Promotional art of the game: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/far-cry-primal-ps4/

Far Cry Primal, released by Ubisoft on February 23 of last year for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, as well as on Microsoft Windows on March 1 of the same year is set not in modern times, but in the Mesolithic Age. The location for this game is the Carpathian Mountains in Eastern Europe, but give the fictional name Oros.

Does this game live up to its setting? Is it true to the time period? Yes.. and no. The immersion of the game is attributed to three main factors: The animals, the world and the language.

First, the animals. Far Cry Primal has dozens of types of animals, from the historically inaccurate Saber-tooth, modeled after the S. fatalis, which lived in North America, not Europe , to the Woolly Mammoth. Many of these animals are tameable in game. The process of taming is annoying, at best. For the most part, all you have to do is find the beast you wish to tame and throw bait at it, and press the tame button. That’s it. Of course, a Saber-tooth wouldn’t just want a thigh bone to follow you into battle; and this is one of the glaring issues of accuracy the game presents.

However, for the most part, the animals are difficult when they should be. One spear will not take down a Mammoth, in fact, it is a challenge for even some of the best players. This adds a sense of reality in a game where one may not expect to find it.

More promotional art, a Saber-Tooth against a Cave Bear.

The second pillar of the game is the world. Oros, the setting of the game gets its name from the Greek word Όρος/Βουνό, which translates to “Mountain” in English. Once a large glacier, it has recently melted and provided a very fertile and bustling land for you to explore. With dynamic day and night cycles, roaming beasts and sometimes not-so-friendly people, you will feel the true need to survive. Such people are yours, the Wenja and two enemy tribes: the Udam, who are cannibals and the Izila, a more advanced tribe who are more agriculturally advanced.

The world has three main sections; the Valley, Arctic Tundra and the Marshlands. All three sections provided different fauna and flora, depending on where you are.

Geographically, it is very accurate to its real life setting. For those interested in finding the reality of a world long gone, you will be pleased by Oros.

A full map of Oros

The final, and shockingly most important factor of the immersion and accuracy of the game is the language. The developers set out to create a whole new language for the game, but found it far too difficult, understandably. The team reached to outside resources such as licensed anthropologists and linguists. The languages in the game are based off of the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) language.

Due to the the fact that PIE is in fact too ‘modern’ for the era, the research teams simplified the language down even further to something that might have been spoken by the tribes in the Mesolithic Age!

Taking it a step further, the teams even developed a variation for each tribe, with the Izila speaking the most advanced form, going with their advanced culture.

But does this mean the game can take and hold the interest of those who enjoy prehistoric Human culture? Yes.

The game, with all the research and time put in holds true to the era. Yes, it is a video game, meaning it has limits. However, the game does its best to provide an immersive and true experience for those interested in the setting.

This game opens up a world for those who may not have even cared for it. It is a sign people have a growing interest and care for our history before history.