Fans of Jurassic Park such as myself have long craved a single-player, story-driven video game set within the world of the films. Thankfully, the folks at Saber Interactive have partnered with Universal to finally make that happen in the form of Jurassic Park: Survival. The game, which takes place shortly after the events of the original film, was first revealed to the world with a cool trailer last December during The Game Awards. Now, we finally have some gameplay details, as well as some other juicy tidbits about the game.
The folks at IGN were privy to internal Q&A between Universal Products & Experiences executive producer John Melchior and Saber creative director Oliver Hollis-Leick. Players will take the role of InGen scientist Maya Joshi, who was stranded on Isla Nublar following the events of Jurassic Park. So, what will players be doing whilst stuck in her shoes on a dino-filled island? Hollis-Leick laid out some of what to expect from the gameplay.
“The island is full of different types of terrain, many of them quite challenging. The player will need to use caution and planning in some cases, checking routes in advance. There will also be times when the player will need to move very carefully through an environment to avoid the attention of certain predators. Maya, the main character, is neither superhuman nor an action hero. There are real risks for her around every corner and the player will need to use a mixture of intelligence, grit and patience to survive the island’s many challenges.”
Jurassic Park: Survival | New details and screenshots
– Revisits iconic locations from the original film, plus some new ones
– Isla Nublar being treated with same care as characters and dinosaurs
– Game will NOT release in 2024Via @IGN: https://t.co/QUPl6pRIfx#JurassicPark pic.twitter.com/Y95cOOqj0F
— Carmylite (@Carmylite) June 11, 2024
As you can see above, the outlet also got hold of some new artwork from the game, which is alone kid in a candy store stuff for hardcore fans such as myself. Hollis-Leick also revealed that the game will explore new locations not seen in the films, such as where visitors to the park in ‘93 would have stayed. Melchior had this to add:
“We have been working with all our stakeholders on what the island would have looked like after the events of the film. This includes areas we all love like the Visitor’s Center and the T-Rex paddock. But also, what we didn’t see, things that were not part of the tour or got cut off by the storm. Those on the island were supposed to be there overnight, so what does that mean? What would they have seen and where would they have stayed if everything went according to plan? That is where we are starting. One thing is certain – the island is as much a part of the story as the characters and dinosaurs.”
So yeah, that all sounds pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. The game will also include “new characters,” though the details were kept under lock and key for now. Melchior also strongly implied that we’ll be seeing dinosaurs on the island that weren’t in the movie by using John Hammond’s signature “life finds a way catchphrase.” The only downside? It was also confirmed that the game won’t be arriving in 2024, meaning we’ll have to wait until at least sometime next year to get our hands on Survival. The official synopsis for the game reads as follows:
“Return to Isla Nublar the day after the events of the beloved 1993 Jurassic Park film in an original adventure 65 million years in the making. Survive thrilling first-person action as InGen scientist Dr. Maya Joshi, who was unable to evacuate Isla Nublar, in this single-player action-adventure game and discover a never-before-told story. Through thrilling encounters, experience the wonder and danger of dinosaurs, each with their own distinct and adaptive behaviors brought to life by John Hammond’s vision.”
Jurassic Park: Survival does not currently have a release date but it will be available for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. For more, check out FANGORIA #204 from the archives, which features Jurassic Park III on the cover.
