Saurian

About

"Saurian" is a single-player, open-world game set in Hell Creek 66 million years ago, where players survive as hatchlings, managing needs while avoiding predators and hazards in a scientifically accurate environment. Its good mechanics, impressive visuals, and music are weighed down by numerous bugs, but it offers an immersive dinosaur experience with a thriving AI ecosystem.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,008 reviews

gameplay52 positive mentions

stability79 negative mentions

Beautiful graphics and scientifically accurate dinosaur models.
Unique gameplay experience as a dinosaur in a prehistoric environment.
Potential for future updates and additional playable species.

Only one playable dinosaur currently, leading to repetitive gameplay.
Performance issues and lag, even on high-end PCs.
Slow development progress with minimal updates since release.

gameplay
188 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
62%
11%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting a lack of variety and depth, leading to a repetitive experience after a few hours. While some appreciate the realistic mechanics and immersive environment, others criticize the AI behavior, performance issues, and limited content, particularly the small number of playable dinosaurs. Overall, the game shows potential but requires significant improvements in gameplay mechanics and variety to enhance player engagement.
- “It's a beautiful game, it has engaging mechanics, it can get adrenaline pumping or it can be calm and peaceful, it's not for the faint of heart, it can be stressful and intense and that's what I personally love about it, it has beautiful prehistoric accuracy and I can't wait until there's more playable dinosaurs to experience playing as.”
- “As for the gameplay, it's pretty good; both the dakotaraptor and triceratops feel very fleshed out, and trying to survive from hatching to adulthood can be a good challenge. Plus, now with the mating and nesting mechanic, you can come full circle and make a family of your own.”
- “The game play is really engaging, always having you on your toes, and the mechanics are quite smooth.”
- “The game is very interesting for the first couple of hours, but stagnates quickly with no gameplay variety (a plague of animal simulator games like this, really unfortunate).”
- “I just can't see the basic framework for a fun game here, even in 'early access.' The AI is virtually non-functional, the gameplay feels lackluster (eat, sleep, explore, have baby, genius and inspired...), audio design is incredibly weak, practically the only good thing in this game is potentially the design of the dinosaurs, which just isn't saying much for a video game.”
- “The gameplay is limited - eat, drink, sleep, do it all over again - and the game is pretty buggy so I can't say it's the most immersive experience as is.”
graphics
144 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
54%
6%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the stunning visuals and attention to detail, particularly in the rendering of animals and plants, while others criticize the poor optimization and performance issues that hinder gameplay. Many players report significant lag and low frame rates even on high-end PCs, leading to frustration despite the game's aesthetic appeal. Overall, while the graphics are appreciated for their beauty and realism, the lack of optimization and high system requirements detract from the experience for many users.
- “Despite the lack of optimization, the game is visually stunning; each animal and plant is rendered in loving detail with regards to scientific accuracy, aesthetics, and readability in gameplay.”
- “The graphics are stunning, and the attention to accuracy is what makes this game.”
- “The graphics are beautiful and make me feel like I'm a dinosaur living in the Hell Creek formation of the past.”
- “First of all, the game has horrible performance, so much so that I had to set my game to 'very low' graphics to stay at 20 fps, and even then it still spiked around.”
- “The graphics are underwhelming, and despite this, the game still performs very badly; it is impossible to get anything above 30 fps at the lowest settings on a high-end gaming PC.”
- “Even on the lowest graphic settings, it's unplayable.”
stability
80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
99%
The game is widely criticized for its instability, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and performance issues that significantly hinder gameplay. While some players acknowledge that these problems are typical for an early access title, many express frustration over the lack of progress and updates after several years of development. Overall, the consensus is that while the game has potential, it remains a buggy and unpolished experience that may not be worth purchasing at this stage.
- “For an early access game, it's not that buggy.”
- “The game runs smoothly most of the time, with only occasional crashes.”
- “Despite being in early access, the stability is impressive for the most part.”
- “Buggy mess and still unfinished after many years.”
