Imagine you’re lost in a jungle with no idea where you are, what you’re doing there, or how to find help. Now imagine that, but you’re uncovering a mystery about the island as a whole. NOW imagine you’re doing all of this while being tracked down by a hungry Allosaurus. Terrifying, right? Well, get ready for The Lost Wilds.
One of the big goals for The Lost Wilds was to make the dinosaurs feel more like animals than monsters. As I watched the gameplay in front of me, I gathered that it means you’ll treat the dinosaurs as you would a lion, tiger, or bear (oh my). They are probably going to ignore you, but if they’re hungry, watch out.
The gameplay is all about finding the right times to sneak or run to the next area.. We got to see multiple “workspaces” that were abandoned somewhat recently. Your character, Saskia, will be trying to manage her way through the woods and these work areas to try and figure out the mysteries of the island, as well as how she might escape. Along the way, in the demo, we met a voice coming from Dieskae, who is seemingly an employee of this science outfit. This employee tries to help you find him, and by extension, safety… for now.
Everything I saw in preview looked spooky, as your flashlight, the sounds you make, and more are all ways the dinos can find you. I watched as the developer threw bottles and mugs to lure the Allosaurus away from them multiple times. To make things even worse (and by worse I mean better) the dinosaurs are not on specific pathways. This means you could figure out how to progress in this instance, die, and the next time that path might be completely blocked. I was even scared by the developer next to me because she was frightened when dinosaur jumped at Saskia! It had never gotten that close during that scene before. Fun stuff!
Great Ape Games has a fun looking game on their hands you’ll be able to play in 2027. While we didn’t get hands-on during our time, seeing the gameplay made me realize I would’ve just spent so much time exploring the jungle. It’s going to be a roaring good time, no doubt.
You can wishlist the game now on Steam!
