Second Extinction

About

In "Second Extinction," players must reclaim Earth from mutated dinosaurs in intense cooperative battles with up to two friends. The game features 6 heroes, 11 upgradeable weapons, and 6 missions across a large map, with the community's efforts playing a crucial role in the development process and overall war against the dinosaurs. The threat level of each region is influenced by the community's progress, making teamwork and communication essential for success.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

58%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,598 reviews

story88 positive mentions

stability142 negative mentions

The game has great potential with fun gameplay mechanics and satisfying gunplay.
Visually stunning with detailed environments and well-designed dinosaurs.
Cooperative gameplay enhances the experience, making it enjoyable with friends.

The game has been abandoned by the developers, with no future updates or support planned.
It lacks content, with repetitive missions and limited dinosaur variety.
The game is unplayable once the servers shut down, as there is no offline mode.

story
856 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
84%
5%
The story of "Second Extinction" revolves around a group called ERA, tasked with reclaiming Earth from hyper-evolved dinosaurs. While the narrative is minimal and primarily serves as a backdrop for the gameplay, it effectively immerses players in a brutal world filled with missions that involve clearing enemy nests and gathering resources. However, many players feel the lack of depth in the story and mission variety leads to a repetitive experience, especially given the game's current early access state with limited content.
- “The story reveals that an organization called ERA is fighting to reclaim the planet from these hyper-evolved reptiles, sending players as part of specialized squads to clear out enemy nests, eliminate powerful dinosaur mutations, and gather resources.”
- “While the plot itself is somewhat minimal, it effectively provides a backdrop for the missions and environments, helping to immerse players in the game’s brutal world.”
- “The missions give you a mini-story each time.”
- “The current tundra campaign has a handful of missions that are relatively redundant and not particularly enjoyable.”
- “The lack of mission variety and optional objective variety will soon become tedious I'm sure.”
- “There are only six missions in the game as of yet, and you can complete them in an afternoon.”
gameplay
381 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
51%
9%
The gameplay of "Second Extinction" is characterized by fast-paced, cooperative gunplay that emphasizes teamwork and dynamic combat against waves of dinosaurs. While many players appreciate the solid mechanics, satisfying gunplay, and engaging core loop, there are frequent mentions of repetitiveness, a lack of content, and technical issues that detract from the overall experience. The game shows promise with its unique community-based difficulty system and potential for future updates, but currently, it struggles with balance and variety in missions and enemy encounters.
- “With its unique concept and focus on high-stakes combat, 'Second Extinction' immediately garnered attention for delivering an unusual twist on both the cooperative shooter and dinosaur action genres, evoking a blend of nostalgia and fresh, fast-paced gameplay.”
- “One of 'Second Extinction's' most engaging mechanics is its dynamic difficulty system, which tracks player activity across different regions and adjusts difficulty based on how effectively the player base is clearing out areas.”
- “The gameplay is intense and satisfying, and the graphics are great with minimal bugs.”
- “The gameplay is boring and stale, and they didn't even bother implementing scaling based on player count.”
- “The core gameplay loop sounds solid enough, but the lack of other objectives and real point to doing anything other than the core scenario really restricts this; games of this type will live and die based on variety and there's a long way to go on that front.”
- “Game is also plagued with bugs and a boring gameplay loop that becomes tedious after just a couple of matches.”
graphics
232 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
37%
5%
The graphics of "Second Extinction" are widely praised for their stunning detail and atmospheric environments, effectively blending realism with sci-fi aesthetics. Many players highlight the impressive design of dinosaurs and the overall visual fidelity, especially on higher settings, although some note issues with optimization and repetitive aesthetics in certain areas. Overall, the game is considered visually appealing, with a solid performance that enhances the immersive experience, despite some minor graphical glitches and concerns about content depth.
- “The graphics are stunning - the dinosaurs are incredibly detailed and realistic, and the environments are beautifully rendered.”
- “The graphics are fantastic, dino designs are dope (but I do hope they add more species) and the gameplay is awesome; can't wait for future updates on this game.”
- “Graphics are stunning, environments are beautiful, and gameplay is fantastic.”
- “Second Extinction is one of those games where the developers seem to have prioritized graphics and aesthetics over gameplay and optimization.”
- “Graphics aren't that good, and it's honestly just a game to play with your friends when you're bored of everything.”
- “Game ran like 10 fps even on the poorest graphics settings, I even had to scale resolution down. I ran games with better graphics like Horizon Dawn, still bad at a point my screen just stayed white like I was flashbanged with no end.”