- “I've bought this game a long time ago when a popular YouTuber said how amazing this game would be from all the trailers and such (keep in mind this was over 2 years ago). Most of those trailers promised awesome gameplay and survival, but I was always met with a buggy mess of a game and super slow updates that never progressed the game enough to make it playable. I've tried playing this game over 5 different times hoping it would get better, which it never did, so save your money unlike I did.”
- “The game is very buggy (even for early access). I wasn't able to drink water about 3 times and died solely for that reason.”
optimization
70 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
59%
23%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players experiencing severe performance issues, including low frame rates and lag, even on high-end PCs. Despite its visually stunning graphics, the game is still in alpha, leading to numerous bugs and a lack of polish that significantly detracts from the overall experience. While some players note that optimization improvements are being worked on, the current state is deemed unacceptable for a smooth gameplay experience.
- “Despite the lack of optimization, the game is visually stunning; each animal and plant is rendered in loving detail with regards to scientific accuracy, aesthetics, and readability in gameplay.”
- “Sure, the game needs better optimization, but I'm sure that's being worked on.”
- “The game runs smoothly enough for an early access title, with occasional screen freezes here and there.”
- “The game itself is in a state where it's extremely boring and unfulfilling, alongside being poorly optimized.”
- “The biggest problem I have with this game is performance; my PC is not amazing by any means, but I upgraded from using an onboard GPU to a Ryzen and a 1050 Ti, and the improvement is minimal. I get between 20 and 40 FPS on a good day with lag spikes happening periodically.”
- “Definitely the laggiest, most poorly optimized game I have ever had the misfortune of playing, which is unfortunate because I was psyched to play this.”
music
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
27%
10%
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its beautiful and immersive soundtrack, which enhances the overall atmosphere and mood. Players appreciate the variety, from relaxing daytime tunes to tense, eerie compositions at night, contributing to a dynamic gaming experience. However, some users have reported issues with sound glitches and crashes, which detract from the enjoyment of the music.
- “The world feels very alive with good ambiance and music in the background that just wants to make you sit around for a while and listen to it.”
- “The soundtrack paired with it is stunning.”
- “Another thing is the music of this game is great, one moment it can be peaceful and relaxing and then the next you feel like you are playing a horror game.”
- “There is almost no music at all, but I'm sure that's in the works.”
- “I also downloaded the DLC for 5 dollars thinking it added stuff, but it's a soundtrack apparently that doesn't play since sound crashes constantly.”
- “I guess the music was supposed to be creating tension, but it just served to confuse me.”
replayability
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
76%
12%
The game's replayability is currently limited, primarily due to the lack of playable dinosaurs, with only one or two options available at present. While players find the mechanics engaging and the visuals appealing, many express frustration over the stagnant content and hope for future updates that will introduce more playable species and enhance the overall experience. Until these improvements are made, the game is seen as offering a short-lived experience with minimal replay value.
- “It's a beautiful game, it has engaging mechanics, it can get adrenaline pumping or it can be calm and peaceful. It can be stressful and intense, and that's what I personally love about it. I can't wait until there's more playable dinosaurs to experience.”
- “I can't wait to get more playable fauna for this game, and hopefully we get a few non-dinosaur playable animals as well, like the crocs or even some of the small mammals of the time.”
- “Currently, the only downside to this game is that it is just way too good for the lack of content that it fails to deliver on. As of now, there are only 2 playables, but both are extremely great to play as. I hope the devs will be reading this: please, please, please get some more playables in this game!”
- “The controls, all the way down to the camera movement, are a bit janky and the game has very little replayability.”
- “Honestly, in 3 years several companies got way past alpha and 2 available choices; we were 'promised' a lot more than this, including random quetz attacks, more playable options, multiplayer, social interaction, etc.”
- “Saurian, as of now, makes for a neat, short survival experience with little to no replay value, and this is in no way worth its price tag.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
70%
30%
