Indeed, Death has a daughter: PRIM. After a saucy rendezvous with her mortal mother, our titular hero finds herself alone when the mortal thread of her last-living relative is snipped. However, a father she never knew presents themself in the form of Thanatos - Lord of the bony robe (and stone-cold killer #1).
PRIM has been in development for some time by Common Colors with Application Systems Heidelberg publishing, and followed in anticipation on this site and via Steam Next Fest iterations. Now, that fateful day has come, not just for the protagonist, but for us to be able to give this point and click adventure some attention. With the links to a Tim Burton aesthetic, it's always been a good-looking game, but now it's out in the wild? Wow, this is art.
Jeitaro
After Prim's mother leaves this plane, she finds temporary solace with her bestie Tristan. However, Papa has other plans, and with their cold touch, brings Prim back to his neighbourhood to 'live life' as his successor. They're much more similar than they care to admit; Thanatos being a miserable so-and-so, Prim the perfect moody teenager, intent of rebelling against dad and revisiting her Tristan in the land of the living. It doesn't go so well.
Stripping away all forms of colour and offering a greyscale palette, PRIM serves a much richer display of visuals than if it were rainbow-flavoured. While this does pose the occasional problem with visibility of items and off-screen directions, the modern hotpot feature remains, and pixel hunting isn't such a chore. Why does black and white look so good? When not overused, it draws the eye to areas one might not have noticed before, or maybe it's a personal taste? Either way, PRIM is easily one of the best-looking point and click adventures around, period.
But all looks and no substance doesn't make for the gameplay, and that's backed up with some innovative puzzles, some unique and witty dialogue, and one of the horrible in-game card games that you have to learn in order to progress. Fortunately, Casketball, isn't such a hinderance. Sure, there are the illogical inventory mash-ups, and the odd in-joke as can be expected, but all these elements make for an entertaining experience.
Source: Screen capture
What makes PRIM different isn't just the art, innovative gameplay (such as IKEA-like blueprints, yet so much more intuitive), or even the mythological mash-up of Greek gods and the like, but the voice acting, too. It took about five minutes to enjoy hearing Prim's snarky commentary, Thanatos' cynicism and fan-favourite, Sally Beaumont taking on the role of Fate x3. Even the periperhal characters were all on point, making a very memorable experience. The highlight, from the perspective of the reviewer, was the overall touching story; that even someone as powerful as Death is an absolutely clueless parent, but has the opportunity to grow. It's never too late...?
Jeitaro
PRIM Review Summary
Again, 2024 has been a fantastic year for indie games, more so the point and click adventure. It's somewhat repetitive to keep saying a game is a no-brainer, but in the context of the genre, PRIM is an essential title. Hell, irrespective of the genre, it's a must. Gorgeous art, fantastic sound production and a truly wonderfully written and witty tale that'll appeal to any narrative-driven fan, make PRIM your next purchase.
