I wonder if UBISOFT really understands what they have at thier feet right now with this game. Survival games are gaining popularity as people tire of the same games they have been playing for decades.
My wife is addicted to the game Don't Starve on PS4 as a survival game. To me that proves that survival games also attract casual gamers. That game has permadeath too.
With all the suggestions i've read on this forum it gets me excited to think of all the cool stuff that could be made for a game engine like this.
The game Don't Starve doesn't really even have a story. The story isn't important. In Don't Starve one makes his/her own story based upon the decisions made. For example, where to setup and build camp, how to approach winter. Each game is a story I, or my wife created. The success or failure often seems to come by mistake but we learn from mistakes so it's fun.
It's my opinion that UBISOFT could forgo the cost of voice acting other than a few grunts, don't pay anyone to write a lame story nobody will appreciate, don't make any cut scenes and just make a pure survival game with as many mechanics as possible to make it interesting with a map 2-4 times the size of primal.
Take my f**ing money!
I think you make some good points. It would be a nice change to see a 'raw' game without cut scenes - and for me they can also dispense with endless prompts and clues telling you the 'bleeding obvious'! Are games getting dumbed down? I think so, although to be fair you can at least opt to turn off some features in Primal (well, you can on the PC version, not sure of others).
I wonder if any outfit would dare to put out a title where you are given scant info and have to learn how to play, source things and survive. All you get at the outset is a datestamp and geographic location.
I agree with you, OP. Survival in Primal has been a revelation for me. All the gorgeous open world stuff that Ubi does so well, mixed with excellent game mechanics .... I can't get enough of it. If anything, they need to make it harder but without relying on permadeath.
Would love to see a Primal 2 where survival mode isn't just hard-more for the story... actually let me live in the world and just try to exist.