Dino Trauma
- April 28, 2023
- Phobia Interactive
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam"Dino Trauma is a survival horror game inspired by '90s classics like Doom, Quake, and Dino Crisis. Players can battle through dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures with a wide range of weaponry in levels that combine '90s design with modern standards. Join the Discord for development updates and more information."
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic titles like Dino Crisis and Doom, with engaging gameplay and a charming PS1 aesthetic.
- Level design is generally good, providing a mix of exploration, puzzles, and combat that keeps players engaged.
- The developers are responsive and actively working on updates, showing a commitment to improving the game based on community feedback.
- Some puzzles and objectives can be unclear, leading to frustration when players get stuck or miss key items like power boxes.
- Combat can feel unbalanced, with some weapons lacking impact and certain enemies being too easy to defeat, while others can be overly tanky.
- The game suffers from occasional bugs and jankiness, such as enemies clipping through walls and issues with hit registration.
- graphics25 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are a nostalgic homage to the early 90s, featuring low-poly, retro visuals that evoke the charm of PlayStation 1 and N64 aesthetics. While many players appreciate the gritty, old-school style and level design, some note issues with muddy textures and visibility, as well as inconsistencies in the quality of certain graphical elements like HUD and animations. Overall, the aesthetic successfully captures a classic vibe, appealing to fans of retro gaming.
“The old school graphics are a fun throwback to the early 90's games I played as a kid.”
“Absolutely beautiful PS1 style low-poly graphics.”
“The polygonal graphics are very appealing to the eye and definitely invoke a certain nostalgia for the PS1 era.”
“The graphics are kind of muddy and visibility isn't always the greatest for reasons beyond the dark environments you'll find yourself navigating, but I get it, the game is trying to capture a specific vibe and it generally succeeds in doing so.”
“The graphics are okay, animations are lacking, hitboxes janky.”
“The gun models look too smooth and complex for a game trying to imitate PS1 graphics.”
- atmosphere21 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its creepy and immersive qualities, effectively blending elements from classic survival horror and 90s FPS games. Reviewers highlight its nostalgic aesthetic, atmospheric audio, and engaging level design, which contribute to a foreboding yet charming experience reminiscent of titles like Dino Crisis and Doom. Overall, the game's atmosphere is considered a standout feature, enhancing the horror elements and providing memorable moments throughout gameplay.
“The atmosphere in this game is extremely well done and creepy, adding to the horror effect.”
“While the story is so-so, the atmosphere and style of the game are both charming and foreboding.”
“Everything in this game is clearly designed to be as 'classic' as possible, including the retro graphics, the gloomy atmosphere, the intricate levels, and even the dinosaurs' models, which are clearly inspired by the old paleontological depictions of the 80s and 90s.”
“This game is essentially what you get if you put Doom mechanics over the atmosphere of Dino Crisis 1 and 2; overall, not a bad experience for what you pay for it.”
- gameplay21 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The gameplay is praised for its clever level design and nostalgic mechanics reminiscent of classic titles like Dino Crisis and Doom, blending first-person shooter elements with puzzles and RPG features. While the game offers a solid 3-4 hours of engaging content, some players noted issues with enemy respawns and aiming mechanics on controllers. Overall, it delivers a promising experience with atmospheric audio and intricate details, appealing to fans of retro-style gameplay.
“The level design is clever and fresh, and puzzles blend classical mechanics like key card doors and logic solvers.”
“This game is essentially first person dino crisis, with a bit of doom mixed in, and some arcade RPG mechanics as well.”
“It is quite evident that a lot of thought and care was put into this game as there are very intricate details in the gameplay, if you are paying attention, and that is something that separates lazy developers from those who care about their product.”
“Another thing is the enemy refresh mechanic feels bugged, because dinosaurs spawn where I've cleared and I didn't pick up any new items.”
“I might start a short rant about this but, my common complaint about these games nowadays is that they lack gore, swimming mechanics, climbing, and even jumping in some games. It frustrates me when I see indie games doing what old school games did.”
