With the third installment in the Jurassic World Evolution franchise, Frontier Developments has delivered the ultimate fantasy to Jurassic Park/World fans: the ability to build and fully customize your own dinosaur theme park. With all of its new features and changes to existing systems, I’m convinced that Jurassic World Evolution 3 is the pinnacle of this series.
### Man Destroys God
Jurassic World Evolution 3 is what you’d expect from a follow-up to its two predecessors: a management sim that allows players to build their own Jurassic World through both guided and sandbox modes. The third time around, most of it is familiar. Still, Frontier manages to pack enough changes and improvements that I found myself having more fun than in the previous series entries.
Chief among the new additions are juvenile dinosaurs. Younger versions of dinosaurs were already a thing in this franchise, but they’ve now been revamped with unique traits and behaviors that completely transform how you engage with them.
Now, juvenile dinosaurs take more after their parents, both in appearance and behavior. Certain traits are passed down through breeding and will be reflected in offspring. This includes unique color patterns that may be atypical for a species. This new system also rewards careful dinosaur management over an extended period of time.
The way a dinosaur is cared for during its youth—both by its parents and you as the park manager—influences its disposition as an adult. A neglected juvenile raptor that grew up in an uncomfortable environment may become an aggressive and angry adult. Conversely, making sure a young dinosaur’s needs are met could lead to a happy and social adult. Of course, some species of dinosaurs are naturally more docile or hostile than others, and that plays a significant factor as well.
You can also track an individual dinosaur’s lineage, allowing you to see how certain traits have been passed down throughout generations as you continue to nurture your dinos. As dinosaurs grow old and eventually pass away, I found myself oddly emotional watching as parts of them lived on in their offspring.
### Making the World Jurassic
The campaign once again serves as an extended tutorial. It teaches you everything you need to know about the game, from park management to dinosaur breeding. It’s essentially a must-play experience for first-timers, lest you be completely lost when dinosaurs start dying of illness or watch as attendees flee in horror during a T-Rex breakout.
More experienced players may find themselves treading a lot of familiar ground. That’s where I found myself in JWE3’s campaign. I appreciated the refresher on all the game’s mechanics and functions, and there are a handful of significant changes (more on those later) that I needed a proper rundown on, but I wish this mode had more depth to it.
The Jurassic movie franchise has an excellent roster of fascinating and complex characters, riveting storylines, intrigue, and espionage. Jurassic World Evolution 3 doesn’t really have any of that, outside of some fun park locations. Even the return of Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm feels like retreading old ground.
This year’s campaign uses a non-linear format, which is cool, but I wish there was an actual sense of adventure or story in JWE3’s campaign.
### Other Things to Chew On
Challenge and Sandbox mode both make their return in JWE3. Once again, Challenge puts players in, well, challenging scenarios designed to test their understanding of the game’s mechanics. There are levels with short-term and long-term challenges, and Frontier does an excellent job of making the game’s various systems shine.
Challenges also have a decent level of replayability as you explore JWE3’s flexibility in problem-solving.
To me, the natural progression of playing a Jurassic World Evolution game is Campaign, Challenge, and then Sandbox. Sandbox truly is the most delicious part of the experience, putting the player in full control of just about every aspect of running a park.
The full roster of dinosaurs, which now sits at north of 80, are at your disposal, as well as countless items and facilities. I find the fun in carefully selecting my own self-imposed restraints at the start of the run—giving myself some freedom, but not too much. The moment-to-moment challenge of upkeeping a dinosaur theme park and all that it entails is just too engaging for me to ever want to get rid of.
Regardless of how you choose to play, Sandbox has what you need, and its variety of park locations keeps every run fresh.
### Customization and Aesthetics
Customization has also gotten a big boost in JWE3. With the addition of modular building, players can now customize the fine details of different facilities in their park. Walls, roofs, windows, and other props can all be altered to perfectly fit your vision.
If you’re someone who loves to make your park look gorgeous, prepare to sink an ungodly amount of hours into cosmetics.
Speaking of aesthetics, Jurassic World Evolution 3 is downright beautiful. These games have continued to get prettier as they go on, and this one is one of the best-looking sims I’ve ever played.
I was constantly zooming in to admire the dinosaurs or watch as a ranger team drove through a dense jungle area. Lighting and reflections look better than ever thanks to some improved ray tracing settings. Even on a combination of high and ultra settings, my mid-range PC build held up well.
### Chaos Theory
Jurassic World Evolution 3 is the series nearly at its full potential. The previous games established an excellent foundation, and the addition of juvenile dinosaurs and improvements to customization have taken things to another level.
Any Jurassic fan that’s fantasized about managing their own park will find that dream realized in Jurassic World Evolution 3.
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*This review is based on a Steam code provided by the publisher. Jurassic World Evolution 3 is out now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.*
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146429/jurassic-world-evolution-3-review-score
