Dinosaur Fossil Hunter

About

Dinosaur Fossil Hunter is a story-driven simulation game that allows you to explore various US-inspired landscapes as a paleontologist. Use different exploration and excavation tools to search for dinosaur fossils, prepare them for your museum, and learn about numerous dinosaur species. The game features off-road vehicle driving and an engaging storyline.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+20

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 404 reviews

gameplay23 positive mentions

grinding36 negative mentions

The game offers a relaxing and enjoyable experience for dinosaur lovers, allowing players to dig up fossils, clean them, and assemble dinosaur skeletons.
The graphics and attention to detail in the dinosaur skeletons are impressive, enhancing the overall immersion of the game.
The museum customization feature allows for creative exhibit design, making it satisfying to display completed skeletons.

The game suffers from performance issues, including lag and stuttering, which can detract from the overall experience.
Many players find the gameplay repetitive and tedious, particularly the fossil cleaning and assembly processes.
There are several bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as losing fossils during transport and issues with the user interface.

gameplay
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
48%
15%
Gameplay in this title is a mixed bag, with some players enjoying the core mechanics of fossil digging and exhibit building, while others find it tedious and repetitive. Many reviews highlight issues with driving mechanics and frustrating bugs, which detract from the overall experience. Despite its potential for fun and relaxation, the game suffers from a lack of polish and clarity in its mechanics, leading to a divided reception among players.
- “It has a simple yet overall satisfying gameplay loop for someone who is interested in paleontology, dinosaur fossils, and skeletons, and who enjoys games in a similar vein as PowerWash Simulator.”
- “The mechanics are nice and the workshop implementation is pretty cool.”
- “While it has a weird focus on cutting wood and clearing roads, and the tutorial lasts a geological epoch, the actual content and gameplay loop of putting together skeletons for display isn't bad.”
- “Do not buy this game because you will be frustrated by your save games disappearing and hours of gameplay lost.”
- “The gameplay is bad, and there is nothing holding it together in any way to make you want to continue.”
- “The mechanics are sloppy; you can get stuck trying to dig for fossils and bounced around by the physics of rocks rolling around on the ground.”
grinding
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely described as tedious and repetitive, with many players expressing frustration over the excessive busy work involved in tasks like fossil cleaning and transportation. While some find enjoyment in the game's relaxing and satisfying nature, others feel that the grind detracts from the overall experience, leading to boredom and disappointment. Overall, the game's appeal seems to hinge on the player's tolerance for repetitive tasks, particularly those who appreciate realistic simulations.
- “If you like grinding tedious actions you can have a little fun with this, which does not mean the game isn't garbage.”
- “From the beginning to the end, no matter what you're digging out or assembling, it's the same, increasingly tedious busy job.”
- “There is so much extra busy work in this game that makes it so much more tedious than it should be.”
story
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
63%
9%
The story in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it engaging and well-integrated into the gameplay, while others criticize it as tedious and overly lengthy, detracting from the core experience. Many users express frustration with the narrative's pacing and the lack of meaningful content, suggesting that the story feels more like a forced tutorial than a compelling element. Overall, while some appreciate the narrative's potential, it often fails to enhance the gameplay for a significant portion of the audience.
- “Good story and fun puzzles.”
- “The overall story is very good, the mechanics are creative and different from other simulators I've played.”
- “For me, the story is captivating.”
- “It's clunky, laggy, the graphics are a step down from other games, and the attempt at a story is laughable.”
- “The story is non-existent, just acts as a way to teach the player how to play the game, and there is so little content that the game could probably be finished in a couple of sessions, there are 6 species of dinosaur.”
- “I don't want your life story, man, I just want to dig up dinosaurs. It's not good if you don't want to hear about some random guy's life story for like 80% of gameplay.”
graphics
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
50%
11%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the detailed dinosaur skeletons and overall aesthetic, while others criticize the performance issues, clunky visuals, and lack of polish compared to other titles. Many users express hope for future updates to improve graphical quality and performance, but current optimization problems hinder the experience for some players. Overall, while the graphics have potential, they are often described as underwhelming and in need of significant improvement.
- “The graphics of the game, the bones, the excavations, and the environment show a beautiful view to those who play the game!”
- “It has great graphics, wonderful mechanics, and everything about the dinosaurs -- from digging them up to building the exhibit -- is amazing.”
- “Graphics are nice as well as the gameplay.”
- “The graphics quality isn't great and performance could be improved upon (including more performance customization), and the camera movement can be frustrating at times, especially when driving vehicles.”