The atmosphere in the game is described as immersive and realistic, enhanced by a diverse ecosystem, effective day and night lighting, and evocative music. However, some players criticize the map layout and mechanics as unmemorable, detracting from the overall experience. Despite these mixed reviews, many appreciate the game's unique atmosphere and potential, particularly its commitment to scientific accuracy in depicting dinosaurs.
- “The assortment of trees and ferns, the colors, the day and night lighting, as well as the various AI scattered about really make the atmosphere immersive and realistic.”
- “The atmosphere is fantastic (especially the music).”
- “The world of Saurian isn't made beautiful by cutting-edge graphics; it's made beautiful by the elegiac atmosphere of its vigorously accurate ecosystem.”
- “If you're looking for an animal survival-style game and don't need it to be dinosaurs, play Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey (more nerdy/survival) or Maneater (more goofy/fun) and think about what we could have had in terms of the mechanics, handling, atmosphere, level design, and HUD elements for Saurian.”
- “What matters to me is the core mechanics and atmosphere.”
- “Fantastic environment, science, creatures, and atmosphere.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
86%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while it offers initial fun and immersion in the dinosaur survival theme, it quickly becomes tedious and repetitive due to limited mechanics and the need for constant resource management. The gameplay often involves aimless wandering and repetitive tasks, leading to frustration and a sense of monotony over time. Overall, many feel that the grinding detracts from the overall enjoyment, making it less appealing in the long run.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “It is a lot of fun to begin with, but can get slightly more boring over time with the same things like eating, fighting, and drinking becoming tedious.”
- “Gameplay is fun but also tedious at times.”
- “I can't really explore much because I have to keep running up hills then down to a water source then up and down and up and that is very tedious.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted for its dark and satirical undertones, particularly in relation to the development process and funding issues, which some players find amusing despite the frustrations. Additionally, the game's visuals and lighthearted moments, such as the humorous depiction of dinosaurs, contribute to an overall comedic experience that resonates well with players.
- “It is funny and I love the feathers.”
- “This was literally the first 2 seconds of the game; I'd be mad if it wasn't so funny.”
- “Very good game; it's funny and has nice graphics.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report a strong emotional impact from the game, highlighting moments of terror and heartbreak, such as witnessing the death of a character's mother and the poignant coming-of-age story of a velociraptor. These experiences evoke deep feelings, ranging from fear to sadness, underscoring the game's ability to connect with players on an emotional level.
- “However, the first time I played as a trike, a T-Rex killed my mother in front of me within five minutes of being spawned, which was terrifying and also heartbreaking.”
- “Tears welled up in his eyes when he realized what exactly was at stake.”
- “Heartwarming coming-of-age story of our favorite velociraptor.”
monetization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is widely criticized, with users labeling it as a blatant cash grab that undermines the overall experience. Many express frustration over the perceived lack of value and the futility of seeking refunds. Overall, the sentiment is overwhelmingly negative, advising potential buyers to avoid the game.
- “This feels like a complete and utter cash grab, and I feel like my efforts to get any sort of refund would be in vain.”
- “Cash grab, do not buy.”
- “Or will it be added to the heap of indie titles that merely served as a cash grab?”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game features a heartwarming coming-of-age story centered around a velociraptor, but some players feel it lacks a structured narrative, relying instead on complex AI for random, realistic experiences. While the animal behaviors are praised for their authenticity, there is a desire for a more defined story mode to enhance gameplay focus.
- “A heartwarming coming-of-age story of our favorite velociraptor.”
- “The game is driven by complex AI that gives the player random realistic experiences rather than a scripted story, and the other animals behave in an understandable and interpretable way that's more like modern animals instead of the monsters that most other forms of media portray dinosaurs as.”
- “The game is driven by complex AI that gives the player random realistic experiences rather than a scripted story, and the other animals behave in an understandable and interpretable way that's more like an animal with the same imperatives as modern ones instead of some monster like most other forms of media portray dinosaurs.”
- “It might be better to have another option than 'survival mode', one with a story to provide focus (like, an asteroid or ice age, for example).”
- “☑ no story”