Originally released in 2020 on the Oculus Quest VR Headset, developer Coatsink has now brought a reworked version of their Jurassic World first-person stealth game to the Nintendo Switch which includes both Parts 1 and 2 and is built specifically for the platform. I was really interested in this game when it was first released, but as it was a VR exclusive I never got to experience it as VR and my glasses never seemed to mix well. So when it was finally released in a non VR format I was eager to jump in. Would it be a classic like the original Jurassic Park movie, or would it be more of a Jurassic Park 3 experience (you know what I mean!)?
The game takes place two years after the events of Jurassic World and prior to the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. You play Sam, a security expert and professional smuggler as he finds himself trapped in an abandoned research facility on Isla Nublar when you helicopter crashes after an incident with a Pterodactyl during a mission to recover valuable information. Sam isn't fully alone however, as Dr. Mia Everett (voiced by the amazingly talented Laura Bailey) the woman who organized the mission guides him throughout the game from a nearby ranger tower that she has taken shelter in after the crash.
The first thing I noticed when playing the game was how much it reminded me of Alien: Isolation. That's not a bad thing, but the game really feels like Isolation and the kitchen scene from the first Jurassic Park movie had a baby. There is no combat, it's just you sneaking around, hiding from an ongoing velociraptor pursuit and evading other dinosaurs as well. You will find yourself hiding in cupboards and lockers or you can create distractions with environmental loudspeakers and lab equipment and using stealth to your advantage in order to survive.
Alot of the story is fleshed out in a variety of audio logs you can uncover and featuring the classic franchise characters Dr. Henry Wu (voiced by BD Wong) and Dr. Ian Malcolm (voiced by Jeff Goldblum). These audio logs flesh out Mia's backstory and her connections to the characters as well as the conversations becoming the catalyst for the crucial decisions she makes. They are present to the player at key moments when Mia attempts to justify her actions. It's nice to see the game link into the movie series and its even better when they include the real actors too. The fact its more Jeff Goldblum is just the icing on the cake.
The game also features a very distinct cell-shaded graphical style that I didn't mind, but would have rather it have been more realistic. The devs have stated this art style was chosen to make the game appeal to a wider audience instead of being even scarier but I feel that it also unfortunately holds it back. The sound design is absolutely on point however, not only is the voice acting superb, but the game also has all the dinosaur noises you have come to know and love as well as the classic score that always gives me goosebumps.
There are a selection of puzzles to solve through the game. These aren't overly difficult and can be solved with a small amount of common sense, the downside is the raptors that hunt you can hear sounds like when you interact with equipment or solve puzzles, so you will find yourself constantly looking over your shoulder whilst trying to complete them. The velociraptor encounters are tense and interesting at the beginning of the game but towards the later parts they wear thin and become more of a chore.
Overall despite a slightly clunky control scheme that hasn't been perfectly ported from VR with it's plodding walk speed, the game is actually a fun experience. It's always great for fans of the franchise when you get a new game to play that isn't on the scale of terrible that was Trespasser. The story is very much by the numbers, but the inclusion of audio bytes from the actual movie characters (especially the fantastic Jeff Goldblum) and the fantastic movie accurate soundtrack really add to the tense atmosphere. It's not a perfect game by any means, and it probably is a much more enthralling experience when played in VR, but it's definitely a Jurassic Park game I can gladly recommend you try! TOTAL SCORE: 7.5/10
Jurassic World Aftermath Collection was released onto the Nintendo Switch eShop on the 10th November 2022. The game is priced at £24.99 and can be purchased HERE.
A copy of the game was provided for this review. A huge thanks for that.
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