stability
153 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
1%
93%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous players reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that hinder gameplay. While some users find the bugs amusing and part of the fun, many others describe the game as nearly unplayable due to these issues, especially in its current early access state. Overall, while there are moments of enjoyment, the persistent instability suggests that the game requires substantial improvements before it can be fully recommended.
- “As it's in early access, it's expected that there will be issues, but so far after well over 100 hours of gameplay I've only ever had a few server blips, where we've dropped out of the server and lost our progress. The actual game has so far been bug-free for me.”
- “Other than that, it runs great on my old laptop, smooth and no lag so far. Can't wait to see where this game goes.”
- “Great game, basically no glitches and looks amazing.”
- “Unplayable and buggy.”
- “Unfortunately the game became a buggy mess that crashes constantly before you can finish a mission, ruining all the enjoyment and fun that it used to create.”
- “The amount of times the game crashes and glitches makes this game not worth your money yet.”
optimization
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
60%
13%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising its performance on high settings and smooth gameplay, particularly on lower-end systems, while others report significant bugs, performance issues, and a lack of updates. Many users express frustration over the game's optimization, citing inconsistent frame rates and the need for further improvements, especially in early access versions. Overall, while some players find it well-optimized, others feel it is severely lacking and requires substantial work to enhance the gaming experience.
- “Wonderfully optimized and incredibly fun.”
- “Very well optimized for the Steam Deck with constant 60fps on high settings.”
- “The performance issues are mostly fixed; I can now run this game maxed and get 90+ fps on a 1070+7700k, not bad really, just minor flickering here and there.”
- “Unfortunately, the game experience is torpedoed by sub-par technical performance.”
- “The game optimization is terrible; I am getting 30 fps at ultra settings and 50-60 fps at low settings (comparing to Killing Floor 2).”
- “Good god... poorly optimized... unbelievable... I'm getting a steady 22fps... and then it went to 60fps for about 10 seconds... then went back down to 22fps.”
grinding
49 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
6%
92%
The reviews highlight that the game features a significant amount of grinding, which can be both enjoyable and tedious depending on player preferences. Many players find the grinding necessary for upgrades and materials, but frustrations arise from bugs, crashes, and a lack of meaningful rewards, leading to a repetitive experience. While some appreciate the grind for its challenge and variety, others feel it detracts from overall enjoyment, especially in single-player mode where difficulty spikes can make progress feel slow and laborious.
- “Pretty much 9 hours in, you can unlock every weapon. To give you an idea, it's not really grindy at all, but more or less going through the ringer and getting as you go.”
- “I also don't like experience/level up mechanics in a PvE game that is just grinding for the sake of grinding; it adds nothing to the game, no accomplishment, no excitement, nothing.”
- “The game is actually really fun, but several times my game has crashed during long runs and I have missed out on a ton of XP. It's becoming very annoying doing a lot of grinding and getting no reward.”
- “The lack of mission variety and optional objective variety will soon become tedious, I'm sure.”
monetization
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
7%
91%
The monetization aspect of the game has been heavily criticized by users, who describe it as a blatant cash grab with little intention of delivering a complete product or ongoing support. Many reviewers express frustration over the lack of updates, communication, and the feeling that the developers are prioritizing profits over player experience, leading to a perception of the game as an abandoned project designed solely to extract money from players. Overall, the sentiment is overwhelmingly negative, with calls for accountability and better practices in the early access model.
- “- No microtransactions”
- “This game was amazing, it truly was, lazy devs, (maybe) lazy parent company reducing funding or pulling members away for other projects. This could have been an amazing game unlike most I have seen in the past few years. They should have sold it or made it open source in a way. If the devs actually wanted this game to keep existing, they would. It was a cash grab fueled by their inability to correctly budget other projects.”
- “I didn't notice too many bugs and I had a decent time playing with friends, but apparently the devs wanted a cash grab and they were mad that the game flopped, so they said 'fuck you' and yanked the game, deleted everything, wiped the slate clean, and took everyone's money.”
- “Expect that any product from them is a cash grab with zero intentions of following up on any claims or promises.”
humor
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with players finding initial comedic elements, such as funny weapon builds and amusing character dialogues, to be entertaining, especially in multiplayer settings. However, the humor can become repetitive and cringe-worthy over time, often overshadowed by technical issues and bugs that lead to unintentional hilarity. While some players appreciate the over-the-top antics and ragdoll physics, others criticize the character portrayals and the game's inconsistent comedic tone.
