Review (pc) Ancestors: the Humankind Odyssey (Evolution according to Désilets)

The video game is a great medium for telling stories of any kind. A good narrative flanked by an excellent gameplay manages to involve those who use it even more than a book or a film. Today we are here to talk to you about the new project of Patrice Désilets, the father of Prince of Persia and Assassin's Creed. As we have already told you in this article, in fact, the French-Canadian game designer left Ubisoft about ten years ago to devote himself to something new.

After the failure of the project 1666 Amsterdam due to the closure of some THQ studios, Patrice does not give up and founds Panache Digital Games, a small studio of about 30 people with whom he begins to work on a title that will not tell a simple story, but the mother of all stories. Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey it is a game where we embark on the long path of the evolution of mankind. An idea as interesting as it is fascinating and, finally, we are ready to check if it is just as fun to play.

The Ancestors Challenge: Will We Sapiens Do Better Than Our Ancestors?

Our adventure begins immediately after giving a name to our progeny, ten million years ago, in the heart of an African jungle. A short story introduces us to the game world: a primate carrying a baby of his kind on his back is about to enjoy his breakfast in peace when he is captured and killed by a bird. Fortunately the little one manages to save himself and playing as him (can it be said for a primate?) We will have to reach the nearest hiding place or settlement to save ourselves from fearsome predators.

This first step is nothing more than a tutorial to learn the essential controls and mechanics by Ancestors. It should be noted that the use of a joypad is highly recommended to play and considering the fact that I have completed my game with the Xbox 360 pad, from now on we will use it as a reference.

The analog sticks, as usual, are used for movement and the camera, while, by holding down the A button, we can sprint and, once released, jump. The interesting aspect to analyze, however, concerns the other inputs: the B button is dedicated to social mechanics, which we will analyze later and, finally, the Y key that sets in motion theintelligence.

Intelligence, senses and vigor (how to survive in Ancestors prehistory)

Pressing this button is vaguely reminiscent the eye of the eagle of the aforementioned Assassin's Creed with the difference that we will not limit ourselves to the view, but will also come into play two other senses to perceive the elements called points of interest in the world around us.

We can move from one sense to the other by pressing the keys Y for sight, B for hearing and X for smell. In this first phase through the view we will have to identify the hiding place in the distance and "remember" it to keep the reference marker on the screen and reach it.

Once this is done, the action shifts in the settlement of the clan of our progeny, initially composed of about six, seven elements, which can be controlled one by one. However, we will not be able to continue before having concluded the tutorial that requires us to reach the puppy at the shelter and retrieve it through a simple minigame in which we will have to reassure him. Once brought back to the settlement we are told that we will have to meet the three basic needs to eat, drink and sleep as well as survive attacks by predators, poisoning and (not rare, especially for novice players) falls from trees or hills.

All these variables that make up the force they are represented by three concentric circles positioned at the bottom, in the central part of the screen. The circle that encloses everything, in red, is thelife expectation. It lessens with stab wounds, broken bones and exhaustion. The middle circle, yellow, is resistance, which decreases by carrying out intense and tiring actions and recharges itself by satisfying the three primary needs. Then there is theenergia, the equivalent of stamina, which, as always, is consumed by performing actions and recharged by remaining stationary.

After the tutorial there are few and sporadic help and information given to us by the game. We are essentially left free to experiment and understand how best to evolve in an immense and threatening world.

Neuronal network and genetic mutations: an atypical (or rather, evolved) skill tree

Any action we take for the first time, whether it is picking a fruit, analyzing it and eating it, running away from a wild animal or reaching a place, will almost always turn into a evolutionary conquest e it will stimulate the development of the neuronal network of our primitive alter-egos. Its development is apparently similar to that of the skill tree of any RPG but in reality it is slightly different. The experiences, repeated over time, will do mature new neurons related to them. When this happens we can go to the bed of our settlement and access the neuronal network to connect them. To do this it is necessary to exploit theneuronal energy accumulated by surviving. But be careful: this is collected only if we carry little ones with us (or if they are present in our group).

The importance of puppies is even more evident in the fact that not all genes manifest themselves in the current generation. Some, always stimulated by certain behaviors, manifest themselves in the next one as spontaneous mutations. For example, if our primate, still herbivorous, feeds on meat, he will not be able to assimilate it. However, in the next generation a genetic mutation could manifest itself which, if developed and connected to the network, will guarantee the evolution of its metabolism.

It doesn't stop there: the connections to the neuronal network are precarious and only survive the next generation if strengthened. Here then it is necessary to switch to the dedicated menu e boost neurons that interest us. In general, we can strengthen as many neurons as there are our babies.

