Look, man. Dinosaur games are a very small pool. If you like realistic depictions of some of the coolest animals ever made, you’re stuck with a very limited pool, and that’s not even getting into the game genres- don’t like park builders? that’s 30% of games gone.
At Tokyo Game Show I got to try out Aldian of Ancients, an upcoming Dinosaur MMO from Norian Games. While the game includes fantasy elements like dragons, at its core it wants to be a title about role-playing your favorite species and interacting with the world around you.
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The build I played was simple enough- I was a Sinraptor, starting out as a small youngling and chasing down AI-controlled animals in my quest for growth, like a prehistoric venture capitalist. In the same instance as me was another player, playing as a Deinonychus- a much smaller species that, as a result of its size, could at least jump.
Admittedly, a lot of what I was doing in the build of Aldian of Ancients was fairly simple- it’s not like a prehistoric carnivore is suddenly going to have rotations outside of bite>bite. But it has that kind of high that you only get from simulator games.
Yeah, you were doing menial things but there was a fine amount of flow to the experience. As a Sinraptor I have no bills. Heck, I wasn’t even mentally ill. I just sniffed around looking for smaller animals to gobble up, and there’s a serenity in that.
While the game lacks a map a big chunk of the exploration in Aldian of Ancients is still integral- the game features unique landmarks for all its different biomes, allowing you to plot your own course across areas like wetlands and deserts.
Coming Gameplay For Aldian Of Ancients
Dr Jake Koshy, CEO of Norian Games explained to me that the magic of Aldian of Ancients was going to be from the social mechanisms. For example, as a grown up Sinraptor, I was easily the largest predator in the instance. I could literally throw my weight around, and even go hunting after groups of herbivore players.
Meanwhile, pack-based animals like Deinonychus would have their own party system, with bonuses for having a matriarch in your pack. Co Op between predators is species-locked, mind you- so be expected to break into a fight if you suddenly find yourself hungry and there being not enough food to go around.
Herbivores could also have group dynamics, being able to form herds even with other species, a behavior that’s noted in real life.
Dr Koshy also explained that there would also be some level of game-ness added to Aldian of Ancients- predators could build stacks of bleed for example, and some species would require you to complete pre requisites and explore before you could play as them. That being said every new species means a potential new way to interact with the world- even a decision like having more teeth can mean more aggressive play on your end, and that’s before you get into animals that can fly like their “realistic” dragons.
If you don’t mind a bit of fantasy in an otherwise fairly realistic dinosaur game, it looks like Aldian of Ancients will be one to look out for. To a more mainstream audience, the lack of massive setpieces might be a turnoff- but what Norian Games are gunning for is a giant sandbox that lets you play as an overgrown handbag- the exact thing a lot of dino-fans are looking for.
From the idea of fighting over carcasses with other predators to simply protecting your territory by making an example out of a few unruly maniraptorans, it feels like the kind of game you could easily lose hours into.
