We have a saying over here at GamingTrend. Never review a game as what you wish it was; review the game in front of you. While there are certainly things a game can do better, it’s not 007 First Light’s fault that it isn’t Forza Horizon 6. We’ve lost the plot if we expect the wrong things. I went into my appointment for Turok: Origins at Summer Game Fest with the correct expectations, and what I found was a game that let me have a good time. That’s all I wanted, and I’m glad to see Saber Interactive delivering just that.
Dropped into a co-op lobby, it was time to see how my warrior was going to hold up. Turns out, there are not just dinosaurs to battle with, but also aliens? As someone not that familiar with the series, this wild pivot from the last game I remember – the gritty Turok reboot in 2008. This game leans hard into being over-the-top, and to great success.
Your kit is based on the warrior you pick, and there will be more ways for customization than the pre-built ones I had to pick from. The weaponry is definitely quite different, with my first character wielding a regular rifle alongside a powerful crossbow, and the second with a laser bow and an energy beam weapon. This advanced arsenal is fun, and the shooting feels good to control. There’s a nice fluidity all around, from dodging enemy fire to sprinting around an arena trying to find the next objective.
What wasn’t as fluid was the platforming. I usually don’t bring up platforming when discussing shooters. That said, Turok: Origins has a lot of it. I appreciate the ability to swap between first and third-person viewpoints instantaneously; it helps me make my jumps more easily. But, hopping across the various chasms and cliffs was often deadly for my character. It’s stiff, something for the team to consider as they clean up Origins before its release.
Moving on to what works smoothly: I love the finishers. It’s almost DOOM-esque; when you drop an enemy’s health far enough to introduce the prompt, you can take them out in brutal fashion. Saber has gone absolutely ham, crafting a ton of animations to make this mechanic worth the effort of sprinting in close to savagely destroy your foe. I’ve watched as my warrior grabbed a raptor’s jaw and ripped it clean off, ferociously stabbed an alien, and so much bloody more. This feature alone might be worth the cost of entry.
Abilities are a huge part of how Turok: Origins plays. Each warrior has a “mantle”, a suit that gives its wearer certain powers. These cooldowns vary in how you’ll use them, like a shield bubble to protect your friends, or an explosive flurry of acid shots. There’s even a psychic beam, not unlike what I’d expect from Professor X. All of these play their part, either dealing loads of damage or giving you and your friends a boost. It’ll be dope to see what other ideas the team has come up with as we get closer to launch.
The co-op gameplay reminds me a lot of something like Left 4 Dead and John Carpenter's Toxic Commando from more recent memory. That last one was conveniently developed by Saber Interactive as well. Work together, kill dinos and aliens, move forward, press towards and complete the next task, rinse and repeat. Nothing is ever too complex, and it lets you just turn off your brain and have fun. The two levels I played were quite linear, with some good open spaces to fight in.
Once I got to the end of each level, a boss appeared, with the first one making the biggest impression. That’s probably because it was a huge Tyrannosaurus Rex that was armor-plated and had launchers on its back. Both boss fights were a bit spongy, but running around with friends and taking on these creatures never felt like a chore. Utilizing all my kit and working with my teammates, we thrashed both bosses. I’m curious if going back on tougher difficulties might engage me a bit more, and in turn might also reward me somehow in progression.
While I’m unsure as to the staying power a game like Turok: Origins might have, I do think it's the perfect popcorn game. It’s the kind of game that gives you a chance to sit back and chill. As I said above, not every game has to be a masterpiece. Turok: Origins knows what it is, and is giving you what it is, a fun game with no frills that will entertain you and your buddies for hours. Keep your eyes on the fall season for Turok: Origins, it fills its niche with aplomb.
