Terrible Lizards Xbox Review – Jurassic Jump Scares

The lead up to Halloween has already given horror game fans plenty of good reasons to scream, from Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse and Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival to Silver Pines. But it seems spooky season isn’t done with us just yet, as indie survival horror entry Terrible Lizards has even more scares in store.

This dinosaur-themed hidden gem from North Carolina developer WDR Studios isn’t your typical horror game, but an incredibly unique take that brilliantly blends a variety of genres to build its tension and fuel its frights. A compelling mash-up of thrilling first-person parkour and platforming, goosebumps-raising exploration, atmosphere-fueled storytelling, and adrenaline-spiking chase sequences, it’s safe to say you’ve probably not played anything like Terrible Lizards.

That said, this imaginative spin on pulse-pounding survival horror does borrow from some of the best games within the genres it’s inspired by. First and foremost, fans who’ve jumped, climbed, swung, mantled, slid, or otherwise hastily made tracks in modern classics like Mirror’s Edge and Dying Light will immediately feel at home behind the protagonist’s athletic abilities.

Implementing proper platforming and parkour can be a daunting task for game designers, especially when executing them from the more immersive first-person perspective. But WDR Studios has somehow managed to pull off this daunting feat and then some, not simply delivering functional controls, but polished, precise mechanics that are fast, fluid, and feel fantastic from the very first input.

Whether leaping to a ledge, swinging from a pipe, or sliding beneath an obstacle, the game does a great job making you feel like you’re in the boots of the character executing these skills. But that bar is further raised when you’re tasked with chaining these moves – and many others – in succession. This can take the form of cleverly designed platforming sections that give you ample time to plan where you’ll put your feet next, or seat-of-the-pants chase sequences that fuel satisfying flow states capable of boosting your reaction time and heart rate in equal measure.

Whether you’re hauling hide from a hungry monster or strategically attempting to reach your next objective, working your way through the environment like an Olympic gymnast is endlessly fun and intuitive. If there’s a gripe to be had with the navigation, it’s that you’ll sometime fail to grab items – like boards or other grippable objects – that you’ve seemingly lined up perfectly. Thankfully, Terrible Lizards is quite generous with its checkpoints, so even the rare unfair death doesn’t lead to frustrating repetition or tedious trial-and-error.

Of course, treating the game’s world like your own personal playground wouldn’t be all that engrossing if its story, setting, and characters didn’t offer an engaging reason to break a sweat. While Terrible Lizards stumbles a bit in these areas, it’s generally an absorbing, atmospheric survival horror romp that immediately grabs you and doesn’t let go until you queue up the closing credits.

The set-up puts you in the well-trodden trainers of Jordan, a college track and field athlete who finds himself stuck on the side of the road in 1992 New Mexico. With the teen’s vehicle stalled, he heads into a nearby Route 66 roadside attraction, dubbed Dalton’s Dinos, to seek help. Upon entering the family-friendly theme park/museum, the game quickly compels you to dig deeper into its detailed interior environments.

Towering dinosaur fossil displays, educational plaques, interactive exhibits, and campy animatronics immerse you in the Jurassic Park-wannabe facility. It’s the behind-the-scenes areas though, that go the extra mile to sell the setting and era, while also slowly increasing your sense of dread. Dated technology and gadgets – from old school phones and boom boxes to chunky computers, tape recorders, and camcorders – do plenty to feed the former. But it’s the spine-tingling touches, such as creepy, unoccupied mascot costumes, and the fact this massive museum-like destination is abandoned, that feed the latter.

These absorbing elements aren’t all static backdrops either, as Terrible Lizards organically layers its world-building into the gameplay in some imaginative ways. On top of numerous well-written and -performed lore drops and story-driving discoveries – such as notes, letters, video tapes, audio recordings, facility signage, and more – there’s some especially clever inclusions that truly put you behind the increasingly uneasy protagonist. Highlights include Jordan’s communication headset, complete with big foam microphone, that he uses to occasionally speak with outside help. He also explores the dark structure with a souvenir dino flashlight that casts a toothy silhouette on surfaces when powered on.

These more creative details do taper off a bit as you transition from the cheeky museum into its hidden subterranean areas. But while you can expect more familiar dirt, caves, and claustrophobic stretches down below, entering the game’s vast underground is also when the narrative’s sinister side starts to surface. No major spoilers here, but Jordan’s innocent detour into Dalton’s Dino’s soon involves creepy dig sites, a missing child, and mutated prehistoric monsters.

While things get more disturbing the deeper you get, the storytelling is sometimes undermined by Jordan’s surprisingly chill reaction to having to perform death-defying acrobatics and face nightmarish foes. His voice performance is polished and believable, but his frequent quips and sarcasm can feel tonally off given his horrifying circumstances. He’s also a bit too generous with tips and directions. The game includes regular environmental cues – in the form of yellow markings – ensuring you never get lost. This guidance is generally welcome, but the character’s extra hints can be a bit much.

As far as what he’s specifically helping you with, Terrible Lizards alternates its thrilling parkour stretches with some light puzzling. These elements are servicable, but don’t stray too far from the genre’s comfort zone, tasking you to find keys and codes, pull levers, replace fuses, power-up generators, and generally overcome obstacles so you can progress forward. The best of the bunch also incorporate your athletic abilities, calling on you to, say, trigger a timed door that you need to sprint to and slide under before it automatically shuts.

The game’s titular terrifying foes can also up the ante in these situations, challenging you to complete a task – like cracking a conundrum or collecting bundles of dynamite – while being relentlessly hunted. That said, don’t expect to encounter many enemies on your journey. Terrible Lizards is great at gradually building dread and preying on your increasingly fragile psyche, but it uses its monsters sparingly, not unlike Resident Evil’s persistent stalking threats. Still, you can plan on plenty of jump scares, several skin-of-your-teeth chases, and the occasional set piece moment peppered between the excellent traversal and supporting puzzle-solving moments.

The game also doesn’t put any weapons in your hand (well, save for those sticks of dynamite,) nor does it bog you down with superfluous features, systems, and mechanics. In this way, Terrible Lizards is a refreshingly tight, streamlined survival horror experience that, at 8-10 hours, doesn’t overstay its welcome.

While it’s not without a few cracks in its fossils, WDR Studios’ debut is a highly original concept that sets out to do a few things really well, and it succeeds in that goal. If you – and your nightmares – have room for one more horror game this spooky season, you won’t find a more terrifying trick, or treat, than Terrible Lizards.

Our score

7.5/10

Good

Xbox Nation Verdict