Dinosaur Metroidvania Primal Planet Is Out Now on Xbox Series X|S

Primal Planet, a handcrafted pixel-art metroidvania about a prehistoric dad protecting his family, is out now on Xbox Series X|S. It’s an Xbox Play Anywhere game, so it also covers Xbox on PC, and costs £16.74 / $19.99, with 10% off at launch bringing it to £15.06 / $17.99 until 12 November.

Dinosaurs, tribes and ancient aliens

Primal Planet was made over five years by solo developer Albert van Zyl, who works as Seethingswarm, and is published by Pretty Soon. It mixes combat and exploration with survival and crafting, and tells its story without a single word of dialogue.

You play a cave dweller struggling to keep his family safe from dinosaurs, savage tribes and, eventually, ancient aliens. A tiny dinosaur sidekick fights alongside you, and a second player can take control of it at any time in local co-op. Pretty Soon calls it “a game about taking care of somebody close”.

The game has already won over critics. IGN’s Jared Petty wrote that it “stands out among the most charming” games he’s played since 1982, praising its “inexhaustible reservoir of creativity, color, motion, and wonder”. Eurogamer’s Christian Donlan wrote about its abundance of secrets and “loving attention to detail”.

Primal Planet is available now on the Xbox Store. For more on the game, see our Primal Planet hub.

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