Paleo Pines Review | Everybody Do the Dinosaur!

Paleo Pines review written by StormieDae

PC/Steam, Switch, Xbox, PS

Release Date: 09/26/2023

Developer: Italic Pig

Publisher: Modus Games

If you're looking for a farming sim with a little bit of prehistoric flavor, then Paleo Pines is going to be right up your alley. A farming sim with dinosaurs-- what more could you ask for in 2023?

Paleo Pines is taking the internet by storm with its unique take on the standard farming sim. Not only do you get to do the normal chores that we all know and love, but you also get to create a dinosaur sanctuary. In this game, Paleo Pines is a charming island known for its friendly dinosaurs, quirky townsfolk and mysterious past. Here evolution took a different path, creating a world in which humans and dinosaurs live together in harmony!

Paleo Pines allows you to create your own dinosaur haven.

The story starts with you and your best dino friend, Lucky, who you believe is the last of her kind. You soon embark on an adventure to look for her missing family members and wind up in Paleo Pines. This island is full of interesting townsfolk who are super excited to have you around as they have many, many tasks for you.

The character customization is not too shabby with an array of different skin colors, hair colors and hair styles. It's not too in depth or anything, but I do love the amount of skin colors that are available to choose from. You do also get to pick your outfit which you can change later in the game.

Some basic customizations available in Paleo Pines

Let's very quickly talk about the basics of this game and the more common elements. You do get a full set of farming tools with which you can harvest crops, plant seeds and collect crafting materials such as wood and rocks. You can farm to your hearts content and grow your crops all year round. This system works the same as most farming sim systems. If you forget to water your crops, they will die, but you don't need to water on rainy days (of course).

But let's go ahead and get into what makes this game really magical: the dinosaurs. Once you arrive to your house, you find your old flute with which you are able to befriend all sorts of different dinosaurs. You press different buttons for various lengths of time to mimic the call of the dinosaur, and then seal the deal of trust with some snacks and head pats.

I found this to be very enjoyable but sometimes challenging, as there are 3 lengths of time you have to hold down the buttons and it was sometimes hard for me to tell which one to use, but that could very much be a "me" thing.

Tend to your garden and befriend dinos in this new cozy classic!

Once you have befriended a dinosaur, they follow you back home and you can further gain their trust by creating cozy pens and learning what keeps them happy. The dinos move around and some are harder to find than others or may appear only under special conditions, so new discoveries await you as you explore the island. There are also different colors of dino, and some are rarer than others.

As your ranch grows, you’ll soon have a dino haven for all your new friends. Something else to note that's pretty cool is that your dinosaurs can help you with special farming skills around the ranch. Some can plow dirt or clear debris. I loved this little touch as it gave some individuality to the farming sides of the game.

While the farming side is definitely a huge part of this game, it's just as much about the dinosaurs. You feed them daily, make sure their pens are clean, give them treats and have them help with your tasks. So, if you love animals, I think you'll really enjoy this game.

As for the graphics, while nice I will say that the colors seem to lack a little bit of depth and I would like to see more details. There are some pieces that are very intricate like the townspeople and the dinosaurs, but then you have things like the grass, which looks almost non-existent.

I am personally really enjoying these new takes that we are seeing on the cozy genre. I think a lot of game developers are realizing that, while we all happily will do chores in video games, sometimes it's easy to just get completely overshadowed by the many other farming sims that come out weekly.

The Styracosaurus trusts you!

Paleo Pines does a great job of standing out from the crowd, and I think it's very well executed. Between writing down research in my journal, picking carrots and designing my dinosaur sanctuary, I never felt like I was lacking content. If you're a farming sim lover or an animal lover, I think Paleo Pines is definitely worth checking out.

It may not be perfect, but it's a wholesome good time and definitely a great one to relax with at the end of your day.

Pros:

+ Cute mechanics to befriend the dinosaurs

+ Lots of different species to learn about, great for someone who likes collecting things

+ Customizing your ranch

Cons:

- Graphics are inconsistent

- Lots of daily chores