Jurassic World Evolution 2
By Chad Sapieha,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Intricate theme park sim is closely tied to the films.
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Jurassic World Evolution 2
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So good
What’s It About?
Players are challenged to capture, breed, and care for dinosaurs, and then make a profit by displaying them in attractions for the public in JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION 2, a theme park construction and management simulator. As with most theme park sims, players spend their time researching technologies, building attractions and amenities, managing the park's finances, and attending to staff morale and guess contentedness. Much of this is done simply by issuing commands to staff, including scientists and rangers, but players can also take direct control of various vehicles and enter a first-person view to take photos and fire tranquilizer darts to sedate injured and rampaging dinosaurs. A large variety of modes allow gamers to play as they like, working through an original story that involves establishing a conservation program for wild dinosaurs, reenacting familiar scenarios from the films (such as trying to build the original Jurassic Park, but do a better job than they did in the movie), and freely experimenting in a sandbox mode, where players have the liberty and resources to construct the dino park of their dreams. Beyond a healthy selection of modes, this sequel expands on much of what the original Jurassic World Evolution did well, adding more species of dinosaurs, augmenting their behaviors and needs (they can get sick or injured pretty easily, and frequently require care), giving scientists specialties (such as the ability to more efficiently heal dinosaurs or find fossils in expeditions), and then providing players the power to customize the look of both dinosaurs and buildings.
Is It Any Good?
Management sims are a niche genre, but if you like the idea of building a sprawling public facility and managing a business, and you have an affinity for dinosaurs, this game should be right up your alley. Jurassic World Evolution 2 is basically the first game made bigger and better, with more modes, more realistic dinosaurs, and more ways to customize the experience. Regardless of whether you're new to the series or not, a good place to start is the story mode, which is composed of a series of missions that introduce both basic play concepts -- like ensuring your dinosaurs are properly cared for in their enclosures -- as well as more advanced elements, including how to manage your team of scientists based on their specialties. Fans of the films can then dive into Chaos Theory mode, which has missions based on all five movies from the film franchise that are challenging but fair. Eventually, most players will end up spending the bulk of their time in sandbox mode, where every feature of the game is unlocked, allowing for some truly imaginative park building.
What returning players will likely appreciate most, though, are the quality-of-life improvements. Park management has been made more robust, but also more intuitive. It's fun, for example, to go hands-on and jump in a helicopter to chase down and sedate a rampaging escapee or go out and examine how the inhabitants of a particular pen are faring, but later in the game when things get a little more hectic, you can have your staff take care of tasks like these with just a couple of button taps, freeing you to focus on other things. It's a good thing, too, since -- depending on the individual traits of the animals you capture and synthesize -- your dinosaurs may be prone to fighting or getting sick and require a little more attention than they needed in the first game. Plus, your scientists are now more apt to grow disgruntled when they're overworked, so you need to consider their contentedness as well. Jurassic World Evolution 2 doesn't revolutionize the management sim genre, but it's packed with features, loaded with callbacks to lines and events from the films, and is perhaps even just a little bit educational. A great option for the sim-loving dino fan in your family.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about learning with technology. In Jurassic World Evolution 2, players will learn about dinosaurs, paleontology, and business management, but do you think games can be effective teaching tools? How can you tell whether you retain what you learn while playing a game?
What do you think about keeping animals in enclosed habitats so that people can learn more about them? What criteria should we use in evaluating which animals thrive in captivity and when it may be ethically questionable to deny an animal greater freedom?
Game Details
- Platforms: PlayStation 4 , PlayStation 5 , Windows , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S
- Subjects: Science : animals, ecosystems and the environment, Hobbies : building
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning : applying information, decision-making, problem solving, Creativity : developing novel solutions, imagination, making new creations, Self-Direction : set objectives, work to achieve goals
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Frontier Developments
- Release date: November 29, 2021
- Genre: Simulation
- Topics: Dinosaurs , Science and Nature , Wild Animals
- ESRB rating: T for Mild Blood, Violence
- Last updated: December 14, 2021
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