This dinosaur survival horror game summons thoughts of a modern Dino Crisis

First-person indie survival horror The Lost Wild was one of the standout games featured in today’s Annapurna Interactive showcase. It has plenty of that most scary of things: big, toothy dinosaurs. Watch the trailer below to see for yourself, but bring along some anti-lizard flares.

UK and Australian devs Great Ape Games credit classic survival horror series such as Capcom’s Resident Evil and, of course, Dino Crisis for their inspiration to make The Lost Wild. They also give a shout out to 1998’s pioneering FPS Jurassic Park: Trespasser, which seems to be back in the news a bit lately. The Lost Wild is set around a densely forested Japanese research facility, avoiding the various types of dinosaurs that have overrun it. You won’t be able to bump off said dinos, generally, instead having to find resources to distract, intimidate and avoid them.

You get to play as investigative reporter Saskia, who’s stranded among the roaring reptiles after she’s caught in a time-related event. It’s a single-player experience, and don’t expect to ride any dinosaurs or play as them. Great Ape say they’re aiming for a storyline that lasts around 6 to 10 hours, with environments ranging from “overgrown maze-like structures to lush open vistas”. You’ll have some freedom to explore, but it’ll mostly revolve around a linear story. Just watch out for the prehistoric denizens, whose systemic AI means they’ll act more like wild animals than monsters.

Today’s Annapurna showcase wasn’t all about ghosting dinos. There was a pretty diverse slate of other genres too, ranging from the JRPG-skateboarding dating sim Thirsty Suitors to newly announced and staggeringly named Western-flavored mech battler Bounty Star: The Morose Tale Of Graveyard Clem. Although that last one is being made by devs called Dinogod so maybe, ultimately, it’s all about the scaly scamps.

The Lost Wild doesn’t have a firm release date yet, just a distant launch window of late 2024 to early 2025. Great Ape say it’ll be coming to Steam, GOG and the Epic Games Store. You can read more about The Lost Wild at Great Ape’s site here. I’ve got an eye trained firmly on this one.