| Jurassic World Evolution 2 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Frontier Developments |
| Publisher(s) | Frontier Developments |
| Director(s) | Rich Newbold |
| Producer(s) | Adam Woods |
| Designer(s) | James Stimpson |
| Composer(s) | Joanna Pen |
| Series | Jurassic Park |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | November 9, 2021 |
| Genre(s) | Construction and management simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Jurassic World Evolution 2 is aconstruction and management simulationvideo game developed and published byFrontier Developments. A sequel toJurassic World Evolution (2018) and set betweenJurassic World: Fallen Kingdom andJurassic World Dominion, the game was released forPlayStation 4,PlayStation 5,Windows,Xbox One, andXbox Series X and Series S on November 9, 2021. It received generally favorable reviews from critics, who deemed it an improvement over its predecessor.
Similar to the first game,Evolution 2 is abusiness simulation in which the player constructs a Jurassic World prehistoric theme park. The game features more than 75 prehistoric species, including variousdinosaurs,pterosaurs and marine reptiles. Players need to build enclosures, aviaries and lagoons to contain these animals for visitors' viewing.[1] These animals have different needs, such as the type of food they eat and the extent of forestation they require in their habitat, that must be met to keep them healthy and satisfied. The game features a dynamic territory system which sees animals combating against each other for resources if they live in the same habitat. Their territories are constantly shifting depending on the resources available in their habitat.[2] When compared with its predecessors, the game features a more complexartificial intelligence for the prehistoric species, which willhunt in packs and interact with others more frequently and realistically. The terrain tool was completely reworked, with players needing to plant the appropriate trees and shrubs for the herbivores to eat.[3]
Players need to build various facilities and recruit scientists for research and incubating the prehistoric species. The scientists recruited offer different gameplay benefits, but overworked and disgruntled workers will sabotage the park and intentionally let the animals escape. To incubate a prehistoric animal, the player must first extract their DNA from theirfossils. Their DNA can be adjusted to give the animals unique traits, such as resilience towards a certain kind of disease.[4] Players also need to recruit rangers andveterinarians in order to keep the animals happy and healthy. To entertain the guests, players can construct different rides such as the Gyrospheres, which can now pass through multiple enclosures and be attacked by prehistoric animals.[5] Guests are categorized into different groups with different interests. For instance, nature lovers are more keen to see herbivores, while adventurists are more interested in seeing carnivores. Amenities such as toilets, gift shops and restaurants also need to be constructed and players can customize them with different modules and decorations in order to meet the needs of different guests.[6]
Unlike the first game, which is set on the fictionalarchipelago of Las Cinco Muertas,Evolution 2 is set in the outside world, featuring various biomes such as forests and deserts, with each providing unique challenges for the player while they are designing their parks.[7] The maps featured in the game are significantly larger than those in the first game.[6] The game features various modes, including a campaign mode which is set afterJurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, a "Chaos Theory" mode which revisits key narrative moments in the films (such as constructing the Jurassic Park facility nearSan Diego, as seen inThe Lost World: Jurassic Park) and the Challenge and Sandbox modes also return.[2]Jeff Goldblum andBryce Dallas Howard return to provide the voice forIan Malcolm andClaire Dearing respectively.[8]
Jurassic World Evolution 2 was developed and published byFrontier Developments. The game was announced by Goldblum in June 2021 duringSummer Game Fest.[9] The game's campaign mode is consideredcanon with the films, taking place betweenJurassic World: Fallen Kingdom andJurassic World Dominion. Frontier worked closely withUniversal Pictures, ensuring that the game fits into the studio's future plans for the franchise. The company was given access to Universal's collection of sound effects and theme music from the films.[10]
Jurassic World Evolution 2 was released on November 9, 2021, forPlayStation 4,PlayStation 5,Windows,Xbox One, andXbox Series X and Series S. Players who pre-ordered the game received three vehicle skins inspired byThe Lost World: Jurassic Park.[11] At launch, theDeluxe Upgrade Pack was released and added five new species.
Jurassic World Evolution 2 is supported post-launch with the release of paid downloadable content (DLC) and free updates. The first DLC, theEarly Cretaceous Pack, was released on December 9, 2021, and added four new species from the era.[12][13] The second DLC, theCamp Cretaceous Dinosaur Pack, was released on March 8, 2022, and added one new species, one hybrid species and new appearances based on the animated televisions seriesJurassic World Camp Cretaceous.[14]
The game's first expansion, theDominion Biosyn Expansion, was released on June 14, 2022, and features a new campaign, four new species, and new appearances based onJurassic World Dominion.[15] The third DLC, theLate Cretaceous Pack, was released on September 15, 2022, and added four new species from that era.
The game's second expansion, theDominion Malta Expansion, was released on December 8, 2022, and features a new campaign, four new species, and new appearances based onJurassic World Dominion. The fourth DLC, theFeathered Species Pack, was released on March 30, 2023, and added three feathered species and one flying reptile. A free update that added decorations inspired bythe first movie was released on June 8, 2023, in advance of its 30th anniversary.
