Common Sense Media Review
By Marc Saltzman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Latest installment delivers dino battling, racing fun.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Fossil Fighters Frontier
What's It About?
In case you haven't laid your hands on a previous Fossil Fighters game, FOSSIL FIGHTERS FRONTIER is a Nintendo 3DS title that lets players roam about a 3-D world to talk with virtual characters, climb into customizable vehicles, excavate buried fossils, and then battle your "vivosaurs" (dinosaurs) against rival beasts. Similar to game functionality in, for example, the Pokémon franchise, vivosaurs are collectible, so they can be trained and sent into turn-based battles. The game also supports six-person multiplayer battles (three-on-three stadium duels) wirelessly, fighting together (in the same area) against rogue vivosaurs or in one-on-one battles over the Internet. Some dig sites also include puzzle- or speed-based challenges, which can yield rare fossils and other goodies to reward players.
Is It Any Good?
Fossil Fighters Frontier is good, but it isn't much different from the games in the franchise that came before it. The strategy required to excel comes mostly in the battle arenas, as you want to choose the right move at the right time to start chipping away at your rival's health. Vivosaurs fall into one of five elemental categories -- Water, Fire, Earth, Air, and Neutral -- and each possesses a special ability to assist it in battle. It's key to understand your vivosaur's strengths and weaknesses against the creature you're up against.
Driving buggies and uncovering fossils are simple activities but fun for those who get into the story. Along with the main campaign mode, the local and online multiplayer (co-op and head-to-head) is fun, as are the daily tournaments, the leaderboard competition, and StreetPass battles that let players battle other vivosaurs they pick up around them. Though very similar to its predecessors, this game has more multiplayer features, a bigger map to explore, and, for the first time in the series, support for the glasses-free 3-D graphics offered by Nintendo 3DS. Fossil Fighters Frontier might not be the game of the year, but it's definitely a stellar adventure for younger players.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in games such as Fossil Fighters Frontier. Is battling really needed in a game that already offers racing and excavation?
Talk about dinosaurs. Do you have a favorite dinosaur? What makes it so appealing to you?
Game Details
- Platform : Nintendo 3DS
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Nintendo of America
- Release date : March 23, 2015
- Genre : Role-Playing
- Topics : Transportation ( Cars & Trucks ) , Animals ( Dinosaurs ) , Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Robots
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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