Fossilfuel

About

Fossilfuel is a single player shooter game with horror and science fiction themes. It was developed by DangerousBob Studio LLC and was released on August 20, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Fossilfuel" is a horror shooter transformed into an open-world adventure, taking place in a vast underground research facility in Alaska. Fight off special forces and mutant dinosaurs to escape and uncover the facility's secrets. Solve puzzles, survive, and experience multiple endings across massive maps. Players can also team up in intense horde mode for added challenges and achievements.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

72%

Audience ScoreBased on 82 reviews

graphics4 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game captures a nostalgic 2000s shooter feel with fun dinosaur shooting mechanics and well-timed jump scares.
Despite its jankiness, the game offers a variety of gameplay elements and a decent atmosphere that keeps players engaged.
The single-player experience is enjoyable, with interesting puzzles and a good selection of weapons, making it a solid indie title.

The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including poor AI, bugs, and a lack of polish, which detracts from the overall experience.
Many players found the difficulty level frustrating, with cheap deaths and unresponsive controls leading to a lack of enjoyment.
The multiplayer mode is underwhelming and feels rushed, failing to deliver the same quality as the single-player campaign.

graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the smooth performance and overall visual quality, especially on lower-end machines. However, there are significant criticisms regarding the design of the dinosaurs, which many feel are poorly executed and lack originality, resembling a haphazard blend of existing concepts. While the visuals are generally deemed satisfactory, the clunky animations and questionable creature designs detract from the overall experience.
- “The graphics in Fossilfuel are well impressive, playing smoothly on epic settings even on my modest machine.”
- “Thanks to DangerousBob, the developer, for keeping things fun, exciting gameplay, and great graphics that will play on most machines.”
- “Awesome jump scares, clever puzzles, and the graphics are dope. I haven't found a gem like this in a bit.”
- “The graphics were a mishmash of free assets, which I am fine with - it's a smart way to use them, and what they were meant for.”
- “I have no complaints on the visuals and graphics except for the 'juraccurate' designs of the animals, which look like they pulled a dinosaur out of Jurassic Park and slapped a few feathers on it and said 'yep, that's good enough.' On that same note, I appreciate the game took some creative liberties by creating hybrid dinosaurs, but they look incredibly stupid and feel too overpowered and clunky. The Homoerectus Rex looks like Humungousaur on that blue meth from Breaking Bad, and its death animation is beyond clunky.”
- “It's low on any graphical settings and my rig is not a slouch.”
story
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
34%
33%
The game's story revolves around Russians attempting to steal dinosaur DNA, featuring well-designed dinosaur models and an engaging atmosphere. However, the narrative suffers from inconsistency, shifting abruptly from horror to shooter elements, and ultimately loses its tension after the initial escape, leading to a short and forgettable experience with limited replay value. While it may appeal to streamers for its brevity, the overall execution leaves much to be desired.
- “Pretty good models for almost all the dinosaurs, interesting story, the game worked minus a couple of small bugs, very interesting and kept me going.”
- “However, the story works, and the atmosphere is very well built in my opinion.”
- “It gave me Doom 3 vibes like crazy, especially the first mission.”
- “The real plot is Russians trying to steal dino DNA and the dinos are just there.”
- “The story is short and forgets itself halfway through the game; once you escape the bunker, any horror elements the game had vanish except for a cheap jumpscare of an enemy bursting through the wall.”
- “The story itself is inconsistent and changes rapidly from horror to a shooter game, and then afterwards there are zero horror elements at all.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The gameplay offers a notable variety of elements, which some players appreciate, but many criticize the execution as rough and flawed. While the game's design is visually appealing, the mechanics are often deemed inadequate, with issues like poorly implemented jump scares and a lack of audio cues detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the gameplay feels short and inconsistent, leaving players wanting more depth and polish.
- “The gameplay reminded me of the first, while the ambience and the atmosphere reminded me of the second.”
- “I think I am about 25% through and I am surprised at how much variety there is in gameplay.”
