Credit: Inside the MagicThere are Jurassic experiences that cater to your every need. Whether you want the slow-burn terror of the log-flume ride, Jurassic Park River Adventure (which has a few names), or the high-octane thrills of VelociCoaster, there’s something for everyone at Universal Studios. Hollywood, Orlando, Japan, China, Singapore — Jurassic Park is a truly global franchise.
Guests who prefer to marvel at state-of-the-art animatronic dinosaurs from the right side of the electrified fences, however, can do so in walk-through exhibitions like Jurassic Park: The Experience, whether it’s the one in Battersea, London, or at Gardens by the Bay, Singapore.
The Jurassic Park/World Film Series
Of course, there’s also the long-running film series itself that started with Steven Spielberg’s original 1993 classic, which continued this year with the seventh installment, Jurassic World Rebirth. The latest film might have been torn apart by audiences and critics faster than you can say “Clever girl”, but some of its dinosaur sequences were as immersive as they come.
Jurassic Video Games
On the smaller screen, things somehow become even more immersive. Obviously very little can beat seeing something right in front of you; or something you can, as John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) so eloquently puts it in the 1993 film, “see and touch,” but in recent years, the franchise has given us some of the best digital sandboxes in the form of the “Jurassic World Evolution” series, whose third installment was released just last month.
Those games allow you to build and run your own Jurassic theme park resort and genetically engineer, raise, and (try to) control your own dinosaur population — all in stunning realism. Recently, fans were also given the extra treat with “Jurassic World Archipelago for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024”, a game add-on that allows you to explore the fictional island chain from the films by air and land. But soon, there will be a Jurassic experience like no other.
Related: Universal Officially Ends ‘Jurassic Park’ Series Despite Successful Run
The Most Authentic Jurassic Park Experience Is Coming
A video game that’s set to put those ones to shame is the upcoming first-person action-adventure “Jurassic Park: Survival” from developers Saber Interactive. First teased in December 2023 with a cinematic trailer, it acts as a direct sequel to the 1993 film, set just 24 hours later and following InGen scientist Dr. Maya Joshi, who’s trapped on Isla Nublar.
Isla Nublar: Familiar and New Locations
While the game isn’t open world, the official website states that it has “a fully realized Isla Nublar”.
A recent behind-the-scenes video with Universal and Saber Interactive dives deeper into the environment on offer, showcasing locations from the original film like the Visitor Center, its rotating movie theater where Alan (Sam Neill), Ellie (Laura Dern), and Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) watch Mr. DNA’s short film, and its maze-like kitchen where Lex (Ariana Richards) and Tim (Joe Mazzello) hide from Velociraptors, to all the surrounding jungles.
There are plenty of new locations, too, including a hotel in mid-construction. Whether or not you’ll be able to hunker down here for the night (and presumably save the game before you get eaten) remains to be seen, but players can, at the very least, expect to fully explore it.
Created With Stunning Accuracy
Key figures in the featurette reveal that no stone is being left unturned when it comes to re-creating Isla Nublar and the park just as it appears on the screen in Spielberg’s blockbuster.
“It’s really exciting to be able to translate this incredible film into a video game because you really have the opportunity to go much deeper into the film,” Jurassic World Project Executive Lisa St Amand explains. “We worked really closely with our partners and with Amblin and our filmmakers to make sure that we’re capturing the island and all the dinosaurs in really great detail.”
“There’s lots of facilities, there’s lots of buildings, there’s lots of attractions that are under construction, there’s a hotel under construction,” Executive Producer at Universal Products & Experiences John Melchior adds. “So fans are going to see things and landmarks that they only wish they saw; some elements from the film that were talked about but were never actually conceived in the film.”
Related: ‘Jurassic Park’ Sequel May Bring One of These Characters Back From the Dead
How You’ll Get Around: Walking, Driving, and More
As for how you’ll explore the island, it seems the most obvious answer is by foot. In an exclusive with IGN last year, Saber Interactive creative director Oliver Hollis-Leick explained how “the island is full of different types of terrain, many of them quite challenging,” adding that “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.”
But if you pay close attention to the featurette, you’ll see that the game also features vehicles of some kind (presumably the gas-powered jeeps from the film).
A storyboard hints at some sort of dinosaur-on-vehicle attack (it wouldn’t be Jurassic without one), although it’s reasonable to expect to use the jeeps to get around Isla Nublar when they’re available, and, of course, when it’s safe to do so (remember — the resident T.Rex loves chasings those things).
An early screenshot from the game also shows Joshi aboard a raft on a river rapid, with raptors in close pursuit on the banks.
No such footage can be seen in either the trailer or the featurette, but with “a fully realized Isla Nublar” on offer, it’s reasonable to assume that there will be a boat of some kind, especially if the game is also taking a page out of Michael Crichton’s novel, which makes sense given how many “new” locations are from that book.
The Dinosaurs of Jurassic Park
Of course, we can’t finish without mentioning the dinosaurs. In the video, Saber Interactive Matthew Karch promises fans that “all the encounters are going to be amazing” and that it will be “something else” to interact with the dinosaurs from the film in a “meaningful way.”
The game’s predators will be powered by AI, an approach reminiscent of “Alien: Isolation”, the 2014 game whose reactive xenomorph remains one of gaming’s smartest adversaries. Players can expect to come face to face with all the dinosaurs from the 1993 film, including Velociraptor, Dilophosaurus, and Tyrannosaurus Rex, as well as some “surprise dinosaurs.”
Related: New Jurassic Park Theme Park Experience Will Feature Electric Land Cruisers
A New Jurassic Hero
Dr. Maya Joshi will be our eyes and ears. She’ll be played by Payal Mistry, who appears in the video performing motion capture. “The actual journey, the arc of Maya, it’s incredible,” Mistry says. “She was personally recruited by Dr. Henry Wu to become an InGen scientist, to work at the park. [At] the start of Maya’s journey, she’s unable to escape Isla Nublar.”
“I really relate to Maya in lots of different ways. She’s incredibly passionate and adventurous. I think she takes risks, she steps outside of her comfort zone,” she continues. “I feel like I’m learning a lot about myself, to be honest. She’s very inspiring, and she has a lot of admirable traits. I think I’m standing on the shoulders of some of the coolest female characters in cinema history. It’s incredible.”
“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,” the official synopsis for the game reads.
“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.”
The game will be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Are you excited about the new Jurassic Park game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!