Primal

Primal is played from a third person perspective. The game features a mixture of action and combat sequences, where the player has to fight various enemies, or alternatively flee from or chase them, while also heavily relying on exploration and the solving of puzzles to advance through the levels. Levels are designed so that they have to backtracked multiple times, for example when a new core skill or item has been acquired that allows further progression. Each world features a specific demonic transformation that gives Jen skills, allowing her to access areas she previously could not.

For instance, the Undine transformation allows Jen to breathe underwater, while the Wraith form provides the ability to slow time. Later worlds require the player to use multiple transformations to progress.

The game is mainly set in Oblivion, a plane between the worlds, in which a careful balance between the forces of Order and Chaos is kept. Both are presented as primordial beings vying for control, with the female Arella personifying Order and the male Abaddon Chaos, respectively. Should one of the two become too dominant, the multiple worlds connected to Oblivion would perish, which is why a third power known as Chronos is tasked with maintaining balance. To do so, it resides in the Nexus, the place where the life energy of all worlds intertwines. Prior to the game, Abbadon has tipped the balance in his favor by corrupting other realms.

While multiple worlds are implied to be connected to Oblivion, only five appear in the game. Earth, known as Mortalis to the other worlds, is a neutral world inhabited by humans, from which the game's protagonist, Jen, hails. The other worlds, whose creatures are referred to as demons, either align with Order or Chaos and their inhabitants are portrayed as good or evil, respectively. Solum is a world cast into darkness, yet its inhabitants, the Ferai, humanoid ovis, align with Order, as do the water-dwelling Undine, who reside in the aquatic world of Aquis.

Development of the game started in August 1999 and finished in early 2003. According to creative director Chris Sorrell, the development team had total freedom in how they created the game. The game's core influences were supernatural TV shows of the time, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Dark Angel, whose protagonists and visual style the game emulated while incorporating own artistic visions. Buffy served as a model because the developers wanted to create a "believable and vulnerable lead character, to have a fantastical storyline [...]

that balances action and horror with humour and character development." The voice actors for the protagonists Jen and Scree, Hudson Leick and Andreas Katsulas, respectively, were specifically chosen because of their previous work in supernatural and science fiction series. Leick was brought in based on her work in Xena: Warrior Princess, where she played a character that was turned from a mortal into a demigod, similar to Jen. Katuslas, on the other hand, was cast because of his work as G'Kar in Babylon 5, but mainly because of his commanding voice.

Primal received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. While most critics lauded the graphics, atmosphere, story, soundtrack, voice acting, and characters, they were more critical of the combat system, level design, puzzles and general gameplay.

Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) noted that it was one of the few newer PS2 games that could compete with the more powerful Xbox in terms of graphics, while the voice acting and sound were also noted to be "impressive". Matt Helgeson of Game Informer went as far as to claim that, "Primal is a visual masterpiece. The texturing and lighting effects are some of the best that you'll see on PS2, and the character models (especially during the real-time cutscenes) rival some of Square's best work." However, he noted that, "Primal is a technical marvel; but, like so many games, falls short in the design and gameplay."

In a 2012 blog post for PlayStation.Blog that commemorated the game's 10 year anniversary and its inclusion to PSN, lead artist Mark Gibbons noted that preliminary work on a sequel was begun that would have featured Lewis as the protagonist. Primal II would have told the story of his journey through hell, back to the real world. Answering fan questions, Chris Sorrell further added that another idea was having the demons enter the real world, with Jen being tasked with fighting them alongside allies from the first entry. However, as the game did not sell well, the sequel was shelved in favor of 24: The Game, based on the TV show of the same name. A large amount of development artwork from the game, including concept art for Primal II, is held in the archive of The Centre for Computing History, and is in the process of being made available to view online as part of their video game preservation initiative.

In the same post, Sorrell asserted that "in some regards our ambition exceeded our reach, and that the path we took with Primal was at odds with the larger directions the gaming world was headed", especially in regards to open world games and social play, but noted that this contributes to the notion that Primal is a unique piece of gaming history. On the other hand, Gibbons stated that he either gets enthusiastic or indifferent responses to the game as well as regularly meeting people sporting Jen's signature tattoo, which he claims prove its status as a cult classic. Conversely, Ivy Taylor, writing for Eurogamer, noted that a lot of the game has aged badly, singling out the opening sequence as "cringe-inducing", as – according to the author – nothing about the 2000s goth subculture Primal has heavily leaned into had aged well. Taylor also pointed to the outdated and laborious gameplay, but noted that "the developers clearly set their sights beyond what they could ever achieve, but the sheer attempted scope of Primal is unmatched by most modern games", further claiming that the game flew "too close to the sun, failing at almost everything it set out to do", yet lauding its scope and ambitiousness. Closing with the notion, that in all his years as a gamer, he has never played another game quite like it, Taylor surmised: "It's not a game I will ever enjoy again, but for all its flaws, I love it dearly."