What can I say about Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter Reborn? Well having come from playing the first Carnivores back in 1998 a lot has changed.

The game looks great! The animations are well done, even though minimal, and the levels are vast open worlds with bits of lakes here or there that dinos like to hang around. Sometimes you find a mutated dino and it looks cool! That’s about it for the pros.

As for the cons of the game, let’s just start with the AI mapping. Seriously the dinos running away from you when you get spotted is hilarious! Not in a good way mind you. The dinos constantly running into trees and rock and random bits of debris can cause the hunting to slow down and it doesn’t happen just once. All the time. Especially when you are hunting the Mighty and Fierce T-REX!!! This would be scary if he didn’t bump into all the trees, rocks, and random bits of debris everywhere. You can also just jump on a rock, call in the T-rex, and snipe him with the .50 Cal. This is another problem I have. The weaponry. How is a crossbow more powerful than a .50 caliber rifle? How come when I max out the .50 Cal for max damage and hit a T-rex, or most dinosaurs for that part, in the heart they don’t always collapse instantly? How come I can’t hit the dino in the head and cause severe brain damage? Maybe I’m being too nitpicky here. Moving on. The Mutant Dinosaurs was a cool idea, but I feel it should have been implemented as a different level of danger and appearance. I shouldn’t look through my binoculars and not get a reading of what it is, because it looks slightly different. I shouldn’t call for it and it not respond to my call.

Let’s talk about the lack of content. Can we please get some different weapons? Can we please get more dinos? Can we please get more levels and not just 3 levels with different lighting and fog. If anything make the level with RNG fog and different times of the day or even let you pick when to start the hunt. What about a challenge mode? Anything to draw out the life of the game!

I think the game could have been so much more, but I honestly enjoy the first game way more. It was a challenge. T-rex could only be killed with a shot to the eye. And if you missed you didn’t get another chance. That is why they called it the big hunt. I also remember sitting forever calling in dinos getting them to come within sight and they would just run off if they caught your scent. That doesn’t happen in this game.

Working with what we have I would rate this game a 5/10. The elements are there, but needs a lot better execution.

This game is fun to play in the first few hours, but I get bored as soon as I`ve collected eveything. Also, this game haven`t changed a bit since 2015. They really should make a big update. I wish to see more dinos, include those who were living in the sea and the sky. I`m tired to see only 3 kinds of maps, I want to see more terrains and weathers, like the storm, cliff, ocean... I also wish to use more weapons. There should also be other game modes, even online modes.

All in all, this game has potential, but the game is currently not as good as it can be.

While the graphics are gorgeous and the gameplay is pretty simple, is the game really worth the $15? Well... No; but why not?

First and foremost, it's important to say that I grew up playing the original Carnivores games. I was five when I got the first one, and I've been playing them for almost two decades. That should tell you of the love and dedication I feel towards this series. It should also tell you of the excitement I felt when I learned of this remake; I bought it immediately, without even considering the pros or cons. All I knew, and all I cared about, was that it was Carnivores. I ended up regretting that blind loyalty.

Let's talk about some pros, first. As I mentioned earlier, the graphics are gorgeous. They're a vast improvement over the original games and while the experience in the originals isn't by any means unpleasant, you can never escape the feeling of playing a game. The graphics are pixely at best and a mess at worst. In this remake, however, the graphics have been stunningly updated and the experience can quickly turn into one where you feel a part of the game and get lost in the scenery.

The gameplay, while not necessarily better, is definitely not hard to get a handle on. It took me a few minutes to get it, but when I did, the game became much easier; they also don't thrust new mechanics on you halfway through a hunt. Once you've got everything, you've got it, and you can go on your merry way.

Now... on to the cons.

While the originals didn't have a crazy variety of dinosaurs to choose from, they certainly had more than this game. Yes, the dinosaurs are probably harder and take longer to produce, but there could have been patches or expansions that added more animals, and there haven't been. It gets boring hunting the same animals over and over, and unlike the originals, you can't mix and match what you hunt and where. There's a set list on each map, and once you've done it all, there's nothing left to do.

