Five Nights At John Hammond’s
There are a lot of games out there like Terrible Lizards. The genre of horror games focused on evasion and horror are nothing new, but what drew me to this one were the dinosaurs. I am a sucker for a good piece of media featuring dinosaurs. Movies, games, whatever the case may be, I am still a giant child when it comes to these extinct creatures. Terrible Lizards takes the concept, mixes it with a bit of its own flare, and absolutely nails the atmosphere. What we end up with is a solid outing in the genre that stands on its own hind legs.
The story starts off strong as players assume the role of a college student named Dalton in the early 90s as they are cruising down Route 66 somewhere in the Southwest of America. The car suddenly breaks down as they slowly cruise into a gas station in the middle of nowhere. You call a local tow truck company who informs you that it is gonna be a while, and to find a hotel, but the only thing around is Dalton’s Dinos, so you decide to take in the attraction while waiting, but once entering you quickly realize, something is definitely wrong.
MSRP: $24.99
Platforms: XBOX (reviewed), PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: $24.99
This is where Terrible Lizards really excels, they absolutely nailed the atmosphere. From the empty lobby to the crudely produced video you watch on the tour, everything feels weird and creepy. There are notes and evidence of people being here recently scattered around. I was checking every crevice looking for what was happening. It is unsettling from the start and keeps that energy for the 6–8-hour adventure.
As I mentioned before, this is a horror game without combat, which means our main character is tasked with avoiding confrontation whenever it crops up. Unlike other games in this genre though, Dalton is quite agile, and moving around the world focuses on parkour and platforming. The bulk of the game is investigation, but every once in a while, the game tosses a sequence at the player where they must run away or avoid some scary “things.” These sections are very scripted but still work surprisingly well.
The platforming itself works really well. It does a great job of latching players onto platforms, and most of the sequences are not frustrating, but instead focus more on the stress, which is how it should be. Navigation is also excellent as the game does guide the player with highlighted objects and plenty of ‘yellow paint’ everywhere. This isn’t annoying as it is imperative during fast-moving sequences. I also loved exploring every nook and cranny looking for more world building, the mystery in this game is just so interesting.
My one gripe about the game is that it is very frontloaded when it comes to being unique. Exploring the museum itself is very much the highlight of the game. Once I moved into the underground section, the levels became much more tedious and repetitive. I still found myself pushing through though as I was really curious how things would play out. The game also doesn’t overstay its welcome, clocking in between 6-8 hours depending on how much exploration you decide to do. I did it all and still clocked in under nine hours.
Visually, the game looks good and is impressive for a first effort from developer WDR Studios. The atmosphere is king and the frame rate keeps a steady clip. I loved the opening area of the game, and while the underground sections are a bit uninspired, they make sense in context. The voice acting is cheesy, but I appreciated Dalton’s attitude toward the whole situation. The rest of the sound is decent with some creepy tunes that echo throughout the game.
Terrible Lizards is a wonderful debut from WDR Studios. It takes a familiar formula, injects it with a unique premise, and adds enough of their own flavor to help it stand out. It mixes two things that I really enjoy when it comes to horror and of course dinosaurs. If you enjoy even one of those things, I cannot recommend Terrible Lizards enough. It is on Game Pass, but even at $29.99 it is worth diving into.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.