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Jurassic Park Survival Is The Alien Isolation Sequel We Always Wanted
Dec
Jurassic Park Survival Is The Alien Isolation Sequel We Always Wanted
Jurassic Park Survival is a game that I have frequently glimpsed in my dreams ever since I was a kid. An interactive experience where instead of letting us build theme parks or murder dinosaurs. From the comfort of an arcade cabinet, we are instead thrust into the events of the legendary film with few means to defend ourselves.
Hiding away in the kitchen with velociraptors inching ever closer, praying stray ladles aren’t inches away from spelling your doom against the tile floor. Or rushing out of the iconic gate to be greeted by a bloodthirsty T-Rex, knowing that a lack of movement and lit flare may be the only means of making it out alive.
Perhaps most importantly though, Survival immediately reminded me of Alien: Isolation from Creative Assembly. For years, I’ve been screaming from the rooftops that Jurassic Park is a perfect candidate for such a formula, swapping out the unstoppable Xenomorphs for a range of dinosaurs capable of hunting you down at every opportunity.
A game like this writes itself, and I’m so glad Saber has decided to take up the mantle even. If the finished product doesn’t lean all the way into survival horror. The official announcement describes it as an ‘action-adventure’, so there is a solid chance we’ll have weapons, or at the very least a means to defend ourselves against hordes of dinosaurs.
The only glimpse of actual gameplay footage we receive is right at the tail end of the trailer as protagonist. Fallen dinosaur bones in the visitor centre plaza show. That events we committed to memory have already played out, with nothing left but this soaking wet banner flapping in the wind. Some might be curious, while others have already marked her as prey. It’s ripe with fan service, but still tense in the classic Spielbergian means. Where you can’t help hanging on by the edge of your seat. Hopefully, the real thing delivers.
Survival is going to operate on the whims of nostalgia, although subverting the familiar from a film. I have seen dozens of times could also act as one of its greatest strengths. An entire island to explore filled with familiar landmarks and intelligent dinosaurs. Allowing you to treat doomed attractions as tenets of an immersive sim filled with dead employees, scribbled notes. Or cool clues hinting towards a deeper narrative. Survival remains our main objective.
No matter how much virtual tourism I allow myself. Aware that just one step in the wrong direction is all that separates me from the jaws of an apex predator. If it can combine that fear with a consistent sense of dread and oodles of fan service. Then we could see so much more from Jurassic Park Survival than your typical licensed fare.
