Dino Crisis

About

Dino Crisis is a single player survival shooter game with horror and violence themes. It was developed by CAPCOM Co., Ltd. and was released on February 12, 2026. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

STORY SECTION Three years ago. A scientist died in an accident during an experiment. His research was on “Third Energy,” a completely clean energy source. The accident occurred just as government funding had been cut off because the project was deemed unfeasible. To the public, it was nothing more than an insignificant piece of information. Until now. An agent dispatched to a small c…

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78%

Audience ScoreBased on 462 reviews

gameplay5 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

Classic survival horror game with dinosaurs, delivering intense and unique horror experience distinct from zombies.
Engaging puzzles and multiple endings add replay value and challenge compared to Resident Evil.
Improved graphics and smoother performance on modern hardware with solid controller support.

Presence of invasive DRM causing launch issues and performance problems, especially on Steam Deck and Linux.
Outdated tank controls and fixed camera angles may feel clunky and difficult for modern players.
Lack of quality-of-life features such as cloud saves, achievements, Steam Overlay, and modern UI improvements.

gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
73%
10%
The gameplay is characterized by classic survival horror mechanics with fixed camera angles, tank controls, resource management, and intense run-or-hide sequences, offering a tense and nostalgic experience. It emphasizes exploration and challenging puzzles without hand-holding, with some praised innovations like bleeding and item crafting ahead of its time. While the mechanics are dated and visuals unupdated, fans of old-school horror gameplay will find it solid and engaging.
- “Tense gameplay: dinos can chase you into rooms, they can smell & track you when you bleed, as well as some in-game puzzles.”
- “Fixed camera angles, fight or flight moments, puzzles, and resource management are all core to the main gameplay.”
- “Some of the in-game mechanics include mixing items to create something more useful, forging an ID to access new areas, and utilizing keys and codes—the concept of doing all this is incredible and shows the game was ahead of its time.”
- “They haven't updated anything, not even the models, and the mechanics are straight up trash.”
- “The game's mechanics reflect its late-1990s origins, most notably through its tank-style controls and fixed camera angles.”
- “There is almost no hand holding and some of the outdated mechanics of the game, especially the lack of an inventory for files, really allow the logic puzzles of this game to stand out.”
story
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
52%
10%
The story of the game is praised for its engaging, atmospheric narrative centered on Regina's mission to secure Dr. Kirk on a dinosaur-infested island, blending survival horror elements with puzzles and resource management. While it evokes nostalgia for classic Capcom games and offers multiple endings, some note it lacks the depth and character development found in Resident Evil titles, though the plot remains enjoyable and full of surprises. Overall, the story effectively combines tension, cinematic presentation, and environmental storytelling that resonates well with fans of the genre.
- “Dino Crisis is a survival horror game where you try to survive and accomplish the mission on an island, leaving alive, with the obstruction of dinosaurs and puzzles.”
- “The narrative unfolds through environmental storytelling, documents, radio communications, and tense character interactions, maintaining a focused, cinematic feel without unnecessary exposition.”
- “The story and voice lines still hold up!”
- “I feel that it lacks the same depth of setting, story, and character that many of the Resident Evil games had.”
- “Eventually, the disk exploded in the PC and damaged the CD/RW, so that's where the story ended.”
- “I love this genre, and the insanely bad dialogue and story were a lot of fun... just wish it had anything else redeeming to it beyond being like 'yeah this kind of reminds me of the many much better RE and RE-clones I've played'.”
graphics
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
70%
13%
The graphics have been notably improved from the original, offering up to 4K resolution with sharper visuals reminiscent of a remaster, although some still find them dated and reflective of 90s pixelated style. While updated and cleaner than before, the visuals may feel barebones, appreciated mainly by fans of nostalgia and classic survival horror aesthetics. Overall, the graphics are a mixed point, praised for upgrades but limited by their retro origins.
- “This is an improved version of the game on Steam and has improved visuals and controls where it almost feels like a remaster.”
- “The graphics are more up to date and support rendering up to 4K resolution.”
- “This is the PS1 version that's been ported, but you can bump it up to 4K resolution with MSAA and antialiasing, so it basically looks like the more graphically polished Dreamcast release from back in the day.”
- “Graphic is worse than I remember, but the game is still great even though there's a lot of backtracking, which was the norm in 90s survival horror.”