There are very few maps, as well. The originals had many more options, and they were all fun to explore, as each one had secrets and easter eggs to find. Reborn, while the graphics are beautiful, has very little variety in the way of locations. There are three overall, with separate options for Dawn and Fog, giving you the feeling of more while actually giving you less. Despite the wonderful graphics, they do not make up for the lack of options in this game.

If you're here for nostalgia, which there's a good chance you are, you will not find it here. This game is nothing like the originals. The dinosaurs are overall better, with significant improvements to their looks and AI, but the maps are nothing like the maps they were named after (for example, in the original Carnivores, Basmachee Rocks was not a desert). The gameplay, while easy to master much like the original, is nothing like the original gameplay and is not necessarily smooth.

Overall, Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter Reborn does not feel like a remake or even an ode to the original Carnivores series. It comes across as a half-baked product that was shoved out at the peak of the Jurassic World hype and was then abandoned shortly after. In the year+ it's been out, it's received two patches (and only within the first few months of its release), no updates, and no expansions or added content. If you want to spend $15 on Carnivores, buy the mobile version, as it's identical to Carnivores 2, has more dinosaur options, more weapon options, and more map options; and it's only $7.

Carnivores 2 and Carnivores: Ice Age was the first games I got on my PC back in the day, and I played them to death. I even got my original copies somewhere...
I even got mobile versions of both games on my android phone and play them from time to time. Those versions are actually superior to PC, since they both run extremely well and got some new creatures thrown in for free (18 in mobile version as of time of writing this review compared to PCs 9).
So how does this hold up?

P.S. For short version, see TL;DR/ Conclusion at the end
P.P.S. Many people will probably compare this to theHunter: Primal, but I haven't played that so only comprarison you'll see here will be with previous games in Carnivores series.

Even though it's a port of PS3 version, it runs well on PC. I tried it on both a hi tech Alienware PC at my friends house and my 6 year old scrapheap, and didn't experience anything wrong with this game whatsoever. Settings are a little bit limited, but decreasing LOD and turning off advanced grass will make it run even on laptop without any hickups.
Graphics, while nothing amazing like Skyrim or Witcher, still look pretty well, even on lower settings. There are some neat effects here and there, and if you're observant you can even track a dino by following his footsteps and blood trails, which is awesome.
Sound design is pretty good. There are some great ambient sounds and one time, I almost started swatting at a fly which I thought was flying close to my ear even though it was in game. Believe me, it was that realistic.
Dinos also make different growls and sounds and even though Stegosaurus sounds like a bear, which I personally find a little bit silly, it works when you are trying to locate a specific dino by sound.
Animations on dinosaurs are pretty good and their movement feels natural. Watching Ankylosaurus in his defensive position, stomping and hitting his tail club on the ground was extremely awesome.
Speaking of dinosaurs, they look way better and are more "up to date" compared to mobile and and prequel counterparts. Don't get me wrong, those dinos weren't plain bad, but a lot of things has changed in the field of paleontology and some things like size and looks are a bit outdated. Ceratosaurus for example, is bigger than Spinosaurus, which is just plain wrong.
Devs probably didn't do their research properly or got something of it wrong, but they sure did it right this time, and it shows.
There is a "progression" system of sorts, where you can spend diamonds on upgrading your guns, player and Gadget. I say "progression" since upgrades are not permanent, and points can be taken away from one upgrade and be used on something else instead at any time or liking.
Shooting mechanics have been improved, and now, if you're skilled or lucky enough you can one shot dinosaurs if you aim at their weak spots, which will award you with more diamonds and better rating. Weak spots vary but with a little practice or with a help of one specific perk, you'll be be on top of things very quickly.
This game is also pretty cheap, NOT in early access, and support with more dinosaurs is already planned which is always nice.

