Dinosaurs finally getting their due
Open-world survival simulators are nothing new in the world of videogames, but so many of them tackle the same subject material. New developer Studio Wildcard has just announced a title that takes that well-tread fear of personal extinction and puts a The Land Before Time twist on it.
Revealed this morning was ARK: Survival Evolved, which is an open-world dinosaur survival game. According to the press release we received, ARK starts with players naked on an island beach with nothing at their disposal. As it goes with these things, they must figure everything out and learn to craft tools, hunt wildlife, and build shelter. Otherwise, the “survival” bit in “survival simulator” won’t last too long.
Surely, the selling point for ARK (at least for many players) will be the 60 dinosaurs types that roam the world. It’s said that these terrible lizards can be found on land, in the air, underwater, and underground. Nowhere’s safe. However, they can be hunted, tamed, and ridden, meaning that what looks to be a formidable nemesis may be able to be turned into a potent weapon.
While dinosaurs make an obvious claim to primary antagonist, that might not be the case. Studio Wildcard says that ARK has a unique multiplayer component to it that’s both cooperative and competitive. Rival tribes will form as different groups of players set up makeshift civilizations to fend off the dangers of the wilderness.
Even though there are dinosaurs roaming the land, it’s uncertain as to when or where ARK actually takes place. Primitive tools are initially employed, but that doesn’t last forever. The trailer shows liberal gunplay and some sort of futuristic tower. It seems as if ARK‘s world may hold a lot of mystery.
Fortunately, that mystery will begin to unravel soon enough. ARK: Survival Evolved goes into Steam Early Access on June 2. The Unreal Engine 4-built game is aiming for a full release on PC (with Oculus Rift support), PS4, and Xbox One in early 2016.
