Where to get it

Steam

2012 · Lukewarm Media · First-person shooter · Indie

Primal Carnage

PlayStation console exclusive

Primal Carnage is an online multiplayer shooter that will engross its players in skilled PVP combat, team-based strategy and savage class-oriented matches unlike any you've previously experienced; be it an armed human mercenary or a cunning dinosaur, Primal Carnage is sure to unleash the inner beast in anyone who seeks to survive among the fittest.

Released: 29 October 2012
Platforms: PlayStation 3 Windows
Genres: First-person shooter Indie Shooter
Developers: Lukewarm Media Circle 5 Studios
Publishers: Reverb Publishing
Modes: Multiplayer
Perspective: First person Third person
Themes: Action
Engine: Unreal Engine 3
Country: United States
Languages: English

About

Primal Carnage is an asymmetrical multiplayer game developed by Lukewarm Media and released by Reverb Publishing. The game pits a group of armed humans against predatory dinosaurs in various combat scenarios. Human gameplay takes the form of a first-person shooter, whilst the dinosaurs are controlled from a third-person perspective. Lukewarm Media, an indie development team, announced the game in February 2010, and eventually released it on October 29, 2012. Primal Carnage received "mixed or average reviews" according to Metacritic.

A prequel game, Primal Carnage: Genesis, was announced in 2013, but was put on hold shortly thereafter due to disagreements within Lukewarm Media. A complete rebuild of the original game was in development as of 2014. Circle 5 Studios took over the series later that year, and eventually published the rebuild as a sequel in 2015, under the name Primal Carnage: Extinction.

›Story

“The Island”, a strange hidden world where man has taken the ultimate leap in science, where the long lost wonders of the distant past have been recreated, wonders which walk hand in hand with atrocities of the darkest nature. At present the facilities lie destroyed and abandoned, all the experiments have ceased, the buildings empty, the screams… silenced. The most meticulous of plans could not prepare them for the horrors they set upon themselves, horrors now running free across The Island.

They had created dinosaurs.

Now the Island needs reclaiming, the prehistoric beast brought under man’s control once more, and if this task is beyond our reach… then they must be destroyed.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Primal Carnage is an action and online asymmetrical multiplayer game that pits humans against dinosaurs. Both teams have their own set of playable characters, divided into classes. Team members work together, using their own unique abilities to succeed. Gameplay is viewed from a third-person perspective when playing as a dinosaur, while human players experience the game as a first-person shooter.

Players on both teams have the option of seeing their teammates through walls. Dinosaurs eat humans to regain health, while humans must reach certain areas to replenish health and ammunition. Dinosaurs can hide in bushes and wait to attack humans, who generally take refuge in a few select, open areas such as a helipad while they defend against the dinosaurs.

Development

Primal Carnage was developed by Lukewarm Media, an independent developer consisting of 21 people from around the world. The game was announced in February 2010, and was expected to release for Microsoft Windows and Linux during the fourth quarter of the year. It was originally developed using the Unigine game engine, although the development team switched to Unreal Development Kit (a free version of Unreal Engine 3) later in 2010. This made the release of a Linux version unlikely.

The game moved to open beta testing on October 8, 2012, and received a wide release on October 29, 2012, by Reverb Publishing. It was the first game by Lukewarm Media to be published. The game was available for download through its official website, as well as online retailers such as Steam and GamersGate.

Reception

Primal Carnage received "mixed or average reviews" according to Metacritic. At launch, some players complained of glitches, such as start-up problems and crashing. Critics also noted that Primal Carnage contained only one game mode at launch and believed that it would need more features in the near future to survive. Maxwell McGee, writing for GameSpot, stated that the game "hits on a fun design, but stumbles in execution.

A lack of content and some technical issues leave this game feeling like a $15 beta rather than an official release". Mike Sharkey of GameSpy wrote, "What's there is terrific, there just needs to be more of it. Here's hoping it doesn't go extinct before it evolves into something really great". Xav de Matos of Joystiq called it an "entertaining experience" despite missing "some key elements and polish".