Stonepunk Studios' Primordian is a graphical showpiece!

Primordian, by Stonepunk Studios, has recently arrived on Steam Early Access for the price of $24.99. While the gameplay proposition might be a bit dubious, the graphical panache taking place in this title is a sight to behold.

Calling this game a graphical Tour-De-Force might be somewhat of an understatement. From the moment the opening cinematic kicks off, you can tell you're in for something really special.

Primordian takes place on a planet with a unique rotation around it's star. Half of the planet is bathed eternally in light, the other half eternally in darkness. Every several thousand years a small moon passes in front of the sun, creating a prolonged eclipse, opening a window in time for dark beings to visit the light.

You play as Grygor, a powerful warrior from the dark side sent on a mission to destroy temples of light to help allow safe passage for the rest of your tribe.

How much the narrative actually plays into the overall production that Stonepunk Studios have delivered is an open question. This is an Early Access game with a little over 2 hours of gameplay available initially.

The story backdrop does a good job of setting the stage for your adventuring on this strange and beautiful planet. Whether or not it ultimately bolsters and supports the amazing visuals remains to be seen. The good news, is they are off to a good start, and hopefully can follow through in the coming months as they continue to flesh out the storyline.

The one thing that doesn't need fleshing out is the graphical thunder that Stonepunk Studios is flaunting with every lush backdrop and intricate detail. The world of Primordian is not unlike Pandora from James Cameron's Avatar. Drop dead gorgeous, but also extremely deadly and dangerous.

Walking along this jungle, I couldn't help but think about Avatar, and even the beginning of Halo 3. The enemies and creatures that you encounter, are also reminiscent of Predator in certain ways. It's a hodge-podge of influences, but it all comes together quite well.

In fact, it's almost surprising that this game isn't based off some type of sci-fi blockbuster property, because it has that feel about it. If Stonepunk Studios can continue to add additional content to this game, and continue to polish it, who know's what could be in store for this franchise.

The sound design compliments the graphics very well. I don't believe much of any positional audio is being used, but despite this, the game has a blockbuster movie score type feel. Sound effects are clean and crisp. Sometimes even startling. That's the thing about this game. It's very in your face. Very visceral. New VR players could be slightly overwhelmed by an experience like this.

So, there must be at least one fly in the ointment, right? Well, unfortunately yes. The melee combat is exciting, but also extremely repetitive and uninteresting. Your first few encounters could give you an adrenaline rush that you've rarely experienced in a video game before. But by your tenth encounter, much of that washes away. Enemies attack in the same basic patters, and you can dispatch them with a few well timed slashes of your mighty blades.

I'm still extremely early in my time with this game, and I'm not sure I've seen everything this Early Access version has to offer. Different enemy types and ranged weapons could do a lot to help provide variety. I'll definitely continue to bang away at this title, and leave a full review of what's currently on offer.

Stay tuned!