Destination Primus Vita Review

A unique and wonderful journey into the cosmos with some very likable companions

Category: Review
Written by: Cindy Kyser on April 3, 2019
Developed by: Epsilon Games
Published by: Epsilon Games
Release Date: August 15, 2018
Genre: Narrative Puzzler
Platform: Windows

In late 2017, I was perusing new Kickstarter campaigns for adventure games and Epsilon’s Destination Primus Vita caught my eye. Described as a “narrative puzzle game,” it looked intriguing and I jumped in as a backer.

In August of 2018, the Epsilon Team delivered as promised. At the time, real life was infringing on my gaming habit and I did not have the opportunity to play it. Recently, I circled back through my Steam library and launched Destination Primus Vita.

It is a remarkable game and I’m not sure I’ve played anything quite like it before. The story follows a crew of 6 who are headed towards the planet Primus Vita. The inhabitants of the planet (aka “the Shatters”) invaded Earth and stole most of our planet’s water supply. The current mission to Primus Vita is an attempt to reclaim what is ours and save life on Earth.

The trip is a multi-year voyage and the crew is in cryo-sleep. During the journey, an AI named NIM keeps their minds active with simulations designed to prepare them for their mission. This episode follows the character of Austin, a nuclear physicist, as she sleeps. Her personal journey is one of skills training, introspection, and learning to lead a team.

Austin’s exercises include a series of puzzles related to alien technology. Most are mechanical with pattern-matching and some logic problems. Clues can be discovered close to each puzzle to assist you. There are timed sequences where you follow symbols to find your way through labyrinths or locate and activate switches. There are also several action sequences that require you to press a specific key (W, A, S, or D) as it flashes on the screen. If you fail, the scenario restarts and you must try, try again.

You gather a wealth of information stored as “mementos.” Each contains narrative that adds to the backstory such as details about Earth’s history, fellow crew members, and Primus Vita. Taken together, this body of knowledge provides context for your current situation and the people around you.

The best part of Destination Primus Vita is the characters. The crew consists of six unique and very likeable individuals. Each has a personal tie to Austin and each has unresolved issues with her. Part of Austin’s sleep simulation is explore events from her own history to understand how they have impacted her current relationships. By revisiting the past and discovering truths she might have missed, she reconnects with each crew member in a positive way. The interactions with others are handled through dialog that is well-written and genuine. The voice acting for every character is perfect, as are their facial expressions and mannerisms. It felt as if I were talking to real people and I connected with each emotionally.

The landscape is stunningly surreal and defies gravity. You walk up vertical surfaces to find additional rooms and evolving pathways connect disjointed scenery. It is breathtaking and at times almost dizzying.

I think what makes Destination Primus Vita most compelling is that it is a well-written story with characters that have depth. It is not a backstory to justify a game experience. Instead, the game brings the fiction to life. For those who want to extend their visit to Primus Vita, there are two comic books available on Steam as DLC.

At present, funding is not available for Epsilon to develop the additional Primus Vita episodes, as originally envisioned. It is my hope that this will change in the future. In the meantime, Epsilon’s Anne Gibeault is continuing to work on her Primus Vita novel so we may be able to revisit the planet, albeit in a different format.

Grade A

+ Very interesting story with characters that have depth, personal history, and genuine feelings + Creative landscape is organized in a gravity-defying way that will amaze you at times + Puzzles are not difficult and add interest to the game + Timed sequences are forgiving and allow you to try until you succeed – At times, finding active objects becomes a pixel hunt (this is partially mitigated by a larger cursor that is easy to see when an approaching an item of interest)

Trailer:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 7 or higher 64bit
Processor: Intel Core i3 2.00 GHz or AMD equivalent
Memory: 6 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 450 or higher with 1GB Memory
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 2 GB available space