First things first, there are only 6 dinosaurs to hunt...
Yes, you read it right, 6 dinosaurs. That was the biggest disappointment IMHO since, as I said before, mobile version has 18(!) completely different dinos to hunt. They really couldn't add more dinos?
There is also fewer weapons this time around.
Previous games had 6 (Pistol, 2 types of stotguns, 2 types of Rifles and Xbow) but this game only has 3 (4 counting Revolver sidearm perk). You could also carry all 6 if you could afford it, so why isn't it possible here? Your could go for a "realism" argument, but personally, I would like the option to be at least available.
AI on dinosaurs is pretty random as well, and feels like a downgrade compared to prequels.
When it works it looks great and all that, times when they manage to get stuck between 2 trees and rocks, are just... bad.
One time, this Stegosaurus I was hunting got stuck in a rock and when I got closer, managed to go through it and with some struggle, out on the other side. While I watched this "rebirth" my lower jaw almost hit the floor.
Sure, it doesn't happen too often, but when it does, it kinda ruins the immersion... COMPLETELY.
Their reaction to gunfire is also pretty random.
In prequels herbivores ran away like maniacs when they heard gunshots while carnivores looked at it like a dinner bell running up to you and chewing your face.
In this game however, Herbivores usually don't care if their mate is shot in front of them or close by, unless shot themselves. Carnivores are a little bit less relentless, which is a little bit disappointing.
Levels themselves while big, are still smaller and less varied compared to prequels. Some of them are also covered in this weird fog, which in turn makes hunting dinosaurs more frustrating than everything else, since you can't see them 90% of the time.
One thing that I also found annoying personally was that some maps doesn't feature all dinosaurs. For example, default map only features Stegosaurus and Ankylosaurus and nothing else. Want to hunt ALL dinosaurs on your favourite map? Can't do that! Must choose last map available!
My only questing to this is WHY?! In previous games you could hunt any dinosaur on any map, so why this feature is unavailable in this game is just bizarre.

Recommending this game is hard. With every step it takes in the right direction, it also takes a step back and if feels disappointing.
I like the new visuals, updated dinosaurs, sounds, upgrades and other new features but unfortunately, mobile version has 3 times the dinosaurs, double the weapons and environments are more varied and interesting.
I was really looking forward to this release of the game, but after 6-7 hours in this game, I had basically unlocked and upgraded everything this game had on offer and hunted all the dinosaurs, which is kinda disappointing compared to amount of hours I used on completing mobile versions.

I'll probably recommend this games to the long time fans of the series, but new arrivals will probably be disappointed and bored fairly quickly with the amount of content available at the moment.
I'll update this review as the game gets updated with more content etc.

Carnivores .... wow that was 15 years ago. Game I loved for it atmosphere ofc not for graphics . What I am experiecing is just terrible cartoonish animation no scare atmosphere no hunt atmosphere . I love dino games but this ... this is just bad bad bad game .. bad with imho ... :(( shame, unplayeable

This game has fairly simple gameplay: You select your equipment, hunting licenses and mission, and are then dumped onto an island that is inhabited by dinosaurs. Your task is to explore the island, find the dinosaurs you have licenses for and hunt them down. To do so, you have several tools at your disposal, including a map-tool that can be upgraded to show dinosaur locations, and a device that imitates a specific dinosaur's call.

You control a generic, nameless male character and view the world from his POV. Different dinosaurs have different means of detecting you - some have keen eyes, others are good at hearing your movements, others smell you. Depending on the prey you're hunting, their orientation, the direction of the wind and potential nearby predators, you need to adjust your approach. Sadly, some of the Dinos' senses are a bit exaggerated with a Parasaurolophus often being able to see you, not only from a quarter kilometer away, but also through thick foliage and massive trees, before you have any chance to see it, too.

Once you manage to sneak up closely enough to your prey, you need to shoot it, preferably aiming for the weak spots. The lungs and heart will be what you're aiming for in the early game, due to the much more critical eyes being very hard to hit with the rifle you start out with. Once the Dino is taken down, you approach it to confirm your "kill" and, optionally, to have it picked up by a drone, and added to your trophy collection.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2131742992
Playing with a controller is encouraged, as you can feel nearby Dino's steps as vibrations.

