PRIM Review

Not everything is black and white, despite PRIM’s lovely monochrome aesthetic. On the surface it may seem like a cutesy point-and-click, but dig a bit deeper and you’ll uncover themes of loss and grief, seen through the eyes of a 15-year-old girl. 

That girl is Prim, who has recently lost her mother, Morwen. Here’s the twist: Prim is also the daughter of Thanatos, the god of Death. The keeper of the underworld hasn’t really brushed up on his daddy skills, so when Prim tries to escape, she sets in motion a chain of events leading to the accidental demise of her best friend and neighbour, Tristan. Now, Prim’s goal is to scour the realm of the dead for help in rescuing her buddy and restoring him to the land of the living. If she manages to bond with Death too, so much the better.

‍PRIM is an unashamedly old school adventure from indie developer Common Colors. Hand-drawn artwork is a joy to look at over the numerous locations Prim visits, and lovely animation is complemented by spooky orchestral music, cracking effects and a fully voiced cast of characters. Prim herself grated initially which left me with a sinking feeling — was I going to have to endure a whiny character for the game’s duration? —  but as the story progressed, she became far more tolerable. The rest of the cast are excellent too, though having an ear-splitting screaming head as part of a puzzle was a bold choice which irritates more than it amuses.

The story draws on Greek mythology in fun ways. Cerberus, Persephone, Charon and other prominent figures appear, while the three Fates are the (ahem) threads tying Prim’s quest together. There are also some very funny non-mythological additions, such as an undead chicken and an ecological protestor who has gone to extreme measures to make a point.

It isn’t just Prim you control, either. Early on, you gain control of a walking eye (really) which can help you access tight areas and collect items on Prim’s behalf. In a hilariously gross but bloodless scene, it replaces one of Prim’s real eyes. From then on, you can also use the eye to access the secrets of NPCs and their links to certain items — often acted out in flashback form — which can aid in puzzle-solving in a more interesting way than just talking. 

Conversations are still at the forefront of PRIM’s gameplay though, and thankfully they are engaging. There are also some fun quirks with the usual “exhaust all the dialogue options” schtick, such as the game ignoring the plea for a character to not show a magic trick regardless of which answer you choose. Rightly so. Magic tricks are great. Some lovely death-themed puns are scattered throughout too, including a record collection containing an album by Dead Sheeran. 

One of the game's standout features is its intuitive interface. With a single click, you can collect items or receive descriptions of background elements. Scrolling the mouse wheel opens your inventory, while right-clicking an item provides detailed information. Left-clicking allows you to combine items, either from your bag or the environment. While there’s a small element of trial and error — mixing items when you're stuck — this is rare, thanks to the clever hint system built into Prim's journal. Additionally, firefly hotspots, which can be activated with the space bar, are unlocked after solving an early puzzle. The seamless integration of these classic genre mechanics into PRIM’s story feels so natural that it’s surprising why it’s taken this long for a game to do so effectively. Conversely, an odd omission is a control layout in the options menu, especially since some of the shortcuts — hitting I for inventory or J for journal, for instance — are breezed over and only seemed to work intermittently.

Away from the main narrative, there’s a fun distraction in the form of Casketball. This is essentially a game of Top Trumps which you can access once you collect enough cards found scattered across the realm. Each card has four attributes — speed, intelligence, strength and dexterity — and more cards can be won by challenging and beating characters in the game. It’s not a particularly hard mini-game to win once you’ve collected enough cards, but it makes for a nice departure from the core story… until it becomes an essential part of the quest. At that point, you basically need to grind your way to victory with repeated games to collect cards from other characters. The crow referee is incredibly irritating, each round and its animations are unskippable, and if you lose you just need to repeat the game and pick better cards. Triple Triad, this isn’t.

Overall though, PRIM melds a coming-of-age tale with the point-and-click genre in a unique way, all overlaid with an aesthetic Tim Burton would be proud of. Over the course of its eight hours (and thankfully, only one ending), you’ll be amused, entertained and occasionally moved. It doesn’t reach the comedic heights of LucasArts’ best adventures, but it’s another solid addition to publisher Application Systems Heidelberg’s superb catalogue, joining the likes of Unforeseen Incidents, Growbot, and LUNA: The Shadow Dust. The dysfunctional father-daughter relationship might be a supernatural one, but the theme feels as pertinent in the real world as the Underworld.