The first trailer of the co-op survival game impresses with its atmospheric mood and creepy dinosaurs. We have summarised all the info about Deathground for you.
Palaeontologists claim that the T-Rex had a bite force of 3.6 tonnes. When grinding its prey, it could even exert a pressure of more than 30 tonnes per square centimetre. Well, does the idea make you queasy? Now, in addition, imagine being trapped in a room with this 13-metre-long, 9-ton beast.
That’s the premise of Deathground. Except that in the game, it doesn’t stop at just one dinosaur …
In this article we explain what the horror-survival game is all about, which you can play alone or in co-op. But before that, you can already get a first impression of the atmospheric gameplay:
What makes Deathground so special?
In the survival game Deathground you fight alone or in co-op with up to two friends for survival in an area overrun by clever dinosaurs. At the beginning of a round, you choose from one of the character classes and are thrown into the dangerous area. Your task is to find special loot and reach the Extraction Point without being devoured by the hungry primordial lizards.
However, you should not rush headlong into the action, but think carefully about every step you take. The AI dinosaurs are always on the lookout and react to your every move. Avoid loud noises, hide if a dinosaur gets too close and use objects such as flares to throw the predator off the scent.
Deathground requires that you coordinate as a team, divide up the tasks and proceed in a considered manner. After all, the developers have made survival their top priority. The carnivores are supposed to be very intelligent and react to you, ammunition is scarce and in the large dark environments it can quickly happen that you get separated from your friends.
After successfully completing your mission, you can level up your character and unlock new abilities before rushing into the next round. The developers promise a high replay value: the starting point and the extraction location as well as the tasks are always randomly generated.
There will also be different maps. So far, only a large warehouse and a jungle area could be seen in the trailer, but more are to follow. Every round should feel unique and present the players with new challenges.
The character classes
- Engineer: You don’t need another tool for hacking systems (doors, alarms, power grids).
- Scout: A motion detector will help you track down the location of the dinosaurs.
- Hunter: You have a heightened sense of perception and are equipped with a rifle.
What do we already like?
Graphics and Sound: All the clips from Deathground shown so far are from the pre-alpha version of the game. And already we are fascinated by the trailer. The world created in Unreal Engine 4 looks realistic, creates an eerie atmosphere with a great lighting mood, which is also underlined by good sound design. The horror atmosphere of the game is rounded off by its own soundtrack by composer David Housden (Thomas was Alone, Volume, Q.U.B.E. 2).
Different dinosaur species: So far, only the Utahraptor and, of course, the T-Rex could be seen in the trailer. However, the final game is supposed to offer many more different dino species. Each predator is supposed to have its own behavioural patterns, which are supposed to force the player to rethink.
Items and Crafting: Different items, some of which can also be combined, are intended to provide a varied gaming experience. In this way, every player can approach Deathground in their own way and think about strategic plans.
Solo or in co-op: Deathground should appeal to a wide range of players. Those who prefer to be spooked together with friends will feel most comfortable in a multiplayer game. Those who want to dive even deeper into the horror atmosphere can also go on a dino hunt all by themselves.
Community-oriented development: The developers attach great importance to the feedback of their players. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, which already reached its funding goal in August 2020, the development team is diligently collecting input and feedback from their fans on Discord. The game is to be expanded with additional content even after release.
Who are the developers?
Jaw Drop Games is an indie development studio based in the UK. It was founded by experienced game developers who have worked on projects such as Soma, Dirt 5, Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs, Alien: Isolation and Lego: Star Wars. The Deathground team is completed by AI specialists, animators and a composer.
What is still unclear?
How does it play? The first snippets from Deathground look promising and the vision of the developers makes you want to try out the dino-survival game. But how the co-op horror will ultimately play is still unclear at this point. Is the AI really as intelligent as the developers announce? Is the gameplay fun? And does the dino-survival really work both as a co-op and solo game?
Long-term motivation: Although the developers promise a high replay value, the actual gameplay mechanics are still very straightforward at this point. Whether this simple gameplay loop (start, find loot, flee) can really motivate in the long run and encourage people to return remains to be seen.
When will it come out? According to the Kickstarter campaign, the dino-survival game should be released as early as 2022. On the (official Steam page) no release date is given and on the Discord server there is talk of a demo for the Kickstarter backers, which should be released at the end of 2022. So when we can expect a release is still unclear.
Editor’s verdict
I like dinos. And I like horror. So it’s only logical that I’m looking forward to the dino horror game Deathground. Because what I have seen so far, I like extremely well. The gameplay reminds me of a mixture of Phasmophobia and Alien: Isolation – and this could be really good!
The dark atmosphere, the great light and shadow play and the atmospheric soundscape already make a good impression in the pre-alpha stage. The small indie team Jaw Drop Games may be newly founded, but it brings together experienced developers. This gives me hope that we can really expect a solid game at release. Until then, however, the developers are still taking their time, as a release date has not yet been set.
Only then can we really say whether the survival game really offers everything it promises: intelligent dinosaurs, motivating gameplay in co-op and alone, high replay value. I, for one, very much hope so!
