Choose Your Fighter: Sauron (Primal Rage #1)

Basics

Name: Sauron
Deity of: Hunger, Thirst, Eternity, Water
Length: 27 feet
Height: 20 feet
Weight: 2.5 tons
Home: The Cove

Biography

Sauron is considered one of the Virtuous Gods; aka, he’s a good guy. When the first Deities rose for the first time, many were drawn to Sauron as their leader because of his ferocity and power, but also understanding. Sauron could be considered the “protagonist” of the game. He’s on a large amount of the merchandising, and he’s definitely the first thing I think of when I think Primal Rage. Sauron is an interesting story; at first you just aren’t quite sure his motives. We know he’s a good guy… but why? From the limited research I looked at, it seems like he was just driven to dominate this new world, for himself and his followers.

Arcade Ending

This is where we learn Sauron’s true intentions, however. While he might be a leader to his followers, he also terrified them. Why? Well, Sauron just can’t seem to kick his hunger for human flesh. He is the God of hunger, after all. This is where we come to Sauron’s catch 22, however. If he eats all his followers, who will follow him? He can’t be a deity and just not have a following. Thus, his motivations are born. He defeats the other deities so that he could eat their followers! Kind of brutal for someone who is considered a “Virtuous God”, no?

It’s pretty nonsensical; I get that compared to his counterpart he would be more “virtuous”, and that these alliances really have no impact on the game, but maybe they could have referred to him as a neutral character. He’s not inherently bad; if he has to eat human followers in order to stay alive, what is he supposed to do otherwise? I hope that the comic books can provide us some, if any clarity on if these characters have any allegiances. If they do, I will likely edit this section to include that information.

Moveset

Sauron has some interesting moves at his disposal (none of which I could ever do in-game, I should mention). His base attacks consist of bites and whips of his tail. His Primal Scream and Cranium Crusher are anti-air moves; Cranium Crusher, if missed, will leave you vulnerable, and Primal Scream makes him invulnerable to projectiles. Then there is Earthquake Stomp, which shoots the opponent in the air leaving him open to further combinations/damage. Leaping Bone Bash is an attack that covers some good space on the map and, like the name of the move eludes, Sauron leaps on the opponent, biting them. Sauron’s projectile move is Stun Roar. It’s a fireball-like move, but colored differently to look like a sonar. Lastly are the throw moves Sauron has. He first has an Air Throw, which is done, you guessed it, in the air. Sauron also has Neck Throw, grabbing the opponent with his giant teeth and throwing him across the map.

As I mentioned, Primal Rage does include fatalities. Sauron has some pretty basic ones compared to some of the other deities. He has Carnage, a move where he just picks up his opponent and shakes him violently, blood spewing in the process. There’s then Flesh Eating, where Sauron begins to dine on his fallen opponent. The last move he has is Grape Crusher. This move was only included in some of the latest editions released (Version 2.3 according to the Primal Rage Fandom page, which is linked below), and is a bit more creative than the others. In this one, Sauron starts with an Earthquake Stomp-like move, only to squish his opponent completely.

Design

Given this is a game about fighting monsters, there’s definitely a lot to like about the design of Sauron, but also a lot left on the table. It’s awesome to play as a T-Rex who can shoot supersonic blasts from his mouth. Plus, I actually do really like Sauron’s colors. He has a largely yellow body with a streak of purple going up his spine and onto his head. His alternate is a blue which, to be honest, I liked even more as a kid. Sauron’s tribe colors are purple or lilac, as defined by his distinct pigmentation.

I am not sure how much better you can do for a T-Rex character in a fighting game, but I might have liked to have seen maybe a bit more added in. For example, Armadon is kind of a mix of a few defensive dinosaurs. Vertigo is a sick dinosaur/snake hybrid. Why not have some spikes or scales coming out of Sauron? It feels like he’s missing a little bit of an it-factor, especially with Diablo as his palette swap alternative. I think there is a serious case to be made for Diablo being the “cooler” design of the two. I’m not sure how much I agree… like I said, Sauron has always held a soft spot.

I think what hurts a bit too is that the supersonic attack he has is just kind of… random? Where did that feature come from? Why can’t he shoot fire too, you know? I know I’m asking for a lot in terms of backstory for a fighting game, but I don’t know. He’s lacking a little something extra.

Conclusion

Like I mentioned before. Sauron is probably the most famous character in the series and is the first monster that comes to mind when discussing this game. His character design is a bit basic, given he’s just a Tyrannosaurus rex with a color swap, but he has a fun move set and backstory. I think that Sauron along with Blizzard will always remain the “face” of this long-forgotten franchise. I just think in terms of character development, and his character’s actions, he has room for improvement. Like I said, I think he shows poorly on him that his arch rival/palette swap is considered the better of the two. Personally? I don’t think that. But if I’m in the minority, there has to be a reason.

Thanks for reading. Below you will find a few things: a Playthrough his arcade, his fatalities (as discussed above), as well as some of my favorite artwork I could find. Along with that is a link of references that I used/would recommend. Thanks again, and come back soon! Blizzard will be next!

Arcade Playthrough