Primordia review - robots in the wasteland

At first, Primordia is a very simple story. Horatio is a robot living in a wasteland, and some much bigger and scarier robot just jacked his power core. So, uh, go get it back. I guess?

It's not until later that the game's narrative seam rips open. Then, you'll discover a rich story about the extinction of the human race - and the leftover robots who treat man like a god.

But that's okay - the game is at its best when you're just soaking in the melancholic vibe of this dead world. There's a giant robot, buried up to its massive shoulders in sand. A rotten corpse leaning up against a military dome. Miles upon miles of irradiated wasteland.

The game's graphics may be rendered in a chunky old-school resolution, but they're evocative and stylish, like the cover of a 70s sci-fi novel, or the box art of some space shooter on Amiga.

They are not, however, ideal backdrops for a point and click adventure game. These scenes are ultimately quite muddy and mushy, making it hard to pick out small details.

In most scenes you'll need to scrub your finger over the screen just to see where the interactive objects are - and even then you'll have to squint to reconcile the name of the object and the image on screen.

Also, the sci-fi bent means the game's puzzles are even more abstract than your typical point and click. You're not using a magnet on a string to collect a key, but welding together conduits with electromagnetic putty and a hunk of crystal to fix a navigation computer.

It reminds me of LucasArt's The Dig, which suffered similar issues. First you have to understand the complex systems that govern this alien landscape - and only then can you actually start solving puzzles.

And those conundrums are marred by some tricky interface issues: especially with your robot friend Crispin who whines about not having arms but also seems capable of lifting giant blocks of steel.

And some puzzles that like red herrings. There's one where all signs point to a door being opened either by voice activation or a code but - well, without spoiling anything, let's just say your approach is a bit more direct.

Luckily, other puzzles are better. Things are - on the whole - telegraphed to the player and wrong answers are - in the main - met with helpful feedback to get you on the right track. Plus, in true Wadjet Eye style, there are as many puzzles about interpreting data as there are using one gizmo on another whatsit.

And you won't need to call up a LucasArts hint line for help. Crispin gives clues that nudge you in the right direction, both when you ask him and if you've just been wandering around aimlessly for a few minutes. It's usually enough to stave off the allure of GameFAQs.

Primordia is not Wadjet Eye's best production. The murky backdrops and sci-fi quirks make for unusually tricky puzzles. But I did enjoy the lonely atmosphere of the wasteland - which is only broken up by Horatio and Crispin's comical bickering. As usual, the voice acting is stellar.

Don't make this your first point and click, but if you've enjoyed Wadjet Eye's other games and don't mind some leaps of logic and a little eye strain, you'll find an evocative and enjoyable little adventure game.