iPad Review: Jurassic Park: The Game 1 HD

Fans of Jurassic Park will be happy to know that they can play the exclusive game, Jurassic Park: The Game 1 HD, for the iPad.

Unlike the previous games that I’ve reviewed, Jurassic Park: The Game 1 HD is quite the interactive game. Basically, unless you press the pause button, you’re stuck playing the game. And the game progresses based on the buttons you press and if you can complete the required actions in time. Which means, you’re gonna have to keep your screen clean in order for the game to acknowledge that you did the required action.

You first start off as a mercenary, so to speak. Taking parts from the first Jurassic film, your mission is to obtain the dinosaur embryo but as it stands, you are being chased by various dinosaurs. I caution you not to turn up the music, especially if you get frightened easily (such as me and that makes me sad). Following the actions on the screen can be somewhat tough because the actions have a time limit in which to complete said actions. As I mentioned earlier, the game progresses based on if you hit the button or action in time. You then control a father and his daughter and in the middle of the game, the two parties are brought together.

Don’t worry, there are clues for you to figure out several scenarios, but you might die in the process, which I did several times (17 times in total?). Because the graphics are good, you might be too focused to realize that hey, you’re supposed to swipe the button and end up dying. Or you think you have enough time during “dialogue” to look at other stuff. You must keep your full attention on this game, otherwise, there will be a little bit of trouble.

The game developers did a fantastic job with the graphics and all and made it quite realistic, like you would see in the movies. If you like dinosaurs, then you’ll be fascinated. But if you’re like me and don’t really like dinosaurs or frightening scenes, you might be apprehensive as to what will happen next. I always waited with bated breath because I didn’t know what to expect (and sometimes, I didn’t want to).

A few things to point out, though: as it stands, even though there are four episodes to be played, only Episode 1 is playable - the rest of the episodes haven’t come out yet (if they will ever). Thus, a $6.99 price tag isn’t very appealing, especially when you get through the game in under 2 hours (I did so without breaks). In addition, the game did lag and sometimes wouldn’t respond to my swipes, even though I was following the correct actions. That totally frustrated me because sometimes I died and other times, I would be “rewarded” with the consequence of not “swiping correctly”. Come on, I did what I was prompted to and this is what I get? Blasphemy! Totally uncalled for. I could’ve seen different sequences. Oh well, guess I’ll have to replay the scenario then, huh?

This game isn’t for young kids. Oh no. Blood and being eaten by dinosaurs? Heck, I’m going to have nightmares. And if you hate dinosaurs, stay away. Like I should’ve stayed away, but I actually wanted to see what this game was about. Of course, if you want an interactive movie game, this is something to look out for. Just not when it costs $6.99 for just one episode. I really hope I don’t have to pay more for the following episodes. I will cry. Buckets of tears. A few buckets because of those dinosaurs and a few buckets for having to pay more.

Interested in wanting to know more or to purchase the game? Check it out here.