The clan, the movements, the settlements and the emotional torments (it's a game about evolution not poetry)

Procreation and passing on to subsequent generations is a fundamental mechanic for progressing in evolution. Precisely for this we must be skilled in clan member management, tie them together through courtship (grooming) and make them reproduce avoiding as much as possible the death of the members to guarantee us a more numerous offspring. We can manage the various relationships by moving from one member to another and individually provide for the needs of each one. Relating is important since with the evolution of the neuronal network in the field of communication, it will improve and we will be able to perform increasingly complex group actions.

Another evolutionary determinant is travel around the game world. The achievement of a new place marked as a point of interest is in fact an evolutionary achievement. The choice is up to us whether or not to move with the members of the clan, a decision that will have its pros and cons: if on the one hand facing the wild beasts will be easier, since it will be easier to scare them in a group, on the other it will also mean , at least at the beginning, the almost certain death of a part of them.

By moving to a different place we can also found a new settlement. I particularly liked the fact that it is practically possible to do this anywhere on the map. Obviously it is up to us to choose an area where it is easier to find food and water. Speaking of the game world, this is immense and presents a very diverse biome: it starts from a green forest and then moves on to the savannah. Proceeding further there is an arid desert that leads straight up to the coasts.

In and out of the settlements we must also take into account the emotional state of our clan members, represented by the icon at the bottom left. The presence of a predator and its possible attack causes the lowering of the dopamine levels. If these reach zero, the primates go into a state of hysteria and we lose control. Even venturing into uncharted areas as an adult puts our alter-ego into a state of fear of the unknown. We must overcome it by finding as many points of interest familiar to us through the senses, before dopamine is depleted. Once the environment has been rationalized, it is necessary to reach the globe of light for overcome fear.

When we have developed the neuronal network sufficiently and achieved at least one evolutionary breakthrough, it is possible advance through the ages. This is done in a further section of the evolution menu. If we have evolved enough we can evolve our offspring into one new species, smarter and more vigorous. The first evolutionary leap we will make will be that of Sahelanthropus del Ciad, also known as Toumai and then gradually moving on to increasingly evolved species such as theArdipithecus Ramidus and so on…

Evolution also means repetition

After summarizing the main elements of the gameplay, however, it is necessary to underline one thing that you will surely have noticed from these lines: Ancestors is repetitive, damn repetitive. We will find ourselves from generation to generation carrying out the same actions, especially those related to social dynamics (socialization, reproduction, etc ...). This could be a limitation for many unpatient players. Especially considering that timeskip actions such as those of conception are followed by always identical footage that we will not be able to jump. Excellent movies in the making but seen ten, twenty times significantly break the pace of play.

It is also true that repetition is compensated by the achievement of goals. Personally I had to work a lot for gain walking in an upright posture but how much satisfaction once conquered! In short, Ancestors seems to have taken everything from evolution, including the repetitive aspect.

Technically good, but not fully developed yet

Apparently the title is technically valid: the graphic engine is Unreal Engine 4 and the graphic rendering is more than good, especially considering the size of the game world that never has a load. The models of primates e their animations are spectacular, the guys at Panache Digital Games have done a great job from this point of view. Everything runs smoothly at maximum details on medium-high-end PCs.

However, it has yet to evolve (and can do so without problems) from a bug point of view. Sometimes I happened to see interpenetrations, at other times even characters that freeze forcing me to restart the game. Nothing that cannot be solved with some corrective patches. Also considering the fact that I played version 1.0. My wish is that for the console release in December, a market that is anything but permissive, such problems are solved. After all, I want to remember it: that of Patrice Désilets is a small team that thanks to the experience of its members has managed to create a product that more than an indie it resembles a triple A.

The only thing they do not lose: the poor AI of the wild beasts, which is really too "mechanical". They come, attack and are put on the run by the clan or worse torn to shreds if our offspring is evolved enough. Unfortunately, we have to put the knot on this thing (not neuronal).

Two words on the audio sector which is really rich in the variety of sounds and animal noises and in their fidelity. Even primates have a different voice in the various evolutions. The soundtrack is good even if not memorable.

A one-of-a-kind trip (but not for everyone)

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey could easily be traced back to the sandbox genre enriched by a survival component. However, in my opinion, it does not fall into any of the types just mentioned. I would rather define it a new genre which manages to perfectly transpose our evolutionary history into playful terms, both in the amazement of discovery and in the repetitiveness of actions. A human evolution simulator. An interesting, imperfect and one-of-a-kind journey, but not for everyone.