Due to the exaggerated Dino senses, the difficulty often comes from trying to approach certain types of prey, like the Parasaurolophus or Triceratops, or avoid the carnivores, undetected. Additionally, the latter are extremely fast, meaning that, if a Ceratosaurus spots you, you will most likely die, unless you unlocked the revolver. Lastly, your ammunition supply per hunt is very limited and there are no means of restocking mid-hunt, unlike in the mobile game Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter, so once you've blown your load, you'll have to extract and start a new hunt. This doesn't add to the difficulty, necessarily, but can be frustrating. Sometimes, a quasi-infinite hunt would be a much better experience. And since you lose everything except the trophies you extracted when you die, it would dynamically increase the risk/reward factor of the game by allowing you to earn more points and currency per run with the risk of wasting more time if you let yourself get killed.


The graphics are obviously dated at this point but it's impressive how much the developer achieves with sky boxes and lights alone to create some beautiful vistas.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2130778425

The music is generic but effective, although it sometimes swells to a dramatic tune for no reason, making you think a carnivore may have spotted you when none are nearby. On the other hand the sound design is brilliant and the dinosaur screams can easily make you fear for your life - especially in fog with ~60m view distance.


Being a sequel / remake / soft reboot of the iOS/Android game Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter (CDH), it makes sense to compare the two and see how well this game holds up.

Naturally, this game has better visuals. Unlike its mobile counterpart, it also lacks any micro-transactions and the very intrusive ad-videos. Sadly, it is far inferior in terms of content. Where this game has six huntable Dinos, CDH offers 18, including the Carnotaurus, Iguanodon, and fan-favorite Velociraptor; where this game offers three locales, most during dusk, noon and in a foggy-variant, CDH offers seven locales, each available at dawn, day and night; where this game offers three primary weapons and a sidearm, CDH offers seven weapons. Additionally, CDH offers a Survival mode where you are dropped onto the island, armed with a shotgun with unlimited ammo, able to hunt each species for as long as you want. CDH has more options, allowing you to switch between the imperial and the metric system and toggling blood trails on or off. Even the trophy room is much bigger (which makes sense with more available Dinos).
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2132216008

In this version's favor, I have to point out that the controls are far superior and, since you don't have to switch between seeing the world and having a map, it is much easier to keep track of the Dinos you are hunting. It's also a lot less grindy since you can always resell anything you've bought for the full price. It still baffles me that this version makes no attempts to keep up, content-wise, even after five years. Another baffling thing is, that the game absolutely feels like a mobile port in terms of the menus and the currency and yet seems to have been built from scratch, as the mobile game has an entirely different currency and completely different menus.


Obviously, this game would be for you, if you are into Hunting and/or Dinosaurs. It doesn't really tickle any fancies beyond that.


When it runs, it runs without issue. The problem is that it has a bad habit of crashing, especially whenever you try to access your trophy collection after a hunt. It also isn't optimized all that well because the frame-rate drops significantly if you increase the LOD Distance value, which, given the game is from 2015, shouldn't really happen.

Tested with the following setup:

🔀 Supports [Alt]+[Tab]: Excellently

Classic:
Buy the game, play the game.
No paid DLCs, items, loot boxes.

While I was constantly having fun, playing it for this review, always going for "just one more hunt" (and hunting for the relatively easily obtainable Steam Achievements definitely helps with that), I really wish the game had received a lot more love by the developer, or, at the very least, Steam Workshop support. Add the price of €14,99, which is a bit much for ten hours of fun, and I can't really recommend this game. There are a ton of small issues with it, and while none are game-breaking, they do add up to hurt the overall experience. It's poorly optimized, feels like a mobile port and yet is inferior to the mobile game that came before it. With some updates and patches, this could be a great experience, and apparently the devs are currently working on something.

Try it on iOS or Android in the meantime, it's free.

This product was reviewed using a free key provided by the developer.

Join the Devils in the Detail on their hunt for quality games.

It is a bit much for the asking price...

The older carnivores games are free and have more content... Since this game has such little content compounded with the fact that there doesn't seem to be any modding capability, I just can't recommend it...

