Jurassic World Evolution 2 Review: Return of the Dinosaurs

Bigger and more ferocious

Jurassic World Evolution 2 is clearly aimed at fans of the first chapter and his cinematographic counterpart, with whom he has a very strong bond, impossible not to glimpse from the very first bars of the game. However, it is at the same time a clear step forward compared to the past, which makes the final product richer and more structured than ever.

There are more specimens, including some particularly iconic for fans such as the Mosasaur, a giant aquatic species protagonist of one of the most famous scenes of the first Jurassic World (here is the review of Jurassic World). The list is finally enriched by various sea and flying creatures – which previously were completely absent – well known to lovers of the saga, and this is certainly not a small detail, given the evident desire of the product to bask in a bit of healthy. fan-service. Compared to the progenitor there are clear improvements also in many other aspects, first of all on artificial intelligence and on the behavioral patterns of the various dinosaurs.

But, in general, it is the whole part dedicated to the management of dinosaurs and reptiles that has been strengthened and deepened. Frequently checking their state of health and general well-being is nothing short of fundamental, the only way to make sure you avoid huge losses or find yourself forced to quell real riots. Each type of animal will have its own preferences and needs, both from an environmental point of view and with regard to possible cohabitation within the enclosure.

Some species are simply incompatible with each other, while others prefer to be alone. Also from a technical point of view it seems that a large part of the improvements has been concentrated in the creation of the models and animations of the prehistoric beasts, more beautiful to observe in detail and more credible when they move and scan the surrounding terrain.

A pure management system

Jurassic World Evolution 2 maintains the reflexive nature of pure management that characterizes the saga. The game is hard enough to master, but not too much, and occasionally falters due to an imperfect balance, not deep enough to rival the best exponents of the genre, as well as slightly intrusive for the less savvy, mainly due to the constant and nagging requests for attention.

One of the biggest problems we encountered in our test was the intrusiveness of micro-management. Evolution 2 is crammed with small mundane tasks and not very stimulating to repeat over and over, for which an automation system worthy of the name is missing. And due to the increase in the number of things to do and the depth of the gameplay, this aspect (but it’s really the only one, we guarantee it) seems even worse than the previous iteration. The Frontier Developments production, which should base a large part of its appeal on the need to balance the care of dinosaurs and the satisfaction of paying customers, also ends up neglecting the latter part a little too much. Perhaps the desire to exploit such an exceptional license has prompted the team to focusing too much attention on creatures and less on the park itself, as usually happens in similar titles.

Dinosaurs in the wild: the countryside

The player’s first natural landing is the campaign, essential for understanding how to move within the game and how to manage the structures. Everything will take place shortly after the events of Jurassic World: Kingdom Destroyed, the second film of the new trilogy, with the dinosaurs back to roam undisturbed in the entire terrestrial ecosystem (the review of Jurassic World The Destroyed Kingdom is just a click away).

In short, our aim will be to start from scratch and look for a way to make man coexist with these Jurassic beasts, which is why in the first few minutes we will find ourselves learning basic actions such as providing energy to structures, building the first fences and, logically , capture new specimens. Soon we will even have to deal with hiring and personnel management, a simple but not trivial dynamic: we will always have to be on the lookout, because any wrong choice in this field could weigh heavily on the project’s finances.

The gameplay, after all, does not differ much from the past: forget the heart-pounding scenes experienced in front of the big screen, because our only purpose is to take care of our park by managing every single structure and, consequently, also the dinosaurs that inhabit it. For this reason, the beginning can appear a little too slow and sometimes cumbersome.

Its being extremely verbose during the introductory tutorials could make the less patient turn up their noses, but we believe that this is on balance the only way, given the complexity of the play system and the need to gradually introduce some very important concepts for the continuation adventure. We tell you very bluntly: the campaign is not the most successful element of production. Although I try in part to deepen some aspects of characters like Owen Grady and Claire Dearing (the protagonists of the film Jurassic World), ends up resulting on the whole little more than a mammoth tutorial lasting about 6/7 hours. On the other hand, although some solutions presented, such as that of being able to capture the dinosaurs in first person, may seem on the cards some excellent finds, we will hardly find the time to use them once immersed in the frenzy of managing a fully functional park.

The Theory of Chaos

If what theoretically was supposed to be the main course does not shine for originality, the discussion becomes much more interesting when you go to analyze the Chaos Theory mode, that is the real beating heart of the work, as well as the portion of the game closest to the vicissitudes of the films of the saga. Each of the chapters represents a kind of “What if“which will lead us to follow an alternative version of the events of the campaign.

These challenges, less generic and more limited, retrace the entire history of the five films in the franchise, and successfully manage to raise the level of challenge, while making the gaming experience less repetitive. In this mode, among other things, you have the possibility to unlock numerous new species of dinosaurs and unpublished elements, useful also and above all to make up for a peculiar choice made by the developers: that of preventing access to most of the contents of the option. sandbox – in which we will be able to manage our park in a completely free way – until we have unlocked them within the other modes.

Although it is still recommended to start by becoming familiar with the title through the endless but incredibly effective tutorials of the Campaign, it must be admitted that for many management enthusiasts it would certainly not have been impossible to start playing only thanks to their creativity and a little intuition. The game menu, moreover, is very clear and detailed, and does not present who knows what complexity.

The most intriguing aspect of the sandbox mode is probably its deep customization, thanks to which we will also be able to stem some of the problems related to the intrusiveness of micro-management. We can decide in a moment to change the incidence of bad weather and natural disasters, such as storms and hurricanes, but also make our creatures almost immortal.

While not having fully appreciated the desire to block most of its contents, including aviaries for flying creatures and lagoons for aquatic ones (two of the most interesting new features of this second chapter), the sandbox mode is undoubtedly ours. favorite of Jurassic World Evolution 2.