The point & click adventure game from developer Common Colors and publisher Application Systems, in which you have to outwit death, was released on October 24, 2024. I'll tell you more about the game in my review.
Story and plot:
PRIM begins with Death and his companion exchanging their last words in a moment of farewell. When Prim's mother realizes that her time has come, she asks the Grim Reaper to take charge of her daughter, a task he reluctantly accepts, as the realm of the dead is a place full of dangers. But despite his inexperience as a father, he decides to keep his promise. Shortly after the story is introduced, we meet Prim, a young girl with a rebellious spirit who is still mourning the loss of her mother. Together with her best friend, she decides to explore the basement of her deceased mother's house to find an object that holds a memory or perhaps a hidden secret. When Prim accidentally opens a portal to the underworld, her father, Death himself, appears. He decides to accept his responsibility and takes Prim with him to the realm of the dead. But Prim is not thrilled with this new reality and clashes with her father, whereupon Prim vows to escape. From there, the story unfolds, with Prim facing the challenge of adapting to the new environment of the underworld, building relationships with the strange and dark creatures of this world, while trying to find some sort of familial connection with her father.
Relevant issues for everyone
PRIM's narrative is characterized by the careful development of the characters and the way it deals with deep themes in a dark setting with a touch of humour. One of the game's great assets is that it deals with themes that are relevant to the player, such as grief, adapting to unfamiliar environments and building family relationships. Although the action takes place in the world of the dead, these themes are given considerable emotional weight, allowing the characters to grow and develop over the course of the campaign. The rebellious Prim, for example, begins the story with a stubborn spirit who resists change and is reluctant to listen to other people's advice. As the story progresses, however, she becomes more open-minded and strengthens her relationships with the creatures and characters around her. In this way, the game illustrates the concept of adaptation by showing how the underworld, which is initially hostile to the protagonist, gradually becomes a place where she can build new bonds and even a home. Another highlight is the alternation between the characters' perspectives.Perspective from other characters
Although much of the story is told from Prim's point of view, the game allows players to take on the role of other characters, such as her best friend who believes Prim has disappeared. This variety enriches the narrative by providing different perspectives on events and highlighting each character's emotional development, whether for better or worse. Still, PRIM has weaknesses in the way the dialog system is used. In several interactions, the game offers choices that in practice have no significant impact on the course of the conversations and always lead to the same outcome. This aspect could be better explored so that the dialog options really create variation in the interactions and make the player think about their responses. Despite this negative point, the story remains engaging, with a dark and thought-provoking atmosphere enhanced by interactive objects scattered throughout the environments that provide additional context and help to expand the game world.
