many players express frustration over persistent problems that have not been adequately addressed by the developers, leading to a consensus that the game feels unfinished and should not be considered a full release. While some players still find enjoyment in the game, the overwhelming sentiment is to avoid purchasing until significant improvements are made.
- “Multiplayer is buggy as all hell.”
- “What we have now is a game with minimal content, barely acceptable for a 'full release', while ridden with so many bugs and glitches that they alone could easily ruin the experience for many.”
- “Full of bugs and glitches... not even close to having enough content to be a full release game.”
atmosphere
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
78%
19%
3%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and electrifying qualities, enhanced by beautiful graphics, ambient sounds, and dynamic weather effects. Players report feeling a strong sense of tension and foreboding, particularly when encountering dinosaurs, which contributes to a thrilling survival experience. Despite some technical bugs, the overall atmospheric design creates a captivating environment that players can easily lose themselves in.
- “The atmosphere was fantastic; it really got your blood flowing when you heard a pack of raptors tracking you down, and you had to make a choice to set up an ambush or try to outpace them.”
- “Beautiful graphics and ambient noises in the wild create a sense of atmosphere, and it's incredible how immersive the game feels.”
- “It starts raining, gently at first, then it picks up, and the sounds of nature slightly wash out over the sounds of the pats of thousands of droplets hitting the ground. Lightning starts its dance across the sky, and all of a sudden you hear what sounds like monkeys chattering, only you know well that those aren't monkeys. The atmosphere alone is worth the price.”
- “It starts raining, gently at first then it picks up and the sounds of nature slightly wash out over the sounds of the pats of thousands of droplets hitting the ground and lightning starts its dance across the sky. I don't mean to paint such a picture, but the atmosphere alone is worth the price. Watching a storm roll in while I was on the side of a volcano literally brought me to tears with its beauty, not kidding you. And all of a sudden you hear what sounds like monkeys chattering, only you know well that those aren't monkeys and it's not background noise as they always, always make different sounds instead of repeating in a loop.”
- “After startling him, I followed his trail for a while before I realized the growling behind me wasn't just part of the general atmosphere.”
- “[*] Tense and foreboding atmosphere.”
story
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
81%
11%
The game's story is minimal and lacks depth, primarily revolving around the premise of a convict sent to a dinosaur-infested planet to clear land for colonization. Players express a desire for a more developed narrative, missions, and objectives to enhance engagement, as the current experience feels more like a sandbox survival game without a compelling plot. While there are hints of lore through collectible documents, the overall consensus is that the story is underwhelming and could greatly benefit from additional content and structure.
- “The graphics are good and to be honest it's a game that will take a lot of your time if you like hunting down the most dangerous creatures never seen by man and travel to the deepest forest or one of the mysterious abandoned sites to discover the strange story of Primal Eden!”
- “Spectacular environment and an interesting backstory that you can discover in detail by finding abandoned documents.”
- “Here the story: you're a prisoner, a lifer... and you get to help colonies clear the land of wild predators, in return for a pardon.”
- “If you're looking for any kind of story, this game is not for you.”
- “There is no story arc, no greater goal to aspire to, nothing much else to do.”
- “There's a barely existent backstory, no driven purpose, and it feels like it was rushed to release with a promise of more material based on how well the game does after 'full' release.”
humor
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
95%
5%
The game is widely praised for its humor, with players finding it both hilarious and entertaining, especially during cooperative play. Comedic moments arise from quirky AI behaviors, unexpected glitches, and amusing animations, such as a character's reaction to toxic encounters or the absurdity of finding T-rex poo with human arms. Overall, the blend of humor and challenge contributes to a fun and engaging experience, particularly when played with friends.
- “It's pretty funny when your buddy gets picked up by one of the flyers and screams.”
- “Also a funny thing... when you find some T-Rex poo, you'll notice it has human arms and some skulls in it... absolutely hilarious!”
- “Once you get the hang of this, it is super fun, challenging, and hilarious. Play with the right people and go Rex hunting; watch out for raptors, they're sneaky little bastards!”
- “You're so insignificant it's not funny.”
monetization
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
23%
67%
The monetization aspect of the game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with many users expressing frustration over intrusive ads and minimal gameplay engagement. While the game does not feature microtransactions and allows players to earn in-game currency through gameplay, the overall sentiment suggests that the developers prioritize profit over quality, leading to a lackluster experience that feels unfinished and exploitative.
- “It's not pay-to-play, but you earn in-game money when you rank up and can unlock and make in-game purchases with that money. Yay, no more dumping real money into a game!”
- “Once you have a few kills under your belt, you may buy items from the store which strictly uses in-game money; there are no microtransactions.”
