The Mammoth: A Cave Painting

Even if mammoths were huge animals with tremendous power and strength, it is known that humans hunted them down almost to extinction. The invention of weapons was enough for people to gain the upper hand on beasts, which is why we have managed to remain on top of the food chain ever since. However, maybe the mammoth’s story is sadder that we can imagine.

The Mammoth: A Cave Painting is an exercise in original game design, because it is one of a kind when it comes to gameplay mechanics and the idea itself. In essence, the game is designed to look like a prehistoric painting on the wall of a cave, which is why everything is smudged and crude. On the other hand, the emotions it conveys are powerful enough to break through from behind the simple drawings.

The story revolves around a mammoth mother that goes away from the herd for a few minutes in order to search for her children. Naturally, the entire herd is gone by the time she makes it back, which means that she is alone and unprotected. Hunters make an appearance soon after, and it is your responsibility to protect your children from the vicious attacks of the prehistoric man.

As it turns it, it may be impossible to protect the little ones, so they are all going to die sooner or later. However, the game does not end there, because you are allowed to continue even after the mammoth “stops being a mother”. You can choose to take revenge on the hunters and destroy their homes, but it would appear that the choice you make does not really matter in the end.

Visually, the artwork appears to be crude and primitive, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t help a great deal with the atmosphere. The game is designed to toy with your emotions, but the visual quality contributes to the mood a lot as well. Granted, this won’t be the prettiest game you’ve ever played, but it probably wouldn’t have worked this well if it looked any other way.

The Mammoth: A Cave Painting is art in its purest form, and despite the fact that it is very short, the game still manages to get an emotional reaction out of you. Thus, you must certainly give it a try, if only to see what it takes to survive as a lone mammoth mother surrounded by hungry predators.