Desktop Dinosaurs
- June 23, 2023
- Harmonie Games
"Desktop Dinosaurs" is a game that allows you to raise and evolve cute, hand-drawn dinosaurs inspired by 90's Tamagotchi. Manage their environment and resources while showing them love and care. The game offers two play modes: overlay on your Windows desktop and fullscreen with animated backgrounds and dynamic lighting. With five species available, each with randomly generated colors, you can name, pet, and buy eggs, food, decorations, and toys for your dinosaurs in the in-game shop.
Reviews
- The game features adorable pixel art and animations that bring the dinosaurs to life, making it visually appealing.
- The concept of having desktop pets is nostalgic and offers a unique gameplay experience that many players find charming.
- Recent updates have shown improvements, with the developer actively working on bug fixes and adding new features.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs, including crashes and issues with the user interface, making it frustrating to play.
- Gameplay requires constant attention to manage the dinosaurs, as their needs deplete too quickly, leading to a feeling of being overwhelmed.
- Many players feel the game is unfinished and lacks sufficient content, with limited interactions and features available.
- stability12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs affecting core gameplay elements such as hatching and caring for dinosaurs, as well as user interface interactions. Many players express frustration over the game's unfinished state and the lack of developer support for reported issues, leading to a perception that it is not well-balanced and requires excessive oversight. Overall, the consensus is that the game is overly buggy and fails to deliver on its promises.
“It promised a lot, but is very buggy, not well balanced, and developers have abandoned the game and are ignoring all bug reports in forums.”
“This game is very clearly unfinished and buggy.”
“Extremely buggy even though it's not in early access.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The pixel graphics are highly praised for their suitability to the genre, with users expressing admiration for the art style and animations, particularly highlighting the charm of characters like the triceratops. Overall, the graphics evoke a sense of nostalgia and creativity, bringing to life what many have attempted to create in their youth.
“The pixel graphics are perfect for this genre, and it's wonderful to see something I only attempted (albeit poorly) to create when I was very young actually come to life!”
“I absolutely adore the art style and animations of my little triceratops, whom I named General!”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that the game runs smoothly in the background, indicating effective optimization.
“It runs smoothly even when I let it run in the background.”
“The optimization is impressive, allowing for seamless multitasking.”
- music2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its delightful and soothing 8-bit piano composition, which perfectly complements the light-hearted theme and enhances the overall experience, especially in full screen mode.
“The music that kicks in when playing in full screen mode is a delight and fits the light-hearted theme perfectly, a soothing 8-bit piano to accompany your caring adventure.”
- gameplay2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The gameplay currently suffers from a non-functional mechanic, leaving players with limited options to increase dinosaur happiness, primarily relying on the repetitive action of petting them.
“Don't be fooled, the mechanic doesn't work as of yet, so the only way to increase happiness is to pet your dinosaurs.”