A Guide to Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey

Panache Digital Games developed Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey as a survival game set in prehistoric Africa. Introduced in 2019, it is a single-player game that is viewed from a third-person perspective. 

Unlike most of the popular games, Ancestors allows players to interact extensively with the environment. The top feature of this game is that the players are pushed to use their instincts to survive, rather than following a prearranged narrative. 

Since the players are not provided with a map, they get to construct their own experiences. Being a Patrice Désilets brainchild, Ancestor retains originality and can be easily set apart from its competitors.

The game does not come with a lot of instructions. The introductory text makes that quite clear; it reads, ‘We won’t help you much’. 

This mystery is what the players keep coming back for, and it explains why the game has bagged as many awards as it did. 

The Storyline of the Game

Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is unlike any other city games you have played so far; it is set about 10 million years ago. The central theme is nothing but the evolution of apes to man, and this is exactly what the game has attempted to recreate. 

It has brought on screen all the possible struggles and achievements our ancestors could have ordained to finally evolve into humankind. Every player is granted a member of a primate clan in the beginning. 

All you have to do is to make sure that his primate survives throughout the game. But this is not as simple as it sounds. The character has to be fed, hydrated, and rested sufficiently in order to stay in the pink. 

It is equally imperative to defend the primate from wild predators. If your character dies during the game, another member of the clan will be assigned to you. Your goal is to ensure the survival of the clan such that it can evolve into a new species. 

How to Play

As soon as the game begins, you will find yourself in an African jungle surrounded by all the dangers of the wild. The players have the option to climb trees to safeguard themselves from hyenas and buffalos. 

Nevertheless, if your character is outrun by the predators or falls from a tree, he will sustain injuries. The game endows you with quite a realistic experience by imbibing a sense of fear in your character. 

While escaping from a predator or exploring new locations, the primate will go into a state of fear. The only remedy to cure this fear is to collect glowing globes that you might find around, failing which, your character may slip into a state of hysteria.

The stand-alone nature of the character makes Ancestors an adventurous ride. Throughout the journey, you are encouraged to make discoveries that could range from new food to new tools.

With each discovery, your character attains further intelligence, thereby unlocking new skills. 

How to Survive

There are only a couple of things you have to keep in mind in order to protect the primate clan from going extinct.  While learning to survive will take some practice, as long as you can navigate fear and avoid the predators, you will be fine.  

Moreover, with time, the clan will evolve and grow more in number.  By this stage, a player is given the liberty to choose his character, be it an adult, a child, a male, or a female. 

Yet another advantage is that of the performance of social tasks. You can call upon other members of your clan to explore or hunt as a group.

Where to Download

You can get the game on your Android or iOS by visiting their app stores.

Conclusion

The basic instinct of survival is all that a player requires while playing Ancestors. Although this may seem frustrating and time-consuming in the beginning, it will become a force of habit once you are a few hours into the game. 

This video gaming company decided to go beyond when it came to realistic graphics in gameplay with prehistoric African jungles. That is why the game remains popular today despite hundreds of games coming out yearly.