Finding the Perfect Dinosaur Video Game (For Me)
There are plenty of dinosaur video games. From retro games like Turok and Dino Crisis to hugely popular modern ones like Ark: Survival Evolved. There’s also everything in between like the park-building Jurassic World Evolution and the indie RPG life-sim, Paleo Pines. But none of them are quite what I’m looking for in a dinosaur game.
Video games can be a highly immersive and interactive medium. A well-crafted dinosaur game could give a wholly unique look at the lives of these prehistoric creatures. When I think about what I want from a dinosaur game, there are a few main things.
I want a dinosaur game where I have the freedom and creativity to explore and interact directly with dinosaurs, not necessarily in a violent way, but in a way that shines a light on how these amazing animals might have realistically acted. Over the last few years, I’ve played a few games that inspired this train of thought.
First is Pokémon Legends: Arceus. I know, it’s a Pokémon game, but what I loved about this title was that it diverted from the usual gameplay and put the player in the position of an observer. This wasn’t a game about defeating gym leaders in battle, though there certainly was plenty of battling. Progression came in the form of observing, interacting, and documenting the behavior of wild Pokémon.
The other game I think of is another upcoming game called Flock. This small indie title only has a short demo available on Steam (which I recently wrote about here), with the full release hopefully coming later this year, but it also focuses on observational gameplay. In Flock, the strange wild creatures won’t battle for you and they won’t attack you (as far as I know). Instead, they can be convinced to temporarily join your flock. But before you can convince them, you have to observe and identify which species they are and respond appropriately.
So I know what you’re wondering. If this is what you want, then is there a dinosaur game out there that fits what you’re looking for? First of all, thank you for setting me up to perfectly address the topic of the video, and yes. Great Ape Games’ upcoming debut title, The Lost Wild is a first-person survival horror game that places the player directly in a foreign environment full of prehistoric creatures. While it looks to have some serious action, it’s clear from the trailers that the player won’t be fighting off dinosaurs with guns or swords. Instead, the player will need to think quickly and creatively to either run, hide, or intimidate these ferocious beasts.
Since this is Great Ape Games’ debut title, I can understand a lack of confidence. But three things give me hope. First, the gameplay trailers are stunning. Even if the gameplay doesn’t end up being exactly what I want, it will be incredibly cinematic. Second, The Lost Wild is being published by Annapurna Interactive, a well-known indie publisher that has helped bring award-winning games like Stray, Neon White, and Cocoon to the world, not to mention they are also publishing Flock, the game I mentioned earlier. Third and finally, here is a quote from Great Ape Games’ website that is what made me stop and take a second look: “Come face-to-face with dinosaurs that behave like wild animals, not monsters.”
This quote gives me so much hope that these developers are approaching a dinosaur video game in the right way. Here is another quote from the game’s Steam page: “[the dinosaurs] are curious and adaptive by nature, but may retreat when startled or intimidated. Carefully observe their behavior and you may just find a way to overcome them.” This quote is shown alongside a gif of the player lighting a torch and using the fire to ward off a pack of small raptors.
The Lost Wild has little info on a release date at this point. From their website’s FAQ page, the developers say: “...we want to take our time and do things right. Expect a production cycle of between two and three years and a launch somewhere around late 2024/early 2025.” While part of me is selfish and wants to play the game now, I know it will be much better if they take their time, which it seems like they recognize too.
I know this is pinning a lot of hope onto a game that I don’t know much about. But even if The Lost Wild doesn’t do everything I want it to, it still looks great, and I want to support a game that is trying to do something unique.
Let me know what you think in the comments because I’ll be reading them all, and check out my first YouTube video, which is this article in video form. If you want to check out The Lost Wild, here’s a link to the Steam page so you can add it to your wishlist. For now, I’ll be the first to talk about any news about this game, so make sure to subscribe and follow and all that so you don’t miss anything. Thanks for reading!