Review: Jurassic World Evolution 3 (PS5)

The Jurassic World Evolution franchise’s greatest asset has always been its ability to find the perfect balance between intricate park construction mechanics and the exhilarating chaos of dinosaur-themed pandemonium.

Jurassic World Evolution 3 stands as the finest installment to date — not groundbreaking by any means, but a title that thoroughly understands what made its forerunners enjoyable and amplifies that while smoothing out a few kinks along the way.

Take, for instance, the campaign.

You might remember from our review of Jurassic World Evolution 2 that we considered the primary campaign in that game somewhat of a misstep, though other modes compensated for it. Here, the campaign is the most refined it has ever been.

The narrative involves a terrorist organization that believes dinosaurs should have remained extinct, and they are making efforts to sabotage your reckless attempts at transforming the long-gone reptiles into zoo attractions for monetary gain. It has a significant “are we the villains?” vibe.

The plot is precisely integrated as needed for a game of this nature, adding a sprinkle of color without ever being obtrusive. Terrorists, dinosaurs — that’s about all we ask for.

However, the campaign’s layout is exceptionally astute, having you begin work on a park only to swiftly encounter an obstacle that necessitates exploring another location for resolution.

You may find it essential to develop a vaccine for a disease or secure finances from a conservation group, but must first demonstrate your capabilities by managing a sanctuary for dinosaurs.

Once you’ve accomplished your tasks, you can return to your initial park and enhance it, or proceed to other sites to expand your skill set further.

Each new site presents a chance to learn, and you can revisit older locations anytime, applying the knowledge you’ve gained elsewhere to advance their development.

Playing through the campaign allows you to bounce from park to park every few hours, and while it might take a moment to reacquaint yourself with an older site, it fosters a feeling that you’re managing a worldwide network rather than progressing through missions, repeatedly starting anew.

While overseeing your park, you will receive updates from a sharp team of advisors who mainly praise your talents as a park builder while providing insights into various dinosaurs. There’s also an irritating corporate character who occasionally interjects, solely focused on profit.

Yet the highlight of the experience remains the returning Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm, whose advisory role is to forecast disaster at every turn while delivering lines with unpredictable rhythm and seemingly random emphasis. Each time he appears to caution that mixing dinosaur DNA to forge super-dinosaurs is probably a poor idea, it’s an exhilarating auditory experience.

Actually managing your park in Jurassic World Evolution 3 remains an efficient experience in comparison to other titles in the genre, and it benefits greatly from this.

Food and beverage outlets generate substantial revenue, but you won’t be fiddling with salt levels in the fries or any minute details like that. A convenient color-coding system indicates which areas of your park are adequately supported by amenities, helping you decide where to place new shops, followed by simply tailoring that shop to the preferences of local visitors.

If your park attracts thrill-seekers, they might opt for a restaurant with a jukebox, whereas visitors keen on learning may prefer fossil exhibits alongside their Rustlers burgers. It’s straightforward, uncomplicated, and once set up, you can largely allow your shops to accumulate funds for you to invest in more thrilling pursuits.

Dinosaurs! That’s the main attraction here, and Jurassic World Evolution 3 delivers them in abundance.

There’s a broad selection of scaly creatures you can revive from extinction for tourists with more money than sense to marvel at, ranging from adorable, tiny lizard-like creatures to formidable, snapping giants.

Clearly, the larger and more fearsome the creatures, the more cash you rake in, and therein lies the core challenge of the Jurassic World Evolution series; for every colossal, fearsome dinosaur introduced to the park, the chance that one of these characters escapes and enjoys an all-you-can-eat buffet of tourists increases.

Eventually, it will occur. It has to. Jeff Goldblum warned you about this. And true to form, a massive tooth-and-claw machine rampaging through the streets and introducing itself to clueless individuals in I ♥ Dinosaur t-shirts via the medium of chomping remains endlessly entertaining.

When the inevitable unfolds, and the dinosaurs break free, your capture teams will attempt to tranquilize the creatures, but if you desire, you can take the reins and subdue them yourself from a helicopter equipped with a tranquilizer rifle. If you’re as poor a shot as we are, you probably should leave it to the experts.

You can also visit any of your observation platforms to see what the visitors experience when they’re admiring your dinosaurs, and you can partake in tours through dino enclosures for an intimate view if desired.

And you may wish to do so, as one of the exciting new features in Jurassic World Evolution 3 is dinosaur families.

Listen, we don’t want to delve into the birds and the bees with you — that’s what the magazine your dad hides in his sock drawer is for — but suffice it to say, if you introduce a lady dinosaur and a male dinosaur into an enclosure together, turn on some Barry White, and pop a bottle of red wine, there will soon be eggs that hatch into baby dinosaurs.

Baby dinosaurs introduce a fresh dynamic to the game for two reasons.

Firstly, if you have dinosaurs that feast on foliage from the upper branches, it stands to reason that the young versions won’t be able to access their meals, so if you’re planning on expanding the family, you must ensure that you consider the needs of the little ones in addition to those of the parents.

Secondly, if left unchecked, dinosaurs can proliferate to the point of overpopulation, necessitating larger enclosures than usual if you’re planning on raising young.

Beyond the campaign, there’s also a challenge mode that becomes available as you progress, wherein you are tasked with meeting specific objectives in parks while adhering to strict regulations, often against the clock.

Additionally, there’s the classic sandbox mode if you simply wish to create a dinosaur park without the obligation to meet specific requirements other than generating enough income to sustain operations, or you can adjust settings to increase the game’s difficulty if that suits you. It’s all enjoyable.