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Paleo Pines brings a lot of new ideas to the farming and life simulation genre by virtue of its dinosaur-centric mechanics, but less than ideal graphics and lack of depth in some areas sometimes overshadows the game's good ideas. The title is developed by Italic Pig and will published by Modus Games, which has previously helped with releases like Teslagrad and Cris Tales. There are certainly elements of fun to be found in Paleo Pines, but it's a game that can be hard to fully warm up to and be immersed in.
Paleo Pines walks a thin line between player freedom and complete lack of direction - days spent exploring are fun, but it's sometimes hard to tap into the task-based motivation that's common for the genre.The game has all the right ingredients for a cozy game; with elements like farming, ranching, exploration, and friendly villagers it checks all the boxes, and things like inventory management and tool equipping are handled pretty smoothly. However, other elements like off-putting character designs and some shallow features make the experience feel disjointed and difficult to connect with.
The World Of Paleo Pines
Players will begin Paleo Pines in the lush town of Veridian Valley, where they've moved with their trusty dinosaur Lucky to take over their late-grandfather's farm. Exploration and learning about the environment is one of the game's main focuses, which is done through a unique journal mechanic. Players can pull out their journal and use it to analyze the world around them, logging things like new plants, soil quality, and important dinosaur information. This is arguably one of the game's most successful mechanics, helping add to the immersion by making the world feel like something that needs to be trekked through and studied.
Unfortunately, there are some visual elements of the world that take away some of that feeling. Characters' designs are a blend of realism and cutesy cartoon that more often than not feels uninviting, and the player character looks incredibly childlike despite their in-game age. Throughout the game's different biomes there are also some areas, particularly when it comes to ground textures, where things look choppy and unfinished.
There are a handful of characters to meet in Paleo Pines, many of which can be found in Pebble Plaza, Veridian Valley's main marketplace. The buying and selling mechanics of the game include building a cart of goods and making one large purchase or profit instead of having to go through everything individually, which is a welcome feature. Overall the world feels underpopulated, which wouldn't be as large of an issue if the existing characters were incredibly engaging, but many feel a bit shallow.
Taming Paleo Pines' Dinosaurs
The act of befriending wild dinosaurs is done through a multistep minigame that varies in difficulty depending on the breed. Each dinosaur has a certain friendship call that can be played on a flute, as well as a preferred food and Poppin, a special kind of treat made for taming. The flute in Paleo Pines serves as a multipurpose tool that can issue commands to creatures after taming as well, adding a fun extra layer of training. The process of taming is mostly enjoyable, presenting a blend of puzzling and rhythm game elements, but correctly made calls sometimes not registering and a very finicky friendship meter system can get tedious.
Farming & Dinosaur Ranching
After they've been befriended, dinosaurs will still need some time to be completely comfortable. Players must accommodate them with pens, food, and lots of treats and attention in order to earn their trust. Once they've done so, a saddle can be used to make the creature a Helper, with each breed of dinosaur coming with a specific set of skills - some are well suited to watering while others are best at demolition, for example. Building relationships with dinosaurs is another pillar of Paleo Pines, and it's an overall adorable experience, with a wealth of cute animations that accompany interactions with each one.
The use of dinosaurs around the farm and elsewhere is a big part of Paleo Pines, with the creatures introducing fun new ways to do well-trodden tasks that even some of the best farming games have never really touched on before. Riding on a dino as they help water crops or break down barriers is simply a delight, and will likely be a big hit with any dinosaur-enthusiast players. What players can grow is fairly standard, but the game does add an extra layer of strategy by including different soil types, each of which is best suited to certain crops.
Final Thoughts & Review Score
Paleo Pines is by no means a bad game - it presents creative new mechanics and is a clear winner for any players who are big fans of dinosaurs. The experience just feels like it could've used a bit more time in the oven to perfect things like its graphics, direction, and the depth of its characters. It may not be perfect, but Paleo Pines offers a laid back and lighthearted adventure across a dinosaur-covered world that's well-suited for any player looking for a relaxing Jurassic adventure.
Source: Modus Games/YouTube
Paleo Pines releases today, September 26, for PlayStation consoles, Xbox consoles, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Screen Rant was provided with a Steam code for the purpose of this review.