Prehistoric Dude from lightUP and Ratalaika Games is a 2D Platformer in which you are following a prehistoric caveman in his quest to recover his stolen lunch. Learn more in our Prehistoric Dude review!

Prehistoric Dude is a mini Metroidvania game during the stone age which tells the story of Dude, a friendly caveman who loves ham! Explore 3 different scenarios while looking for Dude’s delicious lunch! Face enemies, master obstacles, learn new skills and make Dude even stronger!

 

As the game starts, we are introduced to the main character in a short cut-scene in which “Dude” (that’s really the caveman’s name) gets his delicious ham stolen by a dinosaur. Not thinking twice about the risk of getting it back from a large and deadly dinosaur, he goes on an adventure to recover his lunch.

Dude’s adventure spans over different areas that each contains monsters, light platforming sequences, treasures, and special items. Some areas are inaccessible until you find the right item for the job, which makes this one a Metroidvania type of game. For example, at first, you only have two areas you can visit, but once you find a pair of climbing gloves, you will be able to grab to ledges, which will, in turn, allow you to reach higher platforms, thus opening up the game a little bit.

Since it’s a Metroidvania, that means you might run into spots where you can’t progress further until you backtrack and use your latest ability to find a new one that will open up new paths. As I explored each new screen, it felt as if the controls were not as tight as I’d have liked, and I’m certain that some times Dude died because of said lack of precision. The game starts a little on the more difficult side of things since you have only two heart containers, but once you explore for 20 minutes or so, and obtain new power-ups, things start to become a bit easier.

The game is a Metroidvania, so I was expecting some nice variety in the design for each area I visited, but the game relies a bit too much on the aforementioned ledge grabbing. As for the enemies, they are pretty generic and are what you’d expect from a game with prehistoric in its name, so it includes snakes, snails, spiders, and so on. I did like how each of the bosses required a very different strategy to defeat them, which was a nice touch.

The presentation of Prehistoric Dude feels like an early 16-bits game. The landscapes are more varied when we change between the major zones, but in each particular zone, areas feel a bit repetitive. The background soundtrack offers only a few shots on a loop, which is why some of them felt annoying by the time I was done with the game. As for the trophies, they are awarded for progressing through the campaign and collecting the items that grant you new skills, as well as for defeating the first couple of bosses in Prehistoric Dude. If you’re reading this solely to learn how long it should take you to add a new Platinum to your collection, it shouldn’t require more than an hour of your time – unless you die too many times and need to collect more fruit for the trophy that asks that you open up a door by spending 100 pieces of fruit.

 

Should you buy this game? Honestly, I thought that Prehistoric Dude was a bit of bland experience. The Metroidvania part works, but, in general, the game felt a bit off. The soundtrack was very repetitive, and the enemies were on the generic side of the spectrum. But if you’re looking for a new Platinum trophy for your collection that you can unlock in an hour or less, and have $4.99 to spend, then Prehistoric Dude certainly ticks those boxes.

To help trophy hunters out there, here’s a helpful trophy guide for your convenience:

Disclaimer
This Prehistoric Dude review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy provided by Ratalaika Games.