Ever since I first played Oregon Trail and killed off my settlers with dysentery I’ve been fascinated with edutainment titles. Those are games that you play both for enjoyment and learning. The kind of game that you can play both at home and at school. And Prehistory looks to be quite an interesting member of this genre as it blends both teaching about early humans with a survival backdrop.
Prehistory takes place in the Upper Paleolithic era (look it up) as you take on the role of a hunter-gatherer striving to survive in the unforgiving landscape. And beyond just hunting animals and foraging for food you’ll be tasked with socializing, making contact with other tribes and forming bonds between them. This is as much a historical sim based on our knowledge of ancient man as it is a fun survival action game. You get the best of both worlds.
The best part about Prehistory is in the way that you learn about the past. As you explore the land, build new tools, and just advance the story you’ll see notifications pop up periodically on your screen prompting interesting historical tidbits to teach you about the world during that time period. In addition to these little pieces of information you’ll also be treated to external links that you can check out after you stop playing.
I’ve been fascinated with the ancient world for as long as I can remember, especially in how humanity has evolved and shaped the land we call home, so to be able to play as one of our evolutionary ancestors is quite up my alley. And you can play as a neanderthal, homo sapiens, and even homo erectus (snicker) as well as choose between four “classes”: hunter-gatherer, shaman, healer, and artisan. All of which sound like a great way to spend Prehistory. I look forward to seeing where they take us in the future.
Track the progress of the Prehistory Kickstarter in our Campaign Calendar.