The fifth DLC, thePrehistoric Marine Species Pack was released on August 10, 2023, and added four new marine species. The sixth DLC, theCretaceous Predator Pack, was released on November 30, 2023, and added four new carnivorous species. The seventh DLC, theSecret Species Pack, was released on March 13, 2024, and added three hybrid species from the first game and a new hybrid featured inCamp Cretaceous. The eighth DLC, thePark Managers' Collection Pack, was released on May 16, 2024, and added four new species.
| Name | Release Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Deluxe Upgrade Pack | November 9, 2021 | The Deluxe Upgrade Pack adds theGeosternbergia,Attenborosaurus,Pachyrhinosaurus,Huayangosaurus, andMegalosaurus as hatchable species. |
| Early Cretaceous Pack | December 9, 2021 | The Early Cretaceous Pack adds theWuerhosaurus,Minmi paravertebra,Dsungaripterus, andKronosaurus as hatchable species. |
| Camp Cretaceous Dinosaur Pack | March 8, 2022 | The Camp Cretaceous Dinosaur Pack adds 2 new species from theeponymous show fromDreamWorks Animation,Monolophosaurus, and the fictional hybridScorpios rex. The DLC also features an alternate model forOuranosaurus andKentrosaurus, as the show featured a design that significantly differed from the in-game's models. The pack also adds skins based on several individual dinosaurs from the series: aTyrannosaurus skin based on Big Eatie, aKentrosaurus skin based on Pierce, aCarnotaurus skin based on Toro, anAnkylosaurus skin based on Bumpy, andBaryonyx skins based on Grim, Limbo, and Chaos. The pack also features 2 skins for theParasaurolophus based on the fictionalParasaurolophus lux, an artificially created,bioluminescent species ofParasaurolophus. All added dinosaurs and skins were featured in the first 4 seasons ofCamp Cretaceous. |
| Dominion Biosyn Expansion | June 14, 2022 | The Dominion Biosyn Expansion adds a new campaign based at Biosyn Valley, featured inJurassic World Dominion. In addition to Claire Dearing, the campaign features former Jurassic Park consultants Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), the head of Biosyn, Dr. Lewis Dodgson (Campbell Scott), and Ramsay Cole (Mamoudou Athie). The expansion also adds four new species:Pyroraptor,Therizinosaurus,Dimetrodon, andQuetzalcoatlus as hatchable species. Two new variants for two species,Giganotosaurus andDreadnoughtus, and six new skins (two forTyrannosaurus, one forDilophosaurus, and three forParasaurolophus), all based on their appearances inDominion, were also added. |
| Late Cretaceous Pack | September 15, 2022 | The Late Cretaceous Pack adds theBarbaridactylus,Styxosaurus,Australovenator, andAlamosaurus as hatchable species. The pack also introduced bioluminescent patterns, referred to as Lux, for theStyxosaurus. |
| Dominion Malta Expansion | December 8, 2022 | The Dominion Malta Expansion adds a new campaign based on scenes featuring anunderground market in Malta, also featured inJurassic World Dominion and is set before the events of the film. The campaign features characters Kayla Watts (DeWanda Wise), Barry Sembène (Omar Sy), and Soyona Santos (Dichen Lachman). The expansion also adds new buildings, a new mechanic named the "Dinosaur Exchange", where players buy and trade dinosaur species in the black market as opposed to finding fossils and genomes in dig sites, three new islands based around the Mediterranean archipelago, and several new species:Atrociraptor,Lystrosaurus,Moros intrepidus, andOviraptor. The expansion also features four additional variant skins for existing species,Allosaurus,Dimorphodon,Iguanodon, andCarnotaurus, based on their appearances inDominion. |
| Feathered Species Pack | March 30, 2023 | The Feathered Species Pack adds theYutyrannus,Sinosauropteryx,Deinocheirus, andJeholopterus as hatchable species. |
| Prehistoric Marine Species Pack | August 10, 2023 | The Prehistoric Marine Species Pack adds theArchelon,Dunkleosteus,Nothosaurus, andShonisaurus as hatchable species. The pack also introduces Lux patterns for theNothosaurus, as well as a Lagoon Rock Platform to accommodate it and theArchelon. |
| Cretaceous Predator Pack | November 30, 2023 | The Cretaceous Predator Pack adds theGigantoraptor,Utahraptor,Concavenator, andTarbosaurus as hatchable species. |
| Secret Species Pack | March 13, 2024 | The Secret Species Pack reintroduces the fictional hybridsAnkylodocus,Spinoraptor, andStegoceratops fromJurassic World Evolution, while also introducing the fictional hybridSpinoceratops fromJurassic World Camp Cretaceous, as hatchable species. The pack also introduces Lux patterns for all four hybrids, as well as theIndominus rex andIndoraptor.[16] |
| Park Managers' Collection Pack | May 16, 2024 | The Park Managers' Collection Pack adds theMegalodon,Microceratus,Segisaurus, andThanatosdrakon as hatchable species. It also adds a skin for theTyrannosaurus, based on the individual Little Eatie fromJurassic World Camp Cretaceous.[17] |
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (PC) 77/100[18] (PS5) 79/100[19] (XBO) 81/100[20] (XSX) 74/100[21] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 8.5/10[22] |
| Game Informer | 8/10[23] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 4/5[26] |
| PCGamesN | 7/10[24] |
| Push Square |   [25] |
The game received "generally favorable reviews", according toreview aggregatorMetacritic.[18][19]
PCGames N awarded the game 7: "Improves on its predecessor in clever ways and still boasts the most gorgeous dinosaurs ever made in a game. But dealing with disastrous events beyond your control still isn't any fun, even if it's thematic for the Jurassic Park IP".[27]
Early sales on the PC were lower than expected, as the game was released during the same week as several other high-profile PC games. The home console versions sold as expected, and the game had approximately 500,000 players across all platforms within two weeks of its release. Frontier expected the game to raise more revenue than its predecessor within its first year, in part because of the upcoming release ofJurassic World Dominion.[28]
An untitled sequel was announced by Frontier Developments in May 2024. It is scheduled to release between June 2025 and May 2026.[29]