Evaluating Game Mechanics, Gameplay and Scenarios: Jurassic World VR - Review

Hi, I wanted to give my quick opinion here, as I've done before, to talk a little about the mechanics, gameplay, etc., of the Jurassic World VR game.

I can't repeat myself—I know these videos may seem a bit heavy-handed or negative—but in the end, it's entirely my opinion. I mostly tend to highlight the bad, because that's what I like to evaluate: the aspects that, in my judgment (my humble opinion as a player), could be improved. The good is there, of course, but the bad is what leaves room for improvement.

I'd also like to clarify that these videos have a somewhat fragmented structure. On the one hand, I'm speaking as a player, and on the other, I use them as a reference for potential personal projects, especially when I'm interested in replicating or avoiding certain mechanics.

The same old problem with many virtual reality games.

For me, Jurassic World VR repeats the same mistakes that most VR games have, with few exceptions (like Asgard's Wrath, which does offer many mechanics). I'm referring specifically to the design: they include one or two mechanics and that's it. I also mention this because I'm recording these videos after playing Red Matter, which, as I mentioned, I find to be a so-called "entertaining" game. Visually, it's pretty, yes, but in terms of gameplay, it's just solving a few puzzles and that's it.

Only two mechanics

In Jurassic World VR, the mechanics are reduced to two:

1. Escape from the dinosaur.
2. Button presses.

And that's it. This makes the game extremely repetitive and random. Why random? Because there's no way to distract the dinosaur. If you go to another area where it isn't initially, it may appear completely randomly. So, you're bound to die a few times just because.

Weak story and poor gameplay
The story is very basic, and the game, in general, feels like many others in VR: as if it were an unfinished product or a minimum viable product.

They could have added tons of elements to improve the gameplay, such as:

Distracting tools (rocks, food, etc.).

Some way to detect the dinosaur, such as a GPS.
(Damn! If you're spending millions cloning a dinosaur, I guess you'll at least chip it to know where it is, right?)

But no. None of that was included.

Simple mechanics... but not even that.

The worst part is that these mechanics are very simple to implement, especially with engines like Unreal. With basic details like the ones I mentioned, they could have had a complete, solid, and "real-world" game. But instead, we have a mediocre game.

And the most frustrating thing: it's an expensive game for what it offers. It feels like a half-finished project, released at a high price, especially when compared to other titles you can find on Steam at a much fairer price.