Like a Wild Animal

Primitive Era: 10000 BC is a strategy game that tries to tackle the Clash of Clans formula differently. This is developer 37 Games’ first and only title, so little is known about them. In Primitive Era: 10000 BC, the inexperience shows, but the in-game support shows they believe in their first title. Players will notice that the game needs some polish, but a few updates could lead it in the right direction.

In Primitive Era: 10000 BC, you are the chief of your tribe. You build your village from the ground up to gather resources, recruit allies and protect your village from invaders. The game has very little in the way of a story, but games like this typically do not have one. Players will start with a lone villager acting as the in-game tutorial. Players learn how to build a chief’s hut, living huts and a farm to get started. From there, the game slowly evolves into recruiting heroes, building an army and joining a clan for support.

Glory to the Village

Recruiting heroes and building an army helps to deal with the barbarian threat that looms over the village as you expand or explore. Your army will also be busy gathering food for the village within the world. Lastly, your army will also act as the PvP aspect of the game, as players can attack other player villages. With so much to do, your army will constantly be moving, all while you continue to grow and expand your village.

The game has plenty to do, and your only enemy will be time since you must wait for your buildings to build and your army to mobilize. Sadly, the lengthy tutorial was one aspect I did not enjoy at the start. Primitive Era: 10000 BC adopts plenty from games like Clash of Clans or Total War Battles: Kingdom. So, players familiar with the genre will not enjoy how much the game holds your hand at the start. After trying not to skip everything, the game’s tutorial took me over an hour to complete.

Along with this, the game does feel bloated. Your village screen will always be cluttered with notifications for season passes, available purchases and tasks to complete. This can discourage casual players looking for a less nuanced experience. Another casual player turn-off is being forced to join a clan to progress. Some players might be looking for a single-player experience, but the game does not offer that.

Caveman Art

One thing I enjoyed was the graphics and art style of the game. It feels much more realistic than the cartoony visuals many developers want to adopt today. It all starts to blend together, but when games like Primitive Era: 10000 BC try something different, it stands out from the rest. Another aspect we need to mention is monetization. Primitive Era: 10000 BC is free-to-play friendly, and players will get what they need in the tutorial. Players can purchase scrolls to recruit better heroes, rubies as the primary in-game currency and resources for their village. All this can be earned with time and patience.

If you want a more casual experience, I cannot recommend Primitive Era: 10000 BC. The long tutorial will turn many off, and having to join a clan to progress will make most players uninstall. As a former Clash of Clans player, this game feels all too familiar. However, Primitive Era: 10000 BC tries to separate itself from the rest with recruitable heroes and many tasks to complete. It is worth a try for fans of the genre.