Highlights
- The Lost Wild, an upcoming survival horror game, is generating excitement among fans of the Dino Crisis franchise for its dinosaur theme reminiscent of Capcom's popular series.
- The gameplay footage suggests that The Lost Wild aims to create an atmospheric and immersive experience, with players surviving and exploring an island filled with danger and secrets.
- The game will focus on stealth and non-lethal tactics to deal with dinosaurs, providing a more grounded and realistic approach compared to other recent dinosaur-themed games. Fans of Dino Crisis and survival horror should pay attention to this promising title.
Survival horror games are enjoying something of a renaissance recently. The successful re-imaginings of the early Resident Evil games, the Dead Space Remake, and the upcoming Alan Wake 2 have seen renewed interest in a genre that was beginning to lose its way a little. Developer Great Ape Games' maiden title, The Lost Wild, sees the player seemingly stranded on an island populated by dinosaurs. The game is already giving serious Dino Crisis vibes, and for fans of Capcom's long-dormant franchise, this is more than a little bit exciting.
The concept of dinosaurs terrorizing humans is far from an original one, but despite its simplicity, it has rarely been successfully brought to life in video game form. Capcom's Dino Crisis series, which debuted in 1999, captured the hearts of fans by merging the claustrophobic and atmospheric gameplay of the early Resident Evil games with a dinosaur outbreak. The project arriving right at the peak of Jurassic Park-inspired dinosaur popularity aided its cause and ensured it was well received. This was followed by two sequels, and while the former proved to be far stronger than the latter, the series nevertheless built a cult following in the years since the third and final game was released in 2003.
The Lost Wild Could Fill the Void Left By Dino Crisis
Footage released so far of The Lost Wild shows off an ambitious game steeped in atmosphere. The player will be tasked to survive and fend for themselves using any tools and resources they can find throughout the island. They will be able to explore abandoned research facilities that look like they were pulled straight from Jurassic Park, as well as lush greenery and wilderness, with danger lurking around every corner. Continued exploration of the island and its secrets will help players unravel the game's central mystery. Considering developer Great Ape Games has no other titles to its name, it definitely isn't looking to start small.
Dinosaurs will obviously be the main threat for the player, and stealth gameplay will likely play a big part, with players able to distract and confuse the huge creatures as well as use non-lethal weaponry to try and temporarily take them down. It doesn't look like all-out combat will be an option, which, given the circumstances, seems to be a pretty realistic take, and should give The Lost Wild a grounded, human appeal, compared to more recent dinosaur-themed games, such as Exoprimal.
In an age that is rife with remakes and sequels, many fans have been crying out for Dino Crisis to receive the remake treatment, but so far, despite rumors, nothing has materialized. Capcom has stopped short of ruling such a project out altogether, but it feels like the longer it goes without any concrete news, the less likely it is to happen. With the Resident Evil series as popular as it has ever been right now, as well as recent releases in the Street Fighter and Monster Hunter franchises, the Japanese video game company certainly isn't short of options when it comes to upcoming projects.
The lack of activity for the Dino Crisis series presents a unique opportunity for The Lost Wild to become the apex predator when it comes to dinosaur survival-horror games. Despite the game only being scheduled for a PC-only release at launch, success on that platform could well see a console version follow shortly afterward. Fans of Dino Crisis, as well as the Resident Evil series and survival horror in general, should keep a keen eye on this one.
The Lost Wild is scheduled to release in 2024 for PC.