- “Just one has dinosaurs and no microtransactions, which is awesome.”
- “This was nothing less than a simple attempt at a quick cash grab when Ark: Survival was released.”
- “Hours of walking, minimal interaction with any environment, low dino spawn rate (like next to no sightings for 30+ minutes of walking/sprinting), and the general feel that this game was just a quick cash grab.”
- “If you weren't so corrupted by money you could've made this game one of the best hunting simulators ever, but no you decided its paywall-infected predecessor would be more profitable than a fully priced game with no microtransactions or paywalls.”
optimization
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
27%
34%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its performance and graphical quality, while others report significant lag and poor optimization on less powerful systems. Many users express hope for future updates to improve performance, indicating that while the game shows promise, it currently struggles with optimization issues for a portion of the player base. Overall, the consensus suggests that optimization varies widely depending on individual hardware capabilities.
- “The engine is incredibly well optimized; look at the sky both night and day, look far in the distance, it's really nice.”
- “Perfectly optimized in terms of performance!”
- “The game runs smoothly on my computer.”
- “I thought this game could be very good and it has a good concept, just the way it got optimized isn't good.”
- “I have an extremely powerful computer; there's no reason this game should be that badly optimized.”
- “I give Hunter Primal a 4/10. It is promising but it lacks optimization.”
grinding
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, often leading to boredom due to slow movement, scarce weapon availability, and the need to earn credits for basic gear. Many reviews express disappointment with the game's mechanics, which require long hours of repetitive tasks without sufficient rewards, making the experience feel more like a chore than enjoyable gameplay. Overall, the grinding process detracts significantly from the game's potential fun and engagement.
- “Spent hours grinding this game out leveling up only for all my stuff to be deleted by the devs. Do not buy this game.”
- “While it sounds good on paper, this game is sadly a tedious attempt at a great game.”
- “The entire time I was playing this game, I wanted to be grinding my face into a belt sander because honestly, the experience would have been more entertaining.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising the main menu theme and the atmospheric sounds that enhance the immersive experience, particularly in tense moments. However, others feel that the overall soundtrack is lacking, describing it as underdeveloped and insufficient for building suspense. Despite these criticisms, many agree that the ambient sounds contribute significantly to the game's environment, creating a genuinely stressful and engaging atmosphere.
- “Love the main menu music and being in the forest as it's raining with raptors calling in the distance is definitely awesome.”
- “From the music to the ambient life so far, it's very good.”
- “While it's true that the dinosaur AI has room for improvement, it easily makes up with an awesome environment (kudos for the soundtrack) and the importance of it, somewhat realistic play, and a genuinely stressful environment (you start walking and begin to hear sounds of Utahraptors circling you).”
- “Instead, I received a game that was underdeveloped and felt more like a wimpy simulation, rather than a full-blown game with music, story, AI, a finished battle system, and enjoyable play.”
- “There is no music, no lead up to fear.”
- “Almost any game I have played, I really could blare music or have a movie playing at the same time and not be affected.”
emotional
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game elicits a mix of intense feelings, ranging from frustration over its early access pricing to profound experiences of tension and terror during gameplay. Players report a strong sense of immersion, likening their experiences to real-life hunting scenarios, while also expressing a desire for more dynamic environmental challenges. Overall, the game successfully evokes a wide array of emotions, making it a memorable experience despite some criticisms.
- “But in terms of pure emotional turmoil and painting a picture of constant tension and subtle, creeping terror, I've simply never seen anything like it in a game before. Hunter Primal is worth a shot.”
- “I really love it; this game made me feel intense, like I'm really hunting and being hunted. It is one of the best experiences I've had in a while, and it's fun!”
- “Honestley, I don't know what it's for; sometimes it gives a location, sometimes it doesn't. It's emotional, I don't know.”
replayability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
37%
25%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag; while it offers multiplayer support and potential for cooperative or competitive play, many users feel it lacks depth and variety, leading to a quick decline in interest. The absence of post-launch support and additional content has further diminished its replay value, with players expressing a desire for more strategic elements and diverse gameplay experiences. Overall, while some see potential for long-term enjoyment, many believe the current state of the game limits its replayability significantly.
- “10/10 - replayability value”
- “If they expand on what they have at the moment, this game is going to be a great time killer with a ton of replayability.”
- “It has multiplayer support and I can co-op or PvP with my friends - it has massive replayability.”
- “Not much replayability :<”
- “If it doesn't gain more depth, I'd give it a bad review because the replay value isn't there like the standard 'thehunter' game.”
- “I feel as though after playing it for a day or so it might lose its replayability because killing three types of dinos can only be entertaining for so long.”