Developer: Frontier Developments
Available on: PC (Steam, Epic), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Played on: Steam PC
As a diehard dino fan and sucker for all things Jurassic-branded, I fell in love with the original Jurassic World Evolution in 2018. The park management sim was a worthy successor to Operation Genesis, but I then bounced pretty hard off of the sequel. The modern global spread of dinosaurs was a stark transition from the classic tropical island-park, and at its surface, Jurassic World Evolution 3 looks like more of the same.
I was pleasantly surprised when the threequel sucked me right back into one of my favorite franchises.
Read on for our Jurassic World Evolution 3 review!
Dino Globalization
In case you’re new to the series, Jurassic World Evolution is a park management sim where players run their own Jurassic Park-style zoo, with dinosaur hatcheries, electrified fences, genetic scientists, vehicle tours, emergency shelters, capture teams — and hopefully a lot less running and screaming.
As part of the Dinosaur Integration Network (DIN), players aren’t necessarily tied to nefarious corporate interests or runaway mad science, but they still need to turn a profit while keeping visitors, and dinosaurs, happy and safe.
JWE3 offers three game modes: Campaign, Challenge, and Sandbox.
Graphics and animation are still top tier
Sandbox is your typical freeform build mode. Players begin with a map biome from the campaign, including USA, Europe, or Asia, or a legacy map from previous JWE games, including the classic 1993 Isla Nublar, or Isla Sorna from The Lost World.
For the first time, players can also generate their own maps using one of the main biome types (tropical, temperate, mediterranean, or desert). Creative mode also lets you adjust contracts, scientists, and expeditions, grant unlimited cash or power, and completely turn off dinosaur aggression.
Challenge Mode features nine challenge maps with specific parameters and objectives, such as only receiving dinosaur shipments (no synthesizing), or dealing with wild (and disease-ridden!) carnivores, with limited fencing options. Different difficulty levels adjust how much time you’re supposed to complete the challenge, and finishing each one grants a dinosaur statue reward.
But it’s the vastly improved Campaign mode that kept me hooked for dozens of hours.
Whereas JWE2’s campaign was mostly a tutorial that could be completed in a handful of hours, JWE3’s Campaign is a satisfying collection of 10 missions from around the world. Each park features different objectives and goals, from creating a haven of mostly flying reptiles in the desert, to a park that specializes in breeding gigantic sauropods and offering large-scale tours.
The first hour or so is still kind of boring and basic, especially if you’ve played the JWE series before (or any park management sim), but once I start unlocking additional parks and unlocking new layouts, upgrades, and dinosaurs, my interest rises exponentially.
I especially love that I have total freedom to bounce around between parks as I work toward achieving the coveted five-star rating. The control room reveals exactly what each park needs to achieve its best rating, such as non-herbivore dinosaurs, or lots of quality tours.
Research and dinosaur genome progress are thankfully shared between all parks, leaving me to manage my individual finances, layouts, and whatever that particular mission throws at me — from raging storms to recently escaped carnivores. There’s also a villainous anti-dinosaur organization that sabotages my operations, and the always welcome Jeff Goldblum reprising his iconic role as Dr. Ian Malcolm yet again.
Finding a Way
Gameplay isn’t vastly different from the previous Jurassic World Evolution with two main exceptions: dinosaur breeding, and expanded creativity.
Dinosaur breeding is a fun new concept to the series, allowing players to plop down a nest in their enclosures and let life…well you know the rest.
How cute are these baby stegosaurus?
Breeding makes an already easy-ish park sim even easier. As long as dinosaurs are kept happy, they’re mostly eager to breed. And a bred dinosaur is a free dinosaur, unlike the expensive and time-consuming process of sending out expedition teams for fossils, researching better genomes, synthesizing eggs, and finally engineering the test tube dino.
On the other hand, a synthesized dinosaur can have the perfect mix of improved traits, once researched. Then, they could potentially pass desirable traits to any offspring. Okay, maybe a little mad science is still involved.
The juvenile dinosaurs are totally cute and adorable, by the way. I also like that they sometimes have different needs than the parents. The much shorter sauropod juveniles, for example, can’t yet reach the tall trees, and need a certain amount of food that’s closer to the ground!
Creativity has also been greatly expanded in JWE3. Terraforming is easy, awesome, and totally free, creating beautiful and natural enclosures and spaces in the park.
I admit, I’m less enthusiastic about the new construction tools for individual buildings. Not because they’re not nice to have, but because I never end up engaging with them. Just give me a few preset options (which they have) and I’m good to go!
But for folks who enjoy more minute detailing and customization, JWE3 is the best in the series. Plus, easy access to the Frontier Workshop, where players can download and share their custom creations for well-decorated buildings and attractions.
Each park clearly displays how to improve the rating
The Rating
Jurassic World Evolution 3 has been rated E10+ with Mild Blood, Mild Language, and Mild Violence. Unhappy dinosaurs (or hunting carnivores) can attack and kill each other, and escaped dinosaurs can also kill guests — though attacks and deaths don’t feature any gore or blood. The more detached, top-down perspective helps downplay any violence or terror that the films dip into.
Interestingly, the previous Jurassic World Evolution games were rated T for Teen, though I didn’t notice a significant change in animations. Perhaps we’ve simply grown more accepting of the occasional dinosaur carnage?
The Takeaway
Just when I thought I had hung up my park manager hat (and tranq rifle), they pull me back in. Jurassic World Evolution 3 is easily the best game in the series, combining the best parts of Jurassic World Evolution (the meaty campaign) and Jurassic World Evolution 2 (everything else!). As a park management sim, Jurassic World Evolution 3 still errs on the easier and simpler side, especially compared to Frontier’s more advanced park series, Planet Zoo. But a breezy (and much more console-friendly) park sim is definitely not a bad thing, and should easily satisfy franchise fans.
Jurassic World Evolution 3 is available on Steam, Epic, PlayStation, Xbox, and Windows.
