Jurassic World Evolution 3 Review

Ever since the early days of Operation Genesis, the potential for a Jurassic Park management sim was clear.

Until now, that vision was never truly realized…

The original Jurassic World Evolution was a decent start – an average game with good ideas. Later on, its successor Jurassic World Evolution 2 offered marginal improvements, but ignored many of the original’s downfalls.

Scoring both releases 50/100 and 55/100 respectively, Frontier Development’s Jurassic World Evolution 3 was approached with reserved optimism.

Surely this time it’ll hit the spot, right?

Jurassic World Evolution 3 Review

Let’s get something out of the way…

The franchise’s biggest pain point comes with its poorly simulated attempts at guests – the single reason why this is a park management sim and not a wildlife conservation sim.

Sadly, that has not changed with this release. The guests are mere illusions, walking objects that serve no real purpose and exist only because they are expected to do so.

My “thriving” drinks establishment with 441 guests, but no actual guests in sight

While one can create experiences of pure wonder and joy – even epic when it comes to the grandiose playground the Jurassic Park franchise is known for.

Despite that, 300 people will still be wandering around your staff-only facilities…because reasons.

Placing any guest service, like a food or drink vendor, will immediately net a profit based on the number of guests that are in the area.

This is regardless of whether guests actually physically appear in said area.

Hours spent researching and constructing attractions, just for them to be completely ignored by “guests”

One’s beautifully curated viewing platform, with 15 visible dinosaurs and 4,000 appeal, will often be empty and lifeless.

This area has been all but ignored throughout the series – and it continues to be a disappointment in this release.

With that out of the way, Jurassic World Evolution 3 is the best game in the series – and it’s not even close.

Jurassic World Evolution 3 builds on almost every other area (sorry, combat is still a bit meh), pushing the franchise to new heights.

Whether you want massive structures or carefully curated fountains, the workshop potential is limitless

A lot of Jurassic World Evolution 3’s heavy lifting is done by the community, thanks in part to a fantastically designed set of building customization tools that provide near-endless creativity.

Merely days after its release, the Jurassic World Evolution 3 community has already created some truly epic designs.

Using Jurassic World Evolution 3’s tools in the well-constructed workshop, one can create everything from a near replica of the original park.

One can even include the iconic raptors from Jurassic Park’s kitchen scene, with raptors actually being able to walk around the kitchen.

It’s ridiculous – and we love it.

Video from Rudi Rennkamel. This is in the game. Working. Available to download.

It would be easy to understate the importance of this impressive suite of tools, but they all add an unrivaled level of longevity and customization

Outside of Frontier Developments’ other titles, of course.

Put simply, Jurassic Wold Evolution 3’s suite of tools is a truly remarkable feat.

And they all do so much more!

Every problem seems less of an issue, every obstacle less relevant…there’s just so much potential to do just about anything.

With these tools in placce, they allow the rest of the game to shine like never before.

Life found a way, a way to completely f**k me over with a combination of storms and really rude dinosaurs

While the economic challenges of the game are still few and far between (a positive cash flow is literally throwing down a few buildings, and you’re good to go) the complete and utter carnage and chaos is as glorious as ever.

Our sandbox park featured a small enclosure for the ridiculously cute Microceratus. On the other side of the path, a growing family of Dilophosaurus. Money was pouring in, and we were thriving.

Then a storm hit.

I’m not an expert, but I’d imagine the Panicking and Cohabitation Issue are related to the Dilophosaurus raid

It took out the power, causing the Dilophosaurus to escape through the fence and break into the Microceratus enclosure. On that note, this was attached to a petting zoo for visitors…

Dinosaurs died, people were eaten, and we were hit with lawsuits to near non-existence.

Chaos defeated us that day.

There’s a magic to Jurassic World Evolution 3’s chaos, a combination of compounding events that can bring even the best managed parks to its knees – and it’s awesome.

The addition of natural breeding makes the micromanagement of dinosaur needs far more rewarding

Many of the elements surrounding dinosaurs and care in Jurassic World Evolution 3 remain the same. Dinosaurs require certain habitats to thrive, and attempting to balance these out across multiple species is rewarding and satisfying.

The introduction of Juvenile dinosaurs to Jurassic World Evolution 3 adds another layer of excitement to the mix.

Genetically breeding the ultimate attraction while watching all the new animations and interactions between different families and herds, it’s a seemingly small and simple feature at face value. However, this feature adds so much to the overall experience.

New attractions, a suite of impressive terraforming and community creation tools, new dinosaurs, new breeding mechanics…

Clocking approximately 40 hours into Jurassic World Evolution 3 as of this writing, we have barely scratched the surface of what we want to achieve.

That’s where Jurassic World Evolution 3 truly won us over…

Jurassic World Evolution 3’s combination of existing and new features creates a consistently busy – yet growing – environment.

There were always simultaneous projects going on at any given time. We were mentally checkmarking objectives as we progressed, always moving forward to that next grand idea.

The career mode is great, with more variety of objectives and freedom to swap between locations

There is still one area of criticism that needs to be discussed: Jurassic World Evolution 3’s console release.

Reviewed on the Xbox Series X, its 30 frames per second frame rate 30 FPS is very noticeable to the point we regret not buying it on PC first.

With the level of flora and fauna detail scattered across every map, graphical pop-in is quite intrusive. There is also a construction limit imposed on console platforms will be off-putting for those hoping to create something massive.

To scroll to the settings box, it auto-selects whatever the final option is, creating a frustrating experience for the controller

Coupled with the traditional woes of console management games, sluggish controls, and interface interaction when it comes to challenges building with precision, makes the console versions of Jurassic World Evolution 3 a tough call.

Jurassic World Evolution 3 is a great console release; there’s no denying that.

That being said, while it works well and does everything it needs to do, the PC version of Jurassic World Evolution 3 really lets this game shine.

Jurassic World Evolution 3 is the single best entry in the series to date – and it’s not even close.

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