PRIM

PRIM also holds a high place in the long list of adventures that have been in development for many years. The said adventure, a product of Germany's Common Colors, was first unveiled in 2019, followed by a successful Kickstarter campaign (funded in just two days), which set the tone for the upcoming full release around December 2022.

It is well known that game development is a very difficult task, especially when there is a small development team behind it, so the above release window could not be met. However, it did happen about two years later, with PRIM being released a week before Halloween, which is not so coincidental.

After all, it's obvious that the game is deeply influenced by the works of Tim Burton, both on an audiovisual level (the black and white approach is reminiscent of Ed Wood, while the atmospheric soundtrack sounds in the same vein of Danny Elfman) and on a script level. A movie starring... Death's daughter could be made very easily, couldn't it?

This is exactly where the whole plot revolves, with the homonymous Prim being the fruit of Thanatos' (the Greek word for Death and how he is called in-game) love with a common mortal, who in the past was on the verge between life and death, but who managed to survive. Prim is completely unaware of her father's identity until, in her 16th year, her mother is killed (permanently this time) in a tragic accident. Thanatos as a responsible father, could not leave Prim an orphan and decides to take her with him to the Realm of the Dead and care for her, at least until she comes of age.

Only this fact presents a few difficulties: on the one hand, Prim is not dead, so she cannot be a resident of the Realm of the Dead, and on the other hand, no one has asked her if she is interested in giving up her life, her only and loyal friend, Tristan, and leaving for (very) distant states. It's not easy to put a leash on a teenage girl, and that's something Thanatos finds out firsthand when he eventually invents a formula to take her with him that essentially turns her into a bizarre being, with a human form and deadly powers - while always retaining the rebelliousness of a teenager. A formula that, in fact, abruptly cut the thread of her life, with poor Tristan desperately searching for her for years.

The above-mentioned reference to the "thread of life" was not just a symbolism, as in all this, the three Fates (Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos) are involved, which, as is well known, determine the birth and the course of mortals until their death. The Fates largely take on the role of narrator in the game, being three very interesting and complementary deities, and it is worth mentioning that Greek mythology in general has a very strong flavour in the game, highlighting Prim's attempt, firstly to find a way to reconnect with her friend Tristan, unbeknownst to Thanatos, and then to discover her place in the Realm of the Dead.

Certainly, the story of the game is very interesting, hence the relatively extensive mention of it. We would say that this is one of its strongest elements, as, apart from the very good main idea that the people at Common Colors had, the implementation is equally wonderful. The writing is excellent, the dialogue and narration concise, with the humour apt and occasionally quite black, as is also dictated by the colour scheme that dominates the game. Special mention should also be made of the characters that accompany the adventure, who may not be numerous, but are all unique. As an example, we can mention Persephone, who has taken Cerberus for a walk on a leash, the "collector" Charon, who in reality has nothing to do with the image we have formed of him, and Echo, who is in love with one of the Fates and is trying to find a way to get a date with her.

These characters and Prim's interaction with them are accompanied by a series of pretty good puzzles, which in most cases are of moderate difficulty, with a handful of them needing a little more use of grey matter. This is especially the case in the second act of the game (out of three total, over a duration of around 6 to 7 hours), where PRIM opens up its world quite a bit, with the puzzles requiring combinatorial thinking, observation and, most importantly, attention to detail and dialogue. Particularly, when shortly after starting the game, we acquire a "spider-eye", which, besides being operated autonomously in some cases, we can see some "visions" through it, as an aid to solving certain puzzles. In any case, however, the game has a built-in journal/hint system, which can help the player as much as he/she wishes: initially by revealing the first steps to move forward and giving the solution only when the player decides to do so.

Besides, there is a hotspot indicator that proves to be very useful, especially in two or three cases that I won't reveal of course, and the controls are very simple, as everything is done with the two mouse buttons. Where I do have some objections is in the mini-games that the game features, which can be difficult for some players, since no skip-button is included.

In particular, there's a mini-assembly game that satirizes IKEA (it's relatively simple), a board game called Game of Gnomes (it can be made easier if you solve a specific puzzle) and most importantly the Casketball card game. The latter is very reminiscent of the Top Trumps we used to play as kids (if you're under thirty, google it), however we are required to collect the cards scattered on each of the game's screens and play one (or more) games with the game's characters to earn better cards for our deck.

Unfortunately, its presence is not optional, so it is necessary to build a very good deck that will be able to beat Thanatos' one, otherwise we won't be able to get an item we need to move on. As a sub-game in itself, Casketball is not difficult, but it relies heavily on the luck factor, and as a result we are likely to be consumed in several games before we can finally win. It's a point where I estimate that PRIM stalls, and there will certainly be players who won't be very happy trying to collect cards and build decks to complete an adventure.

Leaving aside this flaw, which may be solved later with a patch, PRIM makes a positive impression. Engaging with it is delightful, highly entertaining and manages, from the moment it starts, to make the player love it. This is also due to the beautiful way the plot unfolds, having the necessary twists and turns, combining humor and emotion, while at the same time not leaving the player hanging, to the point of not knowing what to do.

Besides, its black and white, but rich and deeply detailed, graphics aspect is just as easily impressed. Gorgeous backgrounds that the more you observe them the more you realize how much "magic" they possess, while the character design is infused with an intensely artistic approach. Perhaps eccentric, but interesting enough and with a personal touch, as is the case, for example, with Prim herself, who stands out in the crowd, compared to the rest of the cast.

Taking into account the wonderful "Tim Burtonian" atmosphere, the excellent voice-over, the remarkable level of writing and the well-thought puzzles, PRIM composes an adventure that will surely satisfy the thirst of the fans of the genre for new and quality adventures. We only hope that there will be a sequel.

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