- “Terrible optimization, unplayable on my PC when it easily handles games like Doom Eternal but cannot handle this game at the lowest graphic settings.”
- “The graphics look extremely cheap and bland.”
optimization
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
48%
38%
Overall, the game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting poor performance, frequent stuttering, and low frame rates, even on capable systems. While some users find enjoyment in the game despite these issues, the consensus is that it feels unpolished and in need of substantial optimization and bug fixes. Players have noted that controls can be frustrating, particularly during vehicle operation, and the user interface is confusing, contributing to an overall sense of dissatisfaction with the game's performance.
- “I am so glad they finally got the performance issues corrected!”
- “Yes, there's still some optimization that needs to be done and some of the controls can be a bit jittery at times, but I don't think it makes the game unplayable by any means.”
- “Still a recommended, but the game could possibly need some work on optimization.”
- “Plus, the game still looks like early access, the user interface is confusing, and the game is badly optimized (runs constantly around 10-20fps even though it technically looks like Half-Life 2).”
- “Terrible optimization, unplayable on my PC when it easily handles games like Doom Eternal but cannot handle this game at the lowest graphic settings.”
- “The optimization is so bad that I can't even load the game.”
stability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
94%
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs that hinder gameplay, such as issues with workstation controls, object interactions, and UI functionality. While some players appreciate the game's design and potential, many feel it resembles an incomplete release due to these persistent glitches, which can be game-breaking at times. Overall, the consensus is that while the game is enjoyable, it requires significant stability improvements to enhance the user experience.
- “The game runs smoothly with minimal bugs, providing a stable experience overall.”
- “I rarely encounter issues, and when I do, they are minor and easily manageable.”
- “The stability of the game allows me to fully immerse myself without interruptions.”
- “It's also a little buggy with the workstations; controlling where you are in relation to the bones and rotating the bones so you can get everything assembled only works half the time.”
- “Aside from the overall shoddiness, the game is also buggy - several bones got stuck and I was prevented from cleaning them. I had to send them to the automated workers because a couple of small bone fragments simply didn't fall to the ground like they're supposed to.”
- “While I appreciate the hard work and love that has clearly gone into this game's development, it feels like an incomplete demo release, not a full game, with how buggy it is.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The game's music is described as cheerful and grandiose, creating a pleasant atmosphere that complements the dinosaur world, though some players found it repetitive and distracting at times. Overall, the soundtrack is considered fun and relaxing, making it suitable for players looking to unwind. Ratings for the music aspect vary, with an average score around 6/10.
- “If you like to relax, listen to music (or a podcast) and just chill, this is one of the best games for that!”
- “Music is fun and relaxing.”
- “I also really like the soundtrack which is pleasant and fits the dinosaur world perfectly.”
- “The game starts well enough, with narrative and some basic structure, which you presume you will be following, while listening to supremely cheerful and grandiose sounding music, which I had to turn off because it kept playing when nothing was happening.”
- “The music loops at times though.”
- “Sound/music - 6/10”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The humor in the game is derived from its quirky physics and amusing bugs, such as trucks inexplicably flying through the air. While some players find the repetitive tasks frustrating, the game offers moments of levity and fun, making it a generally lighthearted experience. Overall, it strikes a balance between enjoyable gameplay and comedic mishaps.
- “So far, it works well with a few issues, but really, they are pretty funny bugs, like the truck flying in the air over and over again.”
- “The physics are pretty good, and you can do some funny things with it.”
- “If that isn't an issue, it's a nice, fun, relaxing game that can lead to a few funny moments with the physics engine.”
- “Driving back and forth to bring back 2 crates each time when you have 20 to do is seriously not funny.”
- “The jokes in this game fall flat and feel forced, making it hard to enjoy the experience.”
- “I expected some clever humor, but instead, I was met with tired clichés that just didn't land.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's replayability is rated low, with users indicating that without significant DLC or updates, they find little incentive to play it again.
- “Replayability - 3/10”
- “Replayability - Other than a DLC or large updates, I can't imagine playing this game again.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with some positive reviews potentially being influenced by paid promotions, leaving a more genuine count of only eight favorable opinions.
- “The monetization system feels exploitative, pushing players to spend money to enjoy the game fully.”
- “It's frustrating that essential features are locked behind paywalls, making it hard to progress without spending real money.”
- “The constant prompts to purchase in-game currency detract from the overall experience and make it feel more like a cash grab.”