- “If this mechanic is going to be used for the rest of the game, then you've already done it wrong, and the lazy, cheap jump scares are lame as well.”
- “Jump scares are great when done right, but if a dino destroys a door and instantly kills you, that's not fun - there are no audio clues to balance the gameplay.”
- “The gameplay reminded me of the first game, while the ambience and atmosphere reminded me of the second.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with users noting its effective storytelling and immersive environments reminiscent of previous titles. The sound design, enemy aesthetics, and the unique setting, such as the Jurassic Park bunker, contribute to a compelling ambiance, although some feel the game could benefit from additional polish. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a strong point of the game.
- “However, the story works, and the atmosphere is very well built in my opinion.”
- “The atmosphere, sound, and enemy design are all great, and there's a good selection of weapons.”
- “The gameplay reminded me of the first, while the ambience and the atmosphere reminded me of the second.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits some stability issues, including bugs related to sneaking mechanics and achievements, which can detract from the experience. However, players appreciate the ongoing updates from the developers aimed at improving these aspects. Overall, while the game is enjoyable, it does have notable bugs that need addressing.
- “No leaning around corners, which would be useful for sneaking; hiding in closets is buggy as hell, and the raptor still finds you.”
- “The only things I disliked were the buggy achievements, the lack of dinosaur variety, and the difficulty of the trench area.”
- “Game is fun, but it's a bit buggy; however, the developer is updating constantly.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game's optimization has been criticized for lacking polish, with issues such as poor AI, broken achievements, and inconsistent performance even on high-spec PCs. However, it has been noted that the developer is a single individual, and there have been improvements in optimization since the initial release.
- “The game has seen significant optimization improvements.”
- “While the AI is still basic and somewhat asset reliant, the optimization in certain sections has made a noticeable difference.”
- “It's impressive to see how much a single developer can achieve in terms of optimization.”
- “It lacks any sort of polish, the AI is terrible, achievements were broken, and the performance is mediocre at times (my PC isn't the best but is way over spec for this and it still tanked in places).”
- “The AI is still basic, it's a bit asset reliant (the zombies used for the corpses, for example), and it could still use a bit of optimization in some sections.”
- “The game got optimized.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The game offers some replayability through its level design, featuring multiple path options, but overall, it lacks significant replay value due to its short story that can be completed in one sitting. While speedrunning may provide some incentive for replay, the experience is generally not compelling enough for players seeking varied gameplay.
- “Level design is good with multiple path options that enhance replay value.”
- “The story can be completed in one sitting, which is great for streamers, but it doesn't offer much replay value unless you're into speedrunning.”
- “The visuals are nice, but the game has low replay value unless you're interested in speedrunning.”
- “The story can be completed in one sitting (like I did), which is good if you're a streamer, but unfortunately doesn't hold much replay value at all unless you like speedrunning.”
- “Visuals are nice enough, but the designs offer low replay value unless you're into speedrunning.”
- “Level design is good with some multiple path options here and there for replay value.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is highly praised for its ability to enhance the spooky atmosphere and suspense, with a nostalgic 80s vibe that complements the gameplay. Reviewers appreciate how well the soundtrack aligns with the level design, contributing to an immersive experience.
- “I loved everything about this: spooky setting, going through vents, and a great suspense soundtrack that gave off some real 80s vibes.”
- “So far, I liked Fossil Fuel. The levels are well designed, and the music fits really well with each section.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect tedious and frustrating, particularly due to unclear mechanics regarding inventory expansion, which can lead to a cumbersome experience during gameplay.
- “The backpacks that increase your inventory size do not clearly indicate that they add more slots after the first pickup, making my playthrough tedious and boring.”
- “Grinding feels like a never-ending chore, with little reward for the time invested.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding in this game quickly becomes monotonous and detracts from the overall experience.”