The vast majority of hunting games out in the market, be them Open Country or Hunting Simulator, usually feature the same kinds of game for you to shoot at. You’ll mostly hunt down deer, bears, and depending on the game, a few ducks here and there. But what if you were hunting down animals that could easily hunt you down as well? What about a game where you’re supposed to hunt down dinosaurs? That’s the premise behind Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunt.

Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunt is a weird anomaly. This is a remaster… of a remaster. Time for a little history lesson: the original Carnivores was released in 1998 for PC. It received average reviews, but sold well enough to spawn an entire series based off its somewhat neat premise. The original game was then remastered to iOS in 2010. This remaster has just been re-remastered for modern day consoles. We’re basically playing a game from 1998 which has undergone two plastic surgeries over the past two and a half decades.

This means we’re getting a game that feels modern in some aspects, but dated beyond belief in others. Graphically, it feels like I’m playing an upscaled version of a Gamecube game. It oddly reminded me of Turok Evolution‘s level design at times. It’s not horrible, just very, very dated. However, it does run at an excellent framerate and the dinosaurs are well-modeled, at the very least. The sound design is not exactly good, but for some reason, it’s quite charming. It’s full of very old sound effects from the late 90’s and the game felt a bit nostalgic as a result, even if unintentionally.

Now, the real problem lies in the gameplay. Weirdly enough, Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunt‘s main highlight is also its gameplay. Control-wise, this is not a bad game at all. The controls are simplistic, but very responsive. You have a handful of gadgets, such as a radar, a sound dampener, some lures at your disposal, as well as a gun with a limited supply of ammo. You roam around a pseudo open map, hunt down as many dinos as you can by analyzing their weak spots with your “hunter vision”, then summon a flying saucer to take your game back to your base. It’s straightforward and at times quite relaxing.

Controlling the game is fine. Progressing through it is a burden. It’s a freaking ordeal. I have no idea if the progression system was taken straight out of the iOS port, but Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunt is stingy with how much money and experience it rewards you for each kill. It literally forces you to spend thousands of credits in order to unlock a map where you can actually hunt carnivores like the title tells you. You only get around ten to fifteen credits per kill, however. You need to grind like you’ve never done before in order to afford even the smallest of upgrades. Even though this game does feature a somewhat relaxing gameplay loop, this progression system demotivates you after just a few sessions.

For everything I like in Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunt, there’s something else that brings my enjoyment to a halt. I like the overall concept, as hunting down dinosaurs while trying not to get killed by your so-called “prey” is fun and unique. I even liked the Nintendo 64-era sound effects, which brought an odd sense of nostalgia. On the other hand, I was bummed with unbelievably dated graphics and lethargic progression system. It takes ages for you to afford a license to hunt an actually threatening carnivore, with each hunt giving you a pitiful amount of money and experience. I feel like this could have been a much more enjoyable title had the developers tweaked its progression system to make the game feel actually rewarding to those who play it.

 

Graphics: 5.5 The game runs at an excellent framerate, but that was the bare minimum to expect from a title using graphics from Gamecube era at best. The dinosaurs are well-modeled though.	Gameplay: 7.0 One of the most simplified FPS and hunting control schemes out there, but for all intents and purposes, it’s responsive and runs well.
Sound: 6.0 Not a lot of music in here, which is fine considering the genre. The game features tons of sound effects that sounded like they were from a Nintendo 64 game, but oddly enough, they fit perfectly with the setting.	Fun Factor: 5.5 Don’t get me wrong, hunting dinosaurs while making sure not to be eaten by them is fun, but the mobile-esque amount of grinding required to unlock pretty much anything turns Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunt into an ordeal, not an entertaining experience.
Final Verdict: 6.0

Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunt is available now on PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.

Reviewed on Xbox One.

A copy of Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunt was provided by the publisher.