For many, the most recent entry into the Jurassic Park saga, Jurassic World: Rebirth, was a disappointment. Of course, it is hard to deny that director Gareth Edwards has an eye for gorgeous vistas and impressive special effects – The Creator remains, to this day, one of my all-time favorite films. However, the film’s video game-esque narrative, contrived plot points, and lack of impressive dinosaurs left it feeling more than a tad uninspired.
Still, it is enough, I suspect, for most of us to go out and find the next best thing. I found myself desperately searching for the best dinosaur-based video game to get into the action and walk among our giant, terrifying, and beautiful Jurassic friends. Fortunately, for those craving the good old days of Jurassic Park, you’re in luck. The next project being released as part of the Jurassic Park saga is around the corner, and it looks like the ideal homage to the original film.
Jurassic Park: Survival Takes Place One Day After The First Movie
It Is Aiming To Be A Faithful Sequel
Jurassic Park: Survival is an upcoming first-person single-player narrative-driven game set just one day after the events of the first film. That is a lot of words to say that this is the first Jurassic Park in a very long time to put players not only in the shoes of someone desperately trying to survive against dinosaurs on Isla Nublar, but also to return them to the events of the first movie. While the many amazing Jurassic World games did a good job of replicating the feeling of running your own park, Survival is all about running away from it.
In a behind-the-scenes featurette uploaded to the official Jurassic Park Survival YouTube channel, several executives from both developer Saber Interactive – they are, rather famously, the folks behind the incredible Space Marine 2 – and Universal discuss how excited they are to be bringing this world to life. This is, surprisingly, the first bit of news we’ve had about Jurassic Park: Survival in quite some time.
Jurassic Park: Survival’s amazing reveal happened all the way back in 2023 during The Game Awards, and since then, we’ve had a handful of updates, but little else. This featurette not only offered a pretty spectacular deep-dive into the game and its placement in the Jurassic Park timeline, but it is also the perfect reassurance for fans who’ve become disillusioned with the franchise throughout the World era, and especially with the recent Rebirth.
Devs Paid Special Attention To The Original Jurassic Park
They Are Passionate About It
One of the key talking points of the featurette is just how faithful to the original film Saber Interactive is being with Jurassic Park: Survival. John Melchior, an Executive Producer at Universal Products & Experiences, explained that they looked “at every possible resource from archives, from the film, from production stills, production blueprints to make sure every prop is in the same place” as it appeared in the original film.
Considering Survival is set just one day after the events of Jurassic Park, every detail had to be perfectly replicated, even in the brand-new Isla Nublar locations that have been made for the game. However, of course, where the developers have deviated, they’ve done so in close collaboration with the various people at Universal and Amblin Entertainment. Leah Slater, the Senior Director at Universal Products & Experiences, further explained that they “took an up-close look at some of the props from the film” to get a good idea of what to include in Survival.
All of this is to say that those who found Rebirth deviated too much from the original and arguably more grounded dinosaurs from the original film can rest easy knowing that Survival is a far more faithful experience. It even sounds like they’re attempting to replicate some of the scares from Jurassic Park, not unlike how the recent first-person Indiana Jones game brought to life sequences from the movies to help immerse fans.
If You Think Rebirth Lost Its Way, Jurassic Park: Survival Is The Answer
It Is A Return To Form
Despite being written by David Koepp, who wrote the original Jurassic Park film, Rebirth lacked a lot of the whimsy, magic, horror, and passion of that first film. It was a shame, especially as there was plenty of potential for a more impressive and impactful reboot after the disastrous Jurassic World series. Of course, it wasn’t all bad. I certainly enjoyed some of it. However, the predictability of it, as well as a greater focus on original dinosaurs, rather than those fans fell in love with in the first place, made it a difficult watch for some.
If you’re nostalgic for the originals, value the importance of classic dinosaurs, or just want to revisit the golden era of dinosaur films, then Jurassic Park: Survival seems purpose-built for you. Throughout the entire featurette, the various interviewees constantly talk about how Survival has been made for the fans, for those who love the original film as much as they do. Slater even explains how it was “extremely important” to get the dinosaurs right as “they are the star of this franchise.“
Of course, even if you enjoyed Rebirth, Jurassic Park: Survival will still offer you plenty of brilliant dinosaur fun to immerse yourself in. It is exciting that we’re finally getting a first-person Jurassic Park game utilizing modern technology to be as immersive and terrifying as possible. I, for one, am excited to see how it all pans out and if Survival will truly be the savior of the Jurassic Park franchise, as, sadly, it is in dire need of a good entry.
Jurassic Park: Survival
Systems
- Developer(s)
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Saber Interactive
- Publisher(s)
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Saber Interactive
- Number of Players
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Single Player
