I held my breath. I’m not even kidding. For a solid minute and a half, my lungs just sort of… stopped working. We’ve been hurt before, you and I. We, the long-suffering fans of Jurassic Park who just wanted one—one—game that understood the original film wasn't an action movie. It was a horror movie. A creature feature with teeth, set in a collapsing temple of science.
And then the trailer for Jurassic Park: Survival dropped. That familiar shot of the East Dock sign, rain-slicked and ominous. The desperate voice of Dr. Maya Joshi. The flare. That iconic, sputtering red flare casting long, terrifying shadows.
It felt right. It felt… dangerous.
The Ghost of Alien: Isolation Looms Large (And That’s a Good Thing)
Let’s just get it out of the way. You saw it, I saw it, everyone with a passing knowledge of survival horror saw it. The DNA of Creative Assembly’s masterpiece, Alien: Isolation, is all over this thing. And thank God for that.
Hiding under desks while a predator stalks nearby. The frantic glances at a motion tracker-esque device. The focus on outsmarting, not outgunning, an apex predator that sees you as little more than a walking lunchable. This is the template. For years, people have been saying, "just do Alien: Isolation, but with raptors." It seemed so obvious, yet so out of reach.
But it's more than just a carbon copy. Or, I hope it is. The Xenomorph was a singular, unstoppable terror. Isla Nublar is an entire ecosystem of things that want to kill you. The trailer showed us not just the famous Velociraptor (looking suitably terrifying and not at all like Chris Pratt’s scaly puppy dogs), but also a Dilophosaurus, its frill flaring in the dark. That implies a variety of threats, each with different behaviors. You can't just learn one enemy's patterns. You have to learn the whole damn island.
That’s the potential brilliance here. It’s not about surviving a monster. It’s about surviving the park. A park that's actively, violently, and systematically trying to digest you.
Finally, We Got Some New Gameplay Of That Scary-Looking Jurassic Park Game
Okay, let's talk specifics. The snippets of actual gameplay we saw were brief, but they were dense with information. The first-person perspective is claustrophobic and deeply personal. When that raptor slams against the kitchen door, you feel the impact. You’re not a disembodied camera floating behind some action hero; you’re in it. You're the one whose heart is about to explode out of their chest.
The use of light and sound seems critical. Throwing that flare down the hallway wasn’t just for show—it was a strategic choice. A distraction. A way to see what’s coming without making yourself the immediate target. But does it also attract other, bigger things? These are the kinds of questions a good survival game makes you ask. Every tool has a trade-off. Every action, a potential consequence.
And the environment itself. It’s not just a backdrop. It’s a character. Seeing the iconic Visitor Center in a state of disarray, moments after the T-rex attack from the film, is a masterstroke. It's hallowed ground for fans. It’s like exploring a full-scale, interactive version of a beloved movie set. The story here isn’t just about Maya Joshi trying to get off the island; it’s about what happened in the spaces between the scenes we know so well. What happened… after.
It’s the Little Things: The Vibe is Impeccably Isla Nublar
What really sells it for me, beyond the jump scares and the hiding, is the texture. The world feels tangible. The hum of the emergency lighting, the sheen of rain on a crumpled Barbasol can (a perfect, nerdy little detail), the mud squelching underfoot. Saber Interactive seems to understand that the horror of Jurassic Park isn't just the dinosaurs; it's the atmosphere. It’s the feeling of a paradise that has curdled into a nightmare.
It’s the corporate sterility of InGen’s labs, now smeared with blood. The faux-Polynesian kitsch of the tourist areas, now reclaimed by the jungle. This contrast is what made the original film so effective. It was a theme park. It was meant to be safe. And the complete and utter failure of that promise is the real horror.
I just hope they lean into it. Let us explore. Let us find the logs of other scientists, the abandoned belongings of tourists. Build the world not just with raptors, but with the ghosts of what happened there. I remember the good old days, when developers weren't afraid to let you get lost in a world, much like some of the classic titles that found a second life on the Switch GameCube library. That sense of discovery is key.
Okay, But Can They Stick the Landing?
Here comes the cold water. The dose of reality.
We’ve been promised the ultimate Jurassic Park experience before. Remember Trespasser? An ambitious, buggy, glorious mess that tried to do something new and mostly failed. We've had countless action games and park builders. But this… this is different. The ambition is high, and so are the stakes.
Can the AI live up to the promise? A truly clever, unscripted raptor is the dream. A raptor that just runs on a predictable patrol path is a nightmare of a different kind—a boring one. Will the game be a tightly-scripted 8-hour adventure, or will it be a more systemic, replayable experience? We just don't know.
I’m choosing to be hopeful. Cautiously, nervously hopeful. The footage looks incredible. The concept is a hole-in-one. They seem to understand the source material on a profound level. But a good trailer does not a good game make. For now, I'll watch it again. And I'll try to remember to breathe this time.
Answering Your Burning Questions About Jurassic Park: Survival
So, is this game actually connected to the first movie?
Absolutely. It’s set the day after the events of the 1993 film. You play as Dr. Maya Joshi, an InGen scientist who was unable to evacuate Isla Nublar. The whole game is about surviving in the immediate, chaotic aftermath of the park’s collapse, which is a fantastic premise we've never really seen explored in depth before.
Why does everyone keep comparing it to Alien: Isolation?
It's the gameplay philosophy. Instead of giving you a machine gun and telling you to mow down dinosaurs, the focus is on stealth, evasion, and using your wits. The first-person perspective, the emphasis on hiding, and facing a single, terrifyingly smart predator (or in this case, a pack of them) is a direct gameplay parallel to how the Xenomorph hunted you on Sevastopol station. It's a flattering and, so far, accurate comparison.
What makes you think this scary-looking Jurassic Park game will be better than all the bad ones?
That’s the million-dollar question, isn't it? The big difference is the genre. Most past JP games were shooters or management sims. This is the first time we’re getting a proper, big-budget survival horror title. It’s a genre that perfectly fits the tone of Spielberg's original movie. The developers at Saber Interactive seem to genuinely revere the source material, and that passion is evident in the details we've seen so far.
Will we only be fighting raptors?
Definitely not. While raptors are clearly a primary threat, the gameplay trailer already confirmed the Dilophosaurus. The developers have talked about the island as a living ecosystem, so it’s a safe bet we’ll be encountering a variety of dinosaurs from the first film, each with unique behaviors you'll need to learn to survive. And let's not forget, we heard a certain T-rex's roar...
So, when can I actually play this thing?
Patience, my friend. There's no official release date yet. It’s confirmed for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, but the developers are keeping the exact timing under wraps for now. It's better they take their time and get it right. If you need something to scratch that adventure game itch in the meantime, there are plenty of great adventure games online to keep you busy.
