Dinocide (PC) Preview

From the moment the prehistoric hero of this Jurassic tale starts frolicking on the first level, many players will actually check their hands to see if they are holding an NES or Master System controller. This pixelated world and the sprites that inhabit them, along with the stupendously nostalgic 8-bit music that comes with it, evoke memories of the Mega Man series, and that's certainly a good thing - or is it? Unfortunately, while this is certainly reminiscent of the past, that's never enough.

While not bad or anything, the generic jungle, cave, and water stages look the same as the ones in the - equally generic - ones in Chuck Rock, Prehistorik, or Joe & Mac, and while the soundtrack fits like a glove to the old-school aesthetics, it would be better if AtomicTorch Studio had actually created some tunes similar to the one that can be heard in Dinocide's trailer, which gives a modern vibe to an awesome, 8-bit tribal theme. Long story short: this title lacks character - then again, isn't gameplay the most important aspect?

Remember Adventure Island and its predecessor Wonder Boy? Similar to them, a caveman hero must keep on moving right in search for food, keeping his vitality meter from emptying, and, thus, remain standing on his two hairy feet. Does this platformer takes this mechanic and enhance it in any way? Yes and no. On the one hand, vitality also acts as a health bar but, on the other hand, things feel less urgent than in the aforementioned games, since the meter depletes at a much slower pace.

Apart from rocks, it's possible to collect and throw hand axes, or shoot arrows, although they are pretty similar, and, to be honest, quite lame, since they fly in an small arc, making aiming at some baddies more annoying than challenging. Two Dinosaurs are also available for riding, yet don't expect something spectacular, since these beasts are just more durable, and have a simple additional attack like a fireball, or in the case of the Plesiosaurus, a… bubble. On the bright side, weapons and dinosaurs can be collected and used in later levels, which adds a tactical factor to the whole thing.

There are various little flaws that should be mentioned, like the fact that all enemies are pretty much the same, or how jumping feels a bit too sensitive (and lacks a jumping animation), or the gems that can be collected, although they don't seem to have any specific function. Then again, everything that has been mentioned up until now was just a glimpse of the full product. However, even this small sample of Dinocide makes one thing pretty clear: this is an average platformer. Why? Well, because the whole gameplay can be summed up in "go right, jump over hazards, kill mobs, and reach the end," and that's it. It's not difficult, not original, and not exciting at all.