“Tiny critiques: my girlfriend plays on controller rather than mouse and keyboard, like me, and she found it hard to aim without an aim down sights mechanic.”
- story20 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The game's story is largely considered underdeveloped, relying heavily on environmental storytelling and scattered radio narrations, which many players find insufficient for immersion. While the atmosphere is praised for its charm and foreboding elements, the narrative feels incomplete and lacks depth, with players expressing hope for future updates to enhance the storyline. Overall, the premise shows potential, but current execution leaves much to be desired.
“While the story is so-so, the atmosphere and style of the game is both charming and foreboding.”
“Love this, it captures that classic/retro feel, love dinos and can't wait for more updates and story missions.”
“Great level design, love the storytelling through the set, highly recommend!”
“The story of this game is almost non-existent and 90% of what you do learn about what's going on is done through PDF-style environmental storytelling. Once in a while, you'll get random radio narrations from people. Since this game is still in development, the story feels wholly unfinished, which is to be expected this early in development.”
“As it currently stands, though, if you're looking for story immersion, this is not your game.”
“The plot is the exact kind of nonsense you'd get out of a 90's survival horror game, complete with a poor translation that I'm not sure is intentional.”
- music9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while it effectively captures the nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of Dino Crisis, some players find the original soundtrack lacking in impact and repetitive, with short loops that can become grating during extended gameplay. The auditory ambiance is praised, but the inconsistency in music continuity during intense moments detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the soundtrack is considered decent but could benefit from more variety and depth.
“The trailers for the game are all cut very fast and set to ripping metal music.”
“It is a perfect homage to Dino Crisis, especially with the atmosphere and music.”
“The good stuff: visuals, level design, music, enemy design.”
“The scenarios are impeccable, they bring out the nostalgia of Dino Crisis 1 and 2, with abandoned laboratories, abandoned military depots, some fenced environments, etc. What's actually missing to make it complete is the stages' soundtrack, which, at least for me, didn't have that much impact.”
“While the auditory ambiance is great, the OST loops are awful.”
“Having a 35-second dramatic music reprise loop on repeat for a 30-minute level gets grating super quick.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game generally runs smoothly without significant bugs, but players have noted a need for better optimization and clearer guidance on objectives, particularly regarding smaller interactive elements like power boxes.
“The game runs smoothly so far; I haven't encountered any bugs as of yet.”
“Overall good game, although some optimization and clearer directions on where I am supposed to go or what to do, especially regarding the small power boxes, would be helpful.”
“The optimization in this game is a mess; it feels like the developers prioritized flashy graphics over actual performance.”
“It's frustrating to see such poor optimization when the gameplay could be so much smoother with a few tweaks.”
“The game runs like a slideshow on my system, despite meeting the recommended specs; clearly, optimization was not a priority.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is highlighted by its amusing problem-solving elements and unexpected jump scares, particularly from the triceratops, which add a lighthearted touch to the spooky atmosphere. Players appreciate the blend of humor and horror, finding the jump scares both scary and funny.
“The problem-solving bits of the game are fun, and the jump scares have all been fairly hilarious (those triceratops had no mercy).”
“I love the atmosphere and vibe of the game, plenty of spooky and scary moments, and some nice dino jump scares that have made me laugh.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players found "Dino Trauma" to evoke strong emotions by tapping into nostalgic memories of their childhood experiences with the original "Dino Crisis" games, creating a heartfelt connection that enhanced their overall enjoyment.
“Dino Trauma was a game that surprised me and left me quite emotional for the simple fact that it brought back good memories of my childhood when I played Dino Crisis 1 and 2.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Overall, users report that the game experiences occasional minor bugs, but these issues are not significant enough to disrupt gameplay.
“A little buggy sometimes, but nothing game-breaking.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it hard to enjoy.”
“I experienced several glitches that disrupted my gameplay.”
