Prime World – Review
Some time ago, we got the opportunity to take a sneak peek in the game ‘Prime World’ (you can find the preview here). Prime World is quite refreshing and is growing to be a big title. I sure hope it will fulfil the high expectations.
Story
Prime World has a rich but devastating history, which had its influence on the inhabitants and the political situation. A long time ago, there was the Laphite Empire. This massive kingdom had three autonomous provinces but it was a home for everyone. Each region had its own climate which led to different views of life and diverse developments of the areas. Everything seemed to go right until things went bad. The weather became harsh and unpredictable: rain was pouring from the skies and when the sun came through, the heat was unbearable. This kept going for days until that one day, the day that changed everything. The clouds and earth opened up and an unknown, cyan-coloured liquid flooded the land.
This substance had extremely powerful characteristics. It could change everything it came in contact with and it was very poisonous when touched at a high dose. The people from the Laphite Empire called this substance ‘Prime’ and learned to live with it, each region in its own way. The southern territory had the least of luck. This province was a peninsula and seawater and Prime flooded this land. Things became worse when the peninsula was split off from the mainland. The northern bit of the country fled to the mountains and researched the effects of Prime combined with technology. This scientific and technological exploitation of Prime led to the stockpiling of this gooey. In the Southeast part of the country, people had to live with Prime all around them. Prime entered their bodies and gave them new powers like transforming materials.
These different lifestyles were the reason to split the Laphite Empire. Two new states were born: The Dokht Imperium in the North and The Keepers of Adornia in the South. This is where we are today. The Prime Zone is a region in the mainland that is a natural border between the two states. Both countries need Prime to survive but the supplies are getting scarce. The Prime deposits that are left are controlled by so called Lords and Ladies. These deposits aren’t enough though and the Imperium and Keepers go deeper into unknown places in the Prime Zone to bring back some precious fluid.
Prime is the past, the present, and the future. It is the source of everything: strength and might, miracles and magic, danger and power in this new world, and no one will survive without it.
Graphics
Prime World is a jewel when it comes to the graphics. Even on the lowest quality, the environment is beautiful and very detailed. The game is very colourful and each hero has its own specific characteristics. These elements all fit the ‘specialisation’ of the hero and gives every playable character a nice touch. There are also one or multiple extra skins available, all made with the same perfection.
The game map is very detailed as well and the environmental changes that occur when you take a flag is nicely done. The nature is very lively and gives you the feeling that you’re actually on a safari instead than killing enemies.
Sound
The music, sound effects and voice overs are really decent and fit the game completely. There are different soundtracks while you’re developing your own castle and during the different game modes. The music is subtle and doesn’t overwhelm too much, although the music volume is quite high sometimes so be ready for some ‘ear protection’.
There are quite a bit of sound effects implemented in the game, mostly when you’re playing with your character. These effects fit each specific character and gives the game some extra cachet. The same goes with the voice overs. This elevates the game to the next level.
Gameplay
Prime World is a combination of MOBA and an competitive RPG. This games offers several possibilities for you to explore and exploit. You can develop your own castle, conquer the singleplayer campaign or test your skills in the several multiplayer modes.
Each player gets its own castle to rule and improve. This building is the main base of operations. The stronghold comes with quite some land and you get the possibility to build anything you want. Your different heroes live on your territory and besides this householding, you can also manufacture multiple essential items. These basic items are the foundation for making several specific objects like talents. You can place and arrange everything, so let your inner architect loose!
Your heroes not only live in your castle, but you have them at your disposal. You can change the talents they use to your liking. This gives you a lot of freedom how you want to customize and play your character. Even better, if you want to switch talents between heroes, it’s only a click away! Although this system gives you quite some opportunities, it’s sometimes difficult to master. The game provides some small tutorials while completing quests but this might not be deep enough for everyone.
Your hero uses these talents during battle. You start a battle (single- or multiplayer) with an amount of Prime. This gives you the opportunity to learn a talent by the beginning of the fight. You gain more Prime if you wait or by killing enemies and capturing flags. You can ‘buy’ talents by choosing the talent that Prime World advises you or you can open the talent window and pick the one you want. The game uses the build you picked beforehand to counsel you, so it’s recommended that you arrange this before jumping in battle. This saves you some time. If you learn a talent during battle, you gain one or more levels. This is very important for your tactic of course.
The main concept is mostly the same for every game mode and I’m going to try to keep it simple. You start in your base with an amount of Prime and fellow comrades (AI or other players). The map has several flag points in which you need to capture. When you capture a flag, the environment changes and the land become yours. There are some evil monsters lurking in bushes as well, so watch out. Sometimes it’s necessary to kill these enemies to find key items. Depending what game mode you’re playing, there can be other specific demands as well.
If you don’t feel like fighting baddies, you can also try the minigame during a battle. It’s similar to ‘Bubble Pop’. You’ll get an empty painting with only silhouettes. The goal of the game is to pop the different coloured blobs. This happens if you manage to get three or more of the same colour in a row. When you pop blobbies, the painting will fill up and when it’s complete, you get a scroll. Scrolls are mostly used to boost your stats during battle. You can choose which player gets this gift.
As said before, you get quests to complete. These missions are quite diverse: one time you’ll have to win ten multiplayer matches, other times you’ll just have to place a specific building. This element makes the game more interesting and it’s the motivation to just play a tad longer …
The singleplayer campaign is divided in episodes. You’ll have to complete missions with AI to advance. The battles that you’ll have to fight will be in the same environment like the multiplayer battles but this isn’t disturbing. Although the campaign is a very good aspect of the game, there are some minor remarks. Firstly, when you commence a mission, you can’t save your progress. The only options you get is to surrender or to return to the castle, which isn’t always what you want. Secondly, some missions take quite some time and with the previous remark explained… you get my point. Thirdly, the battles are sometimes really hard to win with only AI. They do their best of course, but they tend to die a lot.
The multiplayer contains seven different game modes for you to discover. Each mode has its specific demands or way of playing. The most common is the ‘Borderlands’. This is a 5v5 PVP battle and it has the same tactics like a League of Legends match. Try to gain territory by capturing flags and destroy the enemy base. If you want information of the other multiplayer possibilities, I would highly recommend you to go to this website.
There is one remark though: the different game modes are only available during certain periods of the day. The modes switch from place, but it might be annoying that not everything is available at all times.
Conclusion
Prime World is a game that is a combination of RPG and MOBA elements but it gives you a lot of freedom and possibilities. The graphics and sound are top-notch and gives this title an extra dimension. The gameplay is very nice and contains several refreshing elements. There are both singleplayer and multiplayer options for you to master, so be ready for some battles!
Prime World - Review,
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