Sand dunes crowned with wind ravaged ruins and broken machinery. Oxidized iron paints both sky and earth. A mantle of misty gray clouds for a pale moon, lamenting the decay below. Rust and Ruin . This is the world of Primordia and the main reason I absolutely loved it. Don't get me wrong, the game has much more to offer, but its atmosphere, artwork and worldbuilding really struck a cord with me. If you enjoy 2D point'n'click adventure games and like what you read above, I suggest buying the game without a second thought. Barren field under thunderclouds. Only the flickering lights of a crashed ship seemingly break this bleak monotony. This is the UNNIIC, home to the machines Horatio Nullbuilt and Crispin Horatiobuilt, with the last name of the robots being the name of their creator (Nullbuilt eh? Hmmm.) Living in this wasteland is defined by their tasks, Horatio is hell-bent on repairing the ship, wishing for it to soar into the rusty skies again and Crispin is tasked with helping his builder (if only he had hands..) and comically relieving the burdens of their solitude. Unbeknownst to them, their undisturbed existence is coming to an end -by a rather disturbing visitor. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3243880881 Like greased lightning. This visitor approaches the ship with nefarious intent: he is here to do some plundering, as he steals the ship's power core and vanishes after, leaving its inhabitors stranded and desperate for energy. Not only is the ship completely inoperable now but our protagonists face impending death. The ship's energy was also their life force and with no place to recharge, they have to replace that power core... fast. The only feasible way to do this is to either comb the sandy dunes for one - "We ain't found shit!" - or try their luck in Metropol, a far away mysterious city of "glass and light", the radio broadcasts of which beckons all weary wanderers to come join, promising energy sharing and safety. Crispin is downright enthusiastic at the prospect of visiting the city, while Horatio remains highly sceptical of it. Horatio is characterized by his stoic nature and stern demeanour while Crispin is joyous and bright-eyed, making light-hearted remarks (and caustic ones, usually when he is pulling his creator's leg) every chance he gets. "All this for a b'sodding power core." Soon after the duo's attempts to find an alternative power source for the ship fall short, they are forced to focus on retrieving the stolen power core. As if by fate, the thief's trail points to the ever inviting city that Horatio wishes to stay clear of. After some trials and tribulations for the characters (i.e. fun puzzles for us to solve), the way to the city is clear and a train bound for the city is welcoming them on... Lo and behold, Metropol! https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3246413278 Upon arriving, they find out that things are not as advertised. Apparently, the city's glory days have long since passed, with the decrepit Metropol now observed by the two companions under the prism of stained, broken glass and illuminated only at its very core: the city's robotic inhabitants gather at its center, as the high cost for mantaining the rest of the city's sectors was taxing the depleting energy sources. Soon, Horatio and Crispin find themselves entangled in the schemes of Metropol's authority figure, MetroMind, with the retrieval of UNNIIC's power core becoming a dangerous challenge -one that might cost our heroes their freedom... or lives. ------------------- Up until here, my goal was to present Primordia's setting and entice you into giving the game a try. Continuing, there are HEAVY SPOILERS concerning the plot, as I delve deeper into Primordia's story. If you wish to play the game, I encourage you to do so and return here afterwards as I attempt to explore the game's themes and meaning (if you are interested into reading the transcripts of my delirious ramblings, that is). ------------------------ https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3247921458 It's evolution, baby! In the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Primordia, there are no traces of humans anywhere. So where are we? In hiding? Gone extinct? To the moon ? As the story progresses we learn of the last four human cities on the planet as well as their fate. If you still haven't read Fallen, I highly suggest you do. As described by Mark Yohalem, Primordia's brilliant story writer and also creator of Fallen, it's "a sequel/spin-off illustrated novella/animated audio book" and apart from being an interesting read, it really helps to understand more about Primordia's world while also expanding on its already rich lore. We're all in this together. Most robots in Primordia, especially our protagonists, are not mere automatons but conscious creatures, operating with reason and expressing feelings, having hopes and dreams and perhaps the most important: goals. Even those who are seemingly confined within a restricted pattern of behaviour, dictated by inevitable 1's and 0's, appear to recognise their limitations and work around them. Such an example is the particularly interesting Arbiter. Perhaps Clarity and Charity were designed and built to guide him on delivering justice imbued with hard logic and reasonable compassion. Perhaps they were simply acting as an echo chamber, merely existing to confirm the impeccable, predetermined outcome of his judicial decisions. Either way, we witness Charity's choices, one of them being her own tragic ending. We see Clarity's realization of the importance of empathy as she joins Horatio in rebuilding the ship, despite her rigid programming to reject sympathy and make emotional decisions altogether. Finally, we can guess that Arbiter's decision to stand down in his power struggle with MetroMind, wasn't really because he saw the futility of fighting as MetroMind claims, but rather because he saw that his conceding would serve the greater good. And why could this be important? Well. "Each robot must stand alone! Independence is freedom!" Gamma proclaims, as you attempt to force him into joining his two counterparts and ultimately piece back together Goliath's fragmented consiousness. At this early stage of the game, this statement must have resonated deeply with Horatio, who appears to be driven by the same philosophy in life -the attempt to restore his ship is a solitary endeavour, he built Crispin to help and that's it, we see that Horatio subscribes to individualism. Memorious also mentions that Arbiter prioritized individual autonomy while his opponent, Metromind is serving the common good. Her goal isn't just to "keep the train running" but also progress and evolve, whatever the cost may be . The problem with Metromind's behaviour stems from her very base of morality -or rather, the lack of it. For her, the end justifies the means. For this reason the soulless utilization of Metromind's vision of what progress is wouldn't work for the greater benefit of robots. Individualism wouldn't work either because Horatio could never rebuild the ship alone, as mentioned multiple times throughout the game. So, after realising this... Where do we go from here? Among Primordia's many endings, one stands out as the best (also the only one that's not depressing). In this, we witness various entities coming together, Crispin and Clarity, the Surly Company and various other robotic citizens of Metropol who joined Horatio in rebuilding his ship (now their ship as well), choosing to progress in unity, without the loss of self. Clarity states that "The Horus will rise -- on more than the strength of its power core". Empathy, understanding and a common cause. Perhaps it's really that simple. After all, why shouldn't it be?
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