Far Cry Primal is a fantastic standalone title that also has enough historical research meat to keep history nerds happy.

Far Cry Primal is a healthy, well-designed, immensely immersive experiment within an established franchise. Bottom line is we need more developers to take such risks. The result is indeed a fantastic experience due to the blending of multiple genres - survival, adventure, action, first-person, strategy, etc. - and the retaining of a familiar, tried-and-true formula.

Solid, engaging and technically delicious, Far Cry Primal is a spin off that amuses the player even without firearms and vehicles, although the playful infrastructure is too conservative.

Melee combat can be disorienting and the story isn’t all that memorable. Still, Far Cry Primal nails what it does right. Beast Mastery is a great new mechanic, the presentation is fantastic, and most importantly, it feels just like a Far Cry game. Woolly mammoths may have gone extinct, but Primal ensures that the Far Cry franchise won’t follow suit.

When the freshness of a Far Cry in the Stone Age becomes rotten -and luckily that takes quite a few hours- you’ll realise you’re once again routinely finishing off copious amounts of icons on a huge map. With a little extra time and effort Far Cry Primal could’ve been better than part 4, but now it’s an enjoyable spin-off that feels somewhat like a mod.

Far Cry: Primal is an example of how ambition doesn't always translate to success. It's overly familiar and overly safe, and it does little with its concept.

Is it a good game? That’s the wrong question. The truest thing about Far Cry Primal is that above all else, and at the expense of all else, it’s an effective game.