Primal Light (2020)

 

In Primal Light, you control "Krog, a mysterious blue creature in a red loincloth, as he traverses a labyrinth of ladders, levers, traps, and monsters." The game was created by Fat Gem, a studio that appears to be comprised of two people, Jeff Nixon and Shane Sicienski. Krog specifically is a humanoid who seems to have a carapace-like skin and glowing green cross where a person's face would be. The use of a non-human protagonist is a bit reminiscent of some of the protagonists seen in the stories of Schuyler Hernstrom and other writers that like to go for a more exotic, off-Earth feel in their characters and settings.

There's barely any story in Primal Light. Krog, like many before him, comes home to find his village devastated and the few survivors implore him to go forth and destroy the "dark god" responsible. So Krog heads out, runs and jumps through 10 levels with difficult boss enemies at the end of each, and then comes home to a simple congratulatory image if he succeeds. It's not a game to be played by people who look to video games for their stories. 

It is a game that can be enjoyed by people who like to be challenged, because even on easy mode Primal Light is quite difficult. Like the "Nintendo hard" games of the past, much of the challenge comes from enemies being placed in such a way as to knock Krog off course during jumps, sending him falling to an instant death. The level bosses can also be tough, with fast-moving and complicated patterns that have very tight margins for evading harm. The game does allow Krog to replenish some health a limited number of times per life, and currency picked up throughout levels can be used to buy extra lives. The game is also generous with the number of lives you start with and in allowing continues. The game will occasionally have a fork in the path through a level, with the alternate route featuring a challenge section ending with a power-up that can give Krog an extra edge in the game, but at minimum Krog will learn several techniques like double-jumping and mid-air dashing that will make him more mobile but also will be needed to overcome platforming sequences. That said, Krog's only attack throughout the game is to slash with his sword.

The game has some really pretty high-resolution pixel art and nice music, and it controls well enough that you usually will blame yourself for failing more than the game. It would have been nice if Krog had the ability to look up or especially down to cut down on the number of blind jumps that occasionally crop up. Although you can usually make a good guess as to where the floor is going to be, the ability to confirm it would be even better. Overall, it's a good game, worth checking if you're into this type of rush'n'attack and platforming challenge, and its grim, alien setting sets it apart from many games.