Jurassic World Evolution – Review

Name: Jurassic World Evolution
Developer: Frontier Developments
Publisher: Universal Studios / Frontier Developments
Released: 12.06.2018
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Reviewed on: PlayStation 4
Acquired: A self bought copy of this game              

Many people will remember the old Jurassic Park game for PlayStation 2 and other platforms; Jurassic Park Genesis. And it should be said that very much is quite as similar here in Evolution as well. It’s not a bad thing, especially considering that it’s the veterans behind Rollercoaster and Planet Coaster who are behind this project, and they know very well to create a good “park simulator” game.

Story

Is there one thing humanity hasn’t learned even after five movies and a small pile of games, it’s just tampering with nature, especially with DNA tampering and the creation of dinosaurs. But what if there were actually someone who could make Disneyland put his tail between his legs? For who hadn’t visited a park of living extinct animals?

It’s not exactly a linear story we follow here in Evolution, the story is told of how you manage the park. But you can look at the tutorial in the game as a small story. It must also be said that it is a little funny that Jeff Goldblum himself has the voice of Dr.Ian Malcolm in the game as well.

But as I said, the game doesn’t come with a specific storyline. So in that case I won’t give this game a score in this category.

Graphics

Okay, let’s say this right away: The music is as amazing as the movies, and the sound design is fabulous, I get goose bumps every time a T-Rex screams and for everyone’s annoyance, the music gets stuck in your head so that you are singing/humming the melody all the time.

Now that’s said, we can go into more detail. Character designs, animations and minor details are incredibly well-detailed on the dinosaurs in the game (and yes there are almost 50 different of them in the game for the time being). At times, I’m so fascinated by how they designed T-Rex that I forget to maintain the security around it (June 2018 R.I.P. Bob – Visitor of Jurassic World).

On the other hand, is not quite well designed on buildings and some environmental designs. I’m somewhat unsure of exactly what, but it has something about the whole feeling about the lighting and color choices that make the game appear worse than it really is, it can feel unfinished.

There ain’t much different choices when it comes to buildings, paths or simply plants. But in return, one gets a bunch of well-detailed dinosaurs.
7/10

Gameplay

As I always say, gameplay is the most important bit when it comes to whether I like playing the game or not. And I can say right away that Jurassic World Evolution is one of those games that I can lose a few hours into. Although Frontier tries to make a game based on the Jurassic World universe, the game is very basic of content compared to previous games. Little variation of attractions that isn’t about dinosaurs, little variety within business management, etc.

What they have made and presented to us has been well made and I found no game breaking bugs. The feeling I’ll be left with when I have a working park, with certainty security(?) that quickly manages to secure the area by tranquilizing the dinosaur and having shelters nearby for visitors so that they are not eaten up is incredibly satisfying.

Exploring fossils to either find different DNA that we can use to make dinosaurs, or sell fossils to earn some extra money isn’t as interesting as it should have been. The progression in the game I feel is fairly stable at a satisfactory pace, especially with regard to upgrades of different medications for the dinosaurs, improved accuracy of the guards, etc.

What really made me spend much time in the game was a lot about the aesthetic and the social life of the dinosaurs. My park should look neat and tidy, with plenty of security and accessibility, and not least, my dinosaurs had to be comfortable with each other behind the fence. Because if they are not, they break out or die. I quickly noticed which of the dinosaurs didn’t match. The only thing that was a bit of pain in the ass is the power management. I constantly feel that I have zero control of power consumption as well as setting up a power grid is some real dull sometimes. Lots of wires everywhere, can’t afford long enough wires, need a bunch of small power stations around so that various buildings get power.

But Jurassic World Evolution, despite its small errors here and there is amazing entertainment for those who enjoy park simulator games and especially Jurassic Park/World.
8/10

Controls

I played mostly on PlayStation 4 for this review, but I’ve tried some of the PC version as well. And I have to say the console version is well set up compared to other park simulator games on console. The PC version says itself, but in the console version, the camera is moving at a comfortable pace, hotkeys are set up easy to learn (eg L1 is hotkey to get to the ACU menu – your helicopter squad.). Menus in-game are simple, also on PC.

At times, I experienced some delay in the controls, but it may have something to do with the game failing to receive all the commands I sent (there is a possibility that it is only men in the game, since multi-tasking became a bit difficult sometimes).
9/10

Replay Value

If you have spent so much time in this game you have completed 100% DNA on all dinosaurs by finding fossils, a good positive income at your park, all upgrades are purchased, all visitors are satisfied (which is very unlikely) and none of your dinosaurs are planning to escape, I would not say that there is so much replay value here. However it’s a big but here! It will be very difficult to achieve the points I mentioned and of course you can play around in sandbox mode to focus only on the aesthetic, being creative, etc.
7/10

Denne bildekrusellen krever javaskript.

You can check out our review policy right here, if you wonder how we set our scores.

• Graphics 7
  7/10
• Gameplay 8
  8/10
• Controls 9
  9/10
• Replay Value 7
  7/10

Verdict

Jurassic World Evolution is intended for fans of this universe. This is probably not the best park simulator game of Frontier, but it gives a good introduction to the genre. Many famous faces are included here, and a bunch of different dinosaurs to take care of. I would think that this game will satisfy most of us.  

Overall

7.7/10

7.7/10

Sending

User Review

4 (1 vote)

Pros

• Familiar music/theme
• Extraordinary sound design
• Character design – Dinosaurs
• Good introduction of the genre

Cons

• The lack of a proper story mode
• The struggle of the power grid
• Business management