Jurassic World Evolution 2 is still scheduled for release in 2021. In a video, the developers show gameplay for the first time and introduce numerous improvements and new features.
At Summer Game Fest 2021, Jurassic World Evolution 2 was surprisingly announced. The sequel to the park-building simulation released in 2018 is set to be released before the end of 2021, will be significantly more extensive than its predecessor and will impress with new mechanics.
Developer and publisher Frontier has shown the first gameplay in an almost six-minute-long video and introduced numerous new features. We analyse the first gameplay and reveal how the new part can eliminate the weaknesses of the predecessor.
Table of Contents
New direction and more gameplay depth
Game Director Rich Newbold, Executive Producer Adam Woods and Lead Designer Jim Stimpson from Frontier take us through the first gameplay and introduce the improvements and new features. It becomes clear that Frontier has listened to the criticism of the community and with the second part finally grants more design options and deepens proven gameplay mechanics.
More locations around the world
In the first part, the tropical feeling on the “Cinco Muertes Islands” was intense, but also rather monotonous in the end. The logical consequence: more and new locations all over the world. The new regions will not only differ visually, but also in weather and environmental conditions. For example, you will be surprised by sandstorms in hot regions.
Stegosaurus in a sandstorm
A Sandstorm in Jurassic World Evolution 2
The developers promised that each locale will bring its own challenges.
More dinos on land, in the air and in the water
There will be more dinosaurs and, for the first time, marine reptiles. There should also be some improvements in the flying lizards. With the “Jurassic Park” DLC in the first part, flying reptiles were already introduced with the Pteranodon, but they caused more disappointment than enthusiasm. Breeding took place in the aviary and did not pose a great challenge to players. The aviary itself could not be visually adapted and the pteranodons quickly turned out to be an air act.
Confirmed so far are 21 different species for the second part. In total, there are supposed to be more than 75 different species. In addition to familiar dinosaurs from the films, there are also supposed to be some that we have never seen on the big screen before. This was already the case in the first part.
Skins can also be customised: In the first part you could already customise the skins of your dinosaurs. Frontier promised even more extensive design options. It is not yet known whether the skins have a playful influence. It could well be that a pack of white raptors can hunt more effectively and better in the snow – or that it is still just a cosmetic adjustment.
Dinosaur behaviour plays a bigger role
All new are the complex behaviours of the dinosaurs. They should finally also enable more interactions between individual animals. According to the developers, this should ensure more realism and authenticity in dinosaur behaviour. This was visualised, among other things, by a fight between two triceratops:
Raptors hunt in packs: It was already announced in advance that raptors will hunt in packs in the future. Frontier has revised the hunting and combat system to make them more dynamic. At the same time, the social and environmental behaviour has also been optimised. The system was kept quite simple in the predecessor and did not pose much of a challenge for players – the dinos were nice to look at, but never really felt alive. Developer Frontier has done a much better job of this in Planet Zoo.
In general, the dinosaurs look much more authentic and are supposed to interact more with the world around them. The level of detail of the individual dinosaurs has also been improved compared to the predecessor:
Dinosaurs have territories
Another feature is the new territory system, where your dinosaurs mark a territory. Depending on the design, the needs of the dinosaur and the demands on their environment, this marking is done dynamically. This means that it is also possible for territories of different species to overlap. Thanks to the cohabitation system, this can go well, but there are also dinos that are not so well disposed towards other species.
The winner gets to keep the territory: If you house a Stegosaurus and a Triceratops in the same enclosure, a turf war may ensue. The developers explained that the winner keeps his territory and the defeated opponent has to look for a new territory.
Plant feeding stations no longer play a role
Paleobotany was already introduced in Jurassic World Evolution with a DLC. The specially bred food increased the well-being of the herbivores. Your dinosaurs took in the special food via plant feeding stations. In the sequel, the stations will no longer exist.
Paleolithic Plants for Prehistoric Animals: In the future, you will cultivate plants for your herbivores via palaeobotany and then place them in the respective territories. The needs of the individual dinosaurs should differ from each other.
Scientists as new employees
The management component in Jurassic World Evolution 2 will also be more extensive. While in the first part employees did not play a role, you will now have to hire staff. Scientists have been introduced to take over all aspects of dinosaur creation.
As a player, you now manipulate the DNA of animals to increase or decrease the chance of certain traits. As examples, the developers mentioned resistance to diseases. Afterwards, your scientists will take care of the breeding process.
The factions known from the first part are probably a thing of the past. Employees take their place. So it looks like we no longer have to satisfy three factions.
The player as “Feelgood Manager “
Scientists have different abilities that are displayed in the recruitment menu. As far as we know so far, each scientist has three skills of different strengths:
– Logistics
– Genetics
– Caring
Each scientist also has a special characteristic, such as reduced research costs or reduced breeding times. Each scientist also has their own level. We assume that scientists can take part in further training to improve certain skills.
New is also the stress level, which increases for each assigned task. If you don’t give employees a chance to rest, the risk of burnout increases. In case of burnout, however, they don’t drop out, but in the worst case sabotage your park.
Guests have needs
The visitors in your Jurassic Park now have different needs. Four types have been introduced:
– Guests with general needs
– Adventurous guests
– Nature-loving guests
– Luxury guests
Each type has different requirements for your park. The respective values are shown in an extra menu. Adventure guests prefer enclosures with large carnivores, while luxury guests value hotels and gyrospheres.
Design options for shops and landscape
The lack of customisation options in Jurassic World Evolution was often criticised. Shops had a single skin and there weren’t many options for landscaping either. Frontier has introduced some improvements here as well.
Customisable shops and buildings attract guests: A module system was presented, for example, with which some models can be adapted to the building. The colour of the shops is also to be customisable. However, it is not yet known how extensive the new system will be.
Advanced Landscape Design: You will also be given more creative leeway in designing the enclosures and the landscape. Various stones were introduced whose axes can be turned and rotated at will – the Planet games send their regards. In combination with various new ground textures, the park should become even more customisable.
Four game modes are to provide variety
Three game modes known from the predecessor and the new “Chaos Theory” mode were announced. In this mode, you play different “What if?” scenarios from the various films of the entire series. The new mode has only been described so far, there has been no gameplay to see yet.
– Sandbox mode: A big point of criticism in the predecessor was the sandbox mode, or more precisely the much too small maps, which rather limited your creativity and possibilities. The problem could be solved in the future with new regions and more space for building.
– Challenge mode: Not much is known about the mode yet. In the video, the developers promised a “challenge mode that will put your building skills to the test”.
– The new campaign: The campaign is supposed to pick up where the film “Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom” ended. The dinosaurs are no longer limited to Isla Nublar and you will be in action all over the world. It looks like you will not only have to build parks, but also capture dinos in the wild.
However, it is not yet known when you will be able to try out the new game modes for yourself. So far, only 2021 has been set as the release year. There has already been further information about gameplay changes: For example, the hatching of eggs will be more extensive.
What do you think of the newly announced features? Feel free to share your opinion with us in the comments.