- “I purchased it for the nostalgia, but couldn't even take the stone age graphics.”
- “Pass on this one, folks, unless you are a die-hard fan of tank controls and pixellated 90s graphics.”
optimization
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
Optimization reviews are mixed: some users report solid, smooth performance with no stutters, while others criticize the PC port as poorly optimized and hindered by performance-reducing DRM that can significantly impact frame rates. Issues like lower framerates during FMVs and a generally unoptimized experience are noted despite improved hardware compatibility.
- “The modern PC release ensures improved compatibility, smoother performance, and support for contemporary hardware without fundamentally altering the original presentation.”
- “Performance is pretty solid; I've had no stutters or unexpected performance issues, and the game ran smoothly for me.”
- “Performance is pretty solid; I've had no stutters or unexpected performance issues, and the game ran smoothly for me.”
- “More like it's an enigma why they'd include this degrading, performance-reducing, anti-mod.”
- “The FMVs are more affected by the stuttering, with noticeably lower framerate than the original on PS1.”
- “Not just any DRM, but the infamous enigma, which can tank game performance by as much as 40% (just look at what it did to Resident Evil 4 remake).”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere is widely praised for its tense, immersive blend of story, visuals, and soundtrack, effectively creating suspense and complementing the survival horror gameplay. Despite some critiques on puzzle-heavy segments, the game’s detailed pre-rendered backgrounds and cinematic framing maximize the limitations of its era, delivering a memorable and historically significant experience.
- “The way the story and the atmosphere blend so well together, complementing each other, is just insane to me.”
- “Great atmosphere, tension when the dinosaurs are around.”
- “The atmosphere and soundtrack alone were ahead of its time, and the puzzles were decently difficult.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The music in the game effectively captures a nostalgic, retro PS1 vibe with a solid and engaging soundtrack. It features memorable themes like the save room music that enhance the atmosphere, balancing suspenseful compositions during encounters with ambient tones in exploration. Overall, the soundtrack is praised for its contribution to the game's immersive and entertaining experience.
- “The soundtrack is solid, and the cast is surprisingly engaging, with Regina, Rick, and Gail playing off each other well and being equally entertaining, with Kirk being a nice semi-antagonist.”
- “The atmosphere and soundtrack alone were ahead of its time, and the puzzles were decently difficult.”
- “The sound is very simple and the soundtrack really takes you back to the retro days of the PS1.”
- “* the improved cutscene videos, and game voice/music”
- “The soundtrack complements this atmosphere with restrained, suspenseful compositions that rise during encounters and fade into ambient quiet during exploration.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game generally runs well and feels smooth during play, but it has a notable stability issue with freezing when alt-tabbing, which prevents resuming the game; however, the GOG version does not exhibit this problem.
- “Also, runs great.”
- “Maybe that is just me having that rusty feel of the controls but other than that the game runs great and it feels great playing this original classic.”
- “Game freezes when alt-tabbing and will not resume when the game is brought back to focus, GOG version works just fine.”
- “Also, be aware of trying to alt-tab, as the game frequently freezes when alt-tabbing and will not resume.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game offers moderate replayability through branching choices and multiple endings, reminiscent of classic late-90s survival horror. However, some players find its overall replay value limited, prompting them to move on to sequels.
- “Much like Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, the game features branching choices and multiple endings, which add a lot of replay value.”
- “The puzzle design feels classic late-90s survival horror, and the multiple endings add replay value.”
- “I would say this game has a very low replay value, and I am just going to move on to the sequel, Dino Crisis 2.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization is widely viewed as a blatant cash grab, showing little respect for the original game's legacy and appearing to exploit community interest with minimal effort or value.
- “This feels like a blatant cash grab, handled with zero respect for the legacy of the original game.”
- “Seriously hope this release on Steam is testing the community interest for remake and/or cash grab to help fund said remake!”
- “I'm getting tired of all these cash grabs with companies putting zero effort.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor arises from the irony and frustration of dealing with technical issues, humorously personified as a boss fight, highlighting the game's outdated DRM and launch challenges in a lighthearted way.
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect somewhat tedious due to janky controls and repetitive puzzles or backtracking, but it doesn't significantly detract from their overall enjoyment of the game.