It needs bigger maps, it needs more weapons, it needs a fresher feel to it, it needs more dinos, it needs more tension. It just needs more, period.

I absolutely loved playing the classic Carnivores and Carnivores: Ice Age games when I was younger. I've even revisited them recently, which lead me to my purchase of this game. This game, however, left me very disappointed. The graphics aren't really that much better than the 1998 original release. Also, there is a very limited number of dinosaurs to hunt, and only 3 main weapons to choose from. I thought this game would be a nice successor to the old game I loved so much, but I was thoroughly disappointed by it.

The game looks and sounds great, and the realism of a man trying to hunt dinosaurs is there- if a Cerataurus catches wind of your scent, there is NO way you can physically outrun it, so you gotta decide whether you are going to try and hide, try and face it head on, or just die. I played the older carnivores games when I was a kid, so I went into this game with a lot of nostalgia, and I think that may contribute to why I like it so much. The idea is very cool, the maps are interesting, the hunting mechanics are good, and proggression ok (there is not much to unlock so getting gems for kills becomes irrelevant pretty soon). However, there are like 3 or 4 locations, but that is expanded into 12 by giving some locations different times (ex the forest at morning vs the forest at sunset are treated as separate 'maps') which feels like lazy game development. Also, and this one is unforgivable, this is a dinosaur hunting game called "Carnivores" but there are 6 dinosaurs to hunt (stegosaurus, ankylosaurus, tricerotops, parasaurolophous, cerataurus and t-rex)... and only 2 of them are actual carnivores... and there are only 3 weapons to choose from. Final nail in the coffin is the fact that this game is still very buggy in that it will crash regularly- I literally redownloaded the game on my SSD drive to cut down launch-times because every time I sat down to play this game it was garunteed to crash at some point. To the developer's credit, it doesn't crash when hunting too often (meaning it will crash at the menus before or after a hunt), but it still means the game is unrefined! For all the reasons I've mentioned, I can't recommend this game to new players. That being said, I must say that I personally enjoy the game- I love the idea of dinosaur hunting and the developers did do a great job with the way things look and feel. If you dont mind rebooting often and really like dinosaurs, this may be worth a try. I could easily recommend this to anyone if bugs were fixed and more weapons, dinosaurs, and unique maps were added, and I pray to god the developers do just that, or make a remake of this remake that addresses all these issues.

What history does not teach you about dinosaurs is that Kitty Pride is a direct descendant from every dino family represented in this game, as can be evident from her ancestors passing through rocks both to chase their prey and run away from predators.

In all seriousness, dinosaurs get randomly stuck in the environment, seemingly stopping all movement, until they get unstuck and burst through half the map like they're rocket boosted. The regular dino walking routes seem to be specifically designed to push into rocks and walk towards the player even if there is no clear beaten path or even a walking route in the first place, just so the dino can look in your direction and be on alert. And, as already mentioned, all of the dinosaurs glitch through the rocks and trees and just swim through them at times if they put strong enough pressure onto them.

Audio clips, stutters and pops on a regular basis, making it so you cannot hear yourself holding your breath, your M.I.S.T. does not alert you of the visual/audio alerts, you cannot hear dino noises and steps, incoming predators or even your shots being taken. The game needs to be running for about half an hour before the standard audio popping heard from the moment you hit the first menu disappears, but then it reappears twice in intensity if there's an active volcano in the background on the map. I'm predominantly an indie-gamer and thus I'm usually lenient on indie games having some problems with lack of QoL features, but this makes half of the features obsolete, and the other half of the game twice as difficult, because believe it or not, auditory cues are pretty important in a game about hunting, tracking, and especially the one with minimal HUD indicators, relying purely on audio to let you know if something has happened or not.

The game is very poorly optimized, and REALLY draining on CPU despite not looking like one needing it. Every time I'm launching this game for one hunting session I end up overheating my PC to the point where I can make fried eggs on the cache. And it can run Witcher 3 smoothly.

5/10, the 5 being there mostly because AFAIK, there's no other dino-hunting game like it.