If you were anything like me as a child, you went through a dinosaur phase. My T-shirts had velociraptors on them, I loved The Land Before Time movies, and when I grew up I knew that I wanted to be a paleontologist. Becoming a paleontologist never panned out, but thanks to Urvogel Games’ Saurian: Hell Creek, there is a possibility for dinosaur lovers like me to scratch that scaly itch which never seems to truly fade. That is, if their Kickstarter project reaches its funding goal.
Saurian: Hell Creek is an open world survival game that puts the player in control of one of four types of dinosaurs. Players will be able to choose between the species Dakotaraptor, Pachycephalosaurus, Tyrannosaurus or Triceratops. Different dinosaur types have their own skillsets, and players will have to shift their playstyles from dinosaur to dinosaur in order to endure Saurian’s rigorous climate. More dinosaurs to select from are a possibility after Saurian’s initial release, but the four species mentioned above are listed as the only choices available at launch.
Players start out as hatchlings, and progress through multiple stages of development in their dinosaur avatar’s lives. Each period of development comes with its own challenges, and throughout their dinosaur’s lives, the player must monitor their avatar’s stamina, hunger, and thirst in order to not succumb to the harsh environment of the Cretaceous Period.
One of the most interesting things about Saurian is how much emphasis the developers are putting on the game’s scientific accuracy. Saurian’s world is a re-creation of the Hell Creek Formation as it looked 66 million years ago. The Hell Creek Formation is located around modern day North Dakota once continental drift has been taken into account.
Saurian’s development team has been conferring with a multitude of paleontologists and other scientific minds in order to provide the closest possible representation of the flora and fauna of the Hell Creek Formation according to the available fossil record.
Saurian is currently undergoing a Kickstarter campaign, and only has 28 days left to reach the developer’s goal of $55,000. Saurian needs about $4,000 more to reach its goal, and backers who donate certain amounts are promised Saurian’s OST, the game’s guidebook, and the chance for your name to appear in the end game credits.
Saurian: Hell Creek’s tentative release date is January of 2017 for PC and Mac.
