Since its debut back in June 2018, Jurassic World Evolution has come under fire for its perceived lack of nuance. Reviewers have been quick to point out that, for a management sim, certain features you would expect to see are blatantly missing, whilst much of the content that is present has been written-off as overly simplistic and dumbed down.
Irrespective of whether these criticisms are well-founded, I would personally contend that the game is a fun, highly addictive sandbox that knows just how to please Jurassic fans. What’s more, Frontier Developments have continued to supplement the experience with a mixture of free and premium DLC, filling in some of the aforementioned gaps with deeper customization options, finessed landscaping tools and new, fearsome dinos.
Which brings us to the latest expansion: Claire’s Sanctuary. Released in conjunction with a complimentary update, the new add-on comes with three extra animals, two maps, a fresh bunch of missions, a ‘’Jurassic Tours’’ attraction, and an extensive paleobotany mechanic. Looking at this offering from a quantity point of view, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into, with the campaign alone lasting 6-7 hours and the other mechanics potentially keeping you entertained for even longer.
Of the additions, the most robust is undoubtedly paleobotany, which adds an interesting wrinkle into how you mix-and-match zoo exhibits. Whereas before the vegetation you fed to herbivores was one-size-fits-all (thanks to a nondescript ‘’plant feeder’’), this new system forces you to cultivate a diverse menu that meets various dietary requirements.
It’s a tight balancing act for the player, as you must carefully consider where to place flora so that it meets everyone’s needs. For example, Ankylosauridae are partial to the Horsetail weed, a plant that’s actually hazardous to members of the Stegosauridae family. Thus, it wouldn’t be advisable to house those two creatures in the same cage.
Of course, it’s not always that simple, as you often need to lump animals together when you’re running out of real estate. This leads to you making difficult decisions about your park ecosystem – including what animals you want to keep, whether or not they can cohabitate and if it’s worth taking a risk that you might end up poisoning one them. It’s this kind of tricky dilemma that makes the paleobotany mechanic surprisingly arresting, and if you’re a proper dinosaur nut then you’ll likely appreciate the extra bit of authenticity. Even the process of growing the food is enjoyable, as it’s well-fleshed out without being too overbearing.
Unfortunately, whilst Claire’s Sanctuary manages to make gardening (of all things) enjoyable, the rest of the content is less successful. The new creatures are too closely related to those found in the base-game and don’t bring anything new to the table. Indeed, they look, sound and behave in such familiar ways, that I didn’t even realize the Albertosaurus was part of the DLC. The fact that this update is marching out Z-listers like the Ouranosaurus is even more frustrating when you consider that there still aren’t any flying or aquatic exhibits – which is a gripe that players have had from the very beginning!
On a similar note, the ‘’Jurassic Tours’’ ride is basically a glorified reskin of the old gyrosphere. The only major upgrade being that the safari vehicle can drive through special gates that take guests from one cage to the next. This means that you can feasibly cover the entire park in just one track, instead of having to build lots of separate versions of the attraction. However, other than that, the difference is largely cosmetic.
As for the story, it’s also a mixed bag. On the positive side, the premise does change things up a little by abandoning the whole theme park setting, and having you focus on animal conservation instead. Rather than worrying about attendance figures, star ratings or turning a profit, your job is now to rescue a bunch of dinosaurs from the island, before its central volcano explodes. So basically, it’s just the first act of Fallen Kingdom, but it works reasonably well as the campaign’s ticking clock.
Or it would, were it not for the fact that any sense of jeopardy is entirely deflated by the awkward, finickity mission design. Granted, Jurassic World Evolution has always had a propensity for fucking the player about with its laborious objectives, but Claire’s Sanctuary really takes the piss in this regard. In fact, some of the tasks you are forced to complete feel like elaborate practical jokes on the part of the developer.
There’s one segment that asks you to vaccinate 60+ dinosaurs, a tedious chore that takes up a ludicrous amount of playtime. To get it sorted, you can ask the rangers to do it for you (which is a royal pain in the ass, because you can only issue a few commands per team) or commandeer the Jeep and try it manually. Either way it’s a drag, as you’ll be struggling against the clunky map design and will have to administer the cure to a skittish flock of Gallimimus that never stop moving.
This is by no means the only time-wasting mission – don’t get me started on the long sections where you twiddle your thumbs, waiting for helicopters to arrive -but it’s perhaps the most galling. And it’s hard to get invested in the looming threat of the volcano, when the game grinds to a halt every time you have to deal with bollocks like this.
Plus, there are the other irritations, like how the DLC makes you start from scratch with all your research projects, even if you’ve already completed the base-game. That’s right, you’ve got to go through the rigmarole of acquiring basics like power stations and storm shelters all over again. Why this was deemed necessary is beyond me. What does it add besides padding?
All in all, Claire’s Sanctuary is a diverting, if unessential, purchase. The paleobotany stuff is ace, the campaign has an interesting angle to it, and Jurassic Tours makes for a nice little bonus. However, the recurring quality-of-life issues are starting to grate on me, and I can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to be done with these expansion packs. For example, I find it utterly mystifying that Frontier still haven’t improved the feeble range of park amenities or shaken up the mission structure more dramatically. At the very least, they could’ve introduced some pterodactyls by now!
Jurassic World Evolution: Claire’s Sanctuary review code provided by the publisher.
Jurassic World Evolution: Claire’s Sanctuary is out now for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.