- “The game becomes incredibly funny when you are playing with friends.”
- “Everything is tuned to be 'over-the-top' which makes it extremely hilarious to play, especially with friends!”
- “The funny dialogue conflicts with the scary dinos; the stress of combat is thwarted by them ragdolling 50ft into the air when hit by an ammo drop.”
replayability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
73%
12%
Replayability in the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it enjoyable, especially in multiplayer settings, while others criticize its limited content and repetitive nature. Many hope for future updates to enhance replay value through additional missions, modes, and features, but currently, the game feels barebones and may not justify its price for those seeking extensive replayability. Overall, while there are elements that can provide replay value, significant improvements are needed to sustain long-term interest.
- “I also truly hope this game continues to be a labor of love for the devs, and they keep adding more to it, because this game can have a lot of potential and replayability to it.”
- “Great replay value, tons of activities to do and all the extraction points offer unique challenges.”
- “Second Extinction offers a large amount of content, replayability, progression & difficulty.”
- “The game is pretty barebones at the moment and doesn't have much replayability value, which is why it isn't worth its full price point.”
- “After doing the 'campaign' missions, you'll notice something once you try to go for the free roam: the game has absolutely no replay value as of now.”
- “Limited replay value for those not interested in beating their personal bests.”
music
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
48%
13%
The music in the game has received largely positive feedback, with many players praising its quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Reviewers noted that the soundtrack is catchy and immersive, effectively complementing the game's graphics and sound design. However, some players found certain music elements, particularly during combat, to be repetitive or distracting.
- “The graphics are amazing, the gameplay feels smooth and exciting, the dinosaurs sound amazing, the sound design is phenomenal, the music is quickly becoming some of my favorite music to date and I am just in love with almost every single aspect of the game <3”
- “The music is top notch, and really keeps you going.”
- “The atmosphere really makes it feel like a deserted world, the music and voice acting is superb, and it doesn't feel cheesy when things get intense.”
- “They have been releasing some of the worst content I have seen in a game for a long time.”
- “The music that plays when you get into a combat situation, I have ended up disabling it as it would not stop playing even after you killed everything and just ended up being a nuisance rather than the helpful tool it was supposed to be.”
- “Guns don't have any oomph to them; music and dino noises are incredibly generic.”
atmosphere
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
25%
15%
The atmosphere in "Second Extinction" is widely praised for its detailed environments, unique art style, and immersive sound design, creating a sense of tension and danger reminiscent of classic sci-fi experiences. However, some players feel that the large open map and lack of diverse interior spaces detract from the overall atmosphere, making traversal feel tedious. Overall, while the game successfully evokes a thrilling and engaging atmosphere, opinions vary on its consistency and effectiveness in maintaining that tension throughout gameplay.
- “Visually, 'Second Extinction' stands out with detailed, atmospheric environments and a distinctive art style that balances realism with sci-fi aesthetics.”
- “The first thing you'll notice is the stunning atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere really makes it feel like a deserted world; the music and voice acting are superb, and it doesn't feel cheesy when things get intense.”
- “To make matters worse, I'm not sure whether the atmosphere in the game is supposed to be comedic, serious, or scary.”
- “The atmosphere is further thinned out by a large open map (yes, one map!) that is a chore to traverse.”
- “There's no atmosphere and the mission objectives are too far apart considering that there aren't any vehicles in the game.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Character development in the game is noted as lacking, with reviewers highlighting a deficiency in world-building and depth. While the character and weapon designs are generally well-received, there is a consensus that the potential for more engaging character development exists, particularly with the addition of more missions and contracts.
- “Gunplay and character design mechanics are actually pretty good.”
- “Weapon design and character design are cool too.”
- “No real world building or character development.”
- “The character designs are just okay.”
- “More missions, more contracts, character development; yes, it has potential.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers find the emotional impact of the game diminished by its small, sparsely populated island setting, which feels disheartening due to the random placement of locations. Additionally, they note that the animations could be improved to enhance the overall emotional experience.
- “The fact that it's all on one rather small island, with locations randomly placed in an otherwise empty map, is heartbreaking.”