Ahead of the Game - Dino Cataclysm: Survival is time-travelling 4X with a noble cause
Don't let the dinosaurs die
- Build your base to save dinosaurs from extinction
- Keep them happy and healthy as your beloved dinocitizens
- Collect and level up your dino army
It's all about rescuing dear dinos in this week's Ahead of the Game series, where we tell you all about a new mobile endeavour that's playable in one form or another despite its unofficial launch.
Strategic base-builders are a dime a dozen on mobile, and almost all of them will have you fighting to survive the apocalypse by patching together a haphazard settlement to defend against the undead.
Now, while there's nothing wrong with trying to navigate the zombie apocalypse, I just think that it's a pretty tired premise in an already saturated genre - which is exactly why Dino Cataclysm: Survival caught my eye.
I have to admit - I'm not the biggest fan of the 4X genre. I used to be all about RTS back when StarCraft was a big thing, but since that kind of experience was never really ported properly onto mobile, I've found that when something's slapped on with a "strategy" label, it doesn't really deliver.
The thing is, though, Dino Cataclysm: Survival is actually bringing something new to the table, in that it's asking you to save the dinosaurs from extinction - and when the cause is as noble as that, it's hard not to take notice.
And notice it I did, because from the get-go, you'll already be scrounging for resources just to do everything in your power to save the wayward dinos around you. It's all because of a time travel experiment gone wrong (of course), and you'll have to pick up the pieces of humanity's failure by trying to save as many dinosaurs as you can from immediate extinction.
It's definitely an interesting premise, because it certainly motivates me enough to want to build the best darn base that I can for these creatures. There are also cataclysmic eruptions to look out for, which is why boosting my headquarters, improving my shield, and creating farms and shelters for them is of the utmost importance.
Did I mention that the dinosaurs are also incredibly tameable? Yes, it's a dino-phile's dream, I suspect - you get to tame dinosaurs and set them to assist you around your base as "dinocitizens", because while saving regular human citizens might not be so appealing, rescuing dinocitizens definitely is.
So, how do you play Dino Cataclysm: Survival?
I realise all I did was talk about the premise here, but that's honestly what makes this 4X special. Gameplay-wise, though, it's what you'd expect from the genre - you build your base, gather resources, and expand to survive. Dialogue is fully voiced (albeit not so well at the moment), so there's some level of immersion at least if you're into the narrative.Given it's in its beta phase, expect to encounter a few hiccups here and there, but it's actually set to launch on March 16th, according to the App Store, so you might not have to wait too long until you can save your own dinocitizens, too.
