Primordia Chapter 3: Into the Heart of the Mountain

The anticipated Primordia finale is here, and the HOLOworld has reached its final form.

What began as a peaceful expedition first took a sharp turn into underground bunkers and crocodilian politics with highly questionable survival odds, before charging full speed towards the finale. And by full speed, we do mean full speed.

Chapter 3 grabs you by the shoulders, points you towards a peaceful prehistoric plain, and whispers:

Run.

The Plains of False Serenity

If it feels suspiciously calm, you have good instincts.

Beyond the swamp, the bunker, and ominous signs that the research team may have chosen the wrong destination, the world opens into a system of plains, connected by giant caverns and towering rock formations. The landscape feels ancient, even by Primordian standards. Whether these were formed by volcanic activity, erosion, or some forgotten prehistoric (crocodilian or donkeyian) deity trying to grab a snack from the heavens remains unconfirmed.

What is known is that it’s beautiful.

When you emerge onto a giant open plain, you are surrounded by peaceful dinosaurs going about their prehistoric business. They graze. They wander. They mind their own business.

You may even think for yourself, Ah, finally. We’ve made it to the dino petting zoo, the relaxing part.

Panic! at the Plains

Without warning, danger stomps in:

A hangry T-Rex bursts into the plain like someone just told him the buffet closes in five minutes. The previously calm dinosaurs scatter, and within seconds, the entire valley erupts into a stampede.

As the ground trembles, dust fills the air and tails whip past your head. Run with the herd and make for the cavern entrance before something stomps or samples you.

Your safe haven, the cave tunnel, is home to strange blue lizards that cling to the walls like tiny neon cave decorations. Hmm, and there is a strange machine, resembling a charging station. Might come in handy later.

The space is thick with heat and smoke. Small vents in the ground spit bursts of steam and fire. As the air grows heavier, it becomes increasingly clear that this is no ordinary mountain you’ve stumbled across. It’s a volcano.

One of the unfortunate blue lizards decides to investigate a vent a little too close. We now have something that the Primordia scientists have officially classified as a Seared Lizard Snack.

Unfortunately, it smells delicious.

Even more unfortunately, it has launched straight onto your HOLOship.

You are now carrying bait.

And the T-Rex can smell it.

The Heart of the Mountain

The final stretch of Primordia throws you into a desperate escape through volcanic tunnels and caverns, deep beneath the mountain itself. Lava spills in glowing rivers and lava…falls? Rocks crash from the ceiling (like something really big and angry is trying to crush you with the boulders).

Your objective is simple in theory and difficult in practice:

Reach the Heart of the Mountain.

On the plus side, when has cardio felt this motivated?

DinoScan: Scientific, yet Dangerous Minigame

As if surviving a volcanic T-Rex pursuit wasn’t enough, Chapter 3 also introduces the Primordia minigame!

No expedition is complete until someone in the research department says, “You know what would improve this life-threatening situation? Fieldwork.”

Somewhere in the danger zone lies a floppy disc. If you can figure out where it belongs and activate the system, you will be given a scanner.

Once the scanner runs out of juice, you’ll need to find one of several charging stations scattered across Primordia before continuing your very important scientific missions.

Collect enough data, bring your findings back, and earn a special reward.

Important notice: This is a time-consuming mission that might take multiple workout sessions to complete. Your progress is automatically saved between workouts, so you don’t need to finish the entire mission in one workout session.

Breaking Beak Sky News

Our airborne correspondent Flint Soarson has submitted his final report from above Primordia. Eyewitness accounts suggest he spent most of the chapter flying in circles and yelling things like “MOVE, OR BECOME LUNCH!” and “THAT IS FAR TOO MUCH LAVA FOR A FITNESS APP!”

We are pleased to report that he survived.

Emotionally, the situation remains unclear.

Your Turn

If you’ve made it this far, congratulations. You’ve survived Primordia’s final chapter, escaped becoming dinosaur dinner, and possibly contributed valuable scientific knowledge to the field of Extremely Cardio-Based Paleontology.

And if you’ve enjoyed your trip through Primordia, don’t forget to leave us a review on the Meta Store. It helps us a lot, and it lets the wider world know that yes, working out while being hunted through a volcano by dinosaurs is, in fact, a good time.