REVIEW – A good idea with an imperfect execution. We have seen plenty of similar attempts this year alone, so covering one more on December 24 is hardly surprising. The concept itself is clear: a first-person shooter filled with dinosaurs, various weapons, crafting elements, and fast-paced action, where players can even control certain dinosaurs in specific situations.

An FPS with light survival mechanics mixed in? That is certainly an unusual choice, and one that will inevitably divide players.

Not for the story

In the case of Ferocious, the story is not the reason you will keep playing. The narrative gets going slowly and never really becomes well developed. Not only is the pacing off, but the character writing is also highly questionable. That leaves the gameplay – and unfortunately, problems arise here as well. The artificial intelligence is weak, collectible items are largely forgettable, and the crafting system is extremely barebones. Exploration and gunplay alike settle firmly at an average level.

It often feels as if Ferocious tried to do too many things at once, without fully refining any of them. Visually, however, the game is not bad at all: water affects visibility, and swimming sections can actually feel atmospheric. The graphics generally support the tense mood, but technical issues are present, and players can frequently get stuck on faulty geometry and collision detection.

The audio is… interesting – when it works. There are instances where the game goes completely silent, and even when it does not, environmental sounds are acceptable while the music becomes noticeably and annoyingly repetitive. It is worth noting, however, that this is not a full-priced title: it costs $25 (roughly €23), and there is currently no console version. That may change if interest proves strong enough, as this is clearly a niche project.

Ferocious primarily targets fans of Jurassic Park and Turok, but it may also appeal to players who miss the atmosphere of Dino Crisis. That said, it is important to keep in mind that the game still requires ongoing updates, as the developers continue to patch issues that were present at launch. This is an indie title with notably low system requirements: even the recommended specs list a graphics card from three generations ago, paired with an even older CPU.

The game can best be described as a mix of Far Cry with a dose of Ark. San Win’s story is fairly straightforward: shipwrecked, he is searching for his brother, Min Tun, while gradually realizing that dangerous humans and even more dangerous creatures stand in his way. First impressions are, to put it mildly, weak. We learn almost nothing about our protagonist, and this remains the case well into the second act. While things do eventually improve, the early lack of characterization feels like a strange – and frankly poor – decision. The arrival of the Manifesto changes the direction of San Win’s struggle entirely.

One man versus a private army

The Manifesto is the classic evil megacorporation, complete with its own private military. San Win takes up arms against them. It takes a while for the story to truly find its footing, but sticking with it does pay off. There is real weight to the idea of interfering with the natural order – and that is about as much as should be revealed.

What is certain is that San Win is a relatively well-developed character, while the antagonists are not. Neither the general nor Kane evolves over the course of the story, and their presence feels largely inconsequential. The supporting character who helps us (possibly named Franka) barely appears at all. This is especially disappointing considering that even Red Faction, released 24 years ago, demonstrated how much a physically present support character can add to immersion – something the now-defunct Volition clearly understood.

Due to the weak AI, stealth is far too effective. Once enemy patterns are learned, they stand little chance, often failing to hit the player at all if one simply strafes sideways. At least grenades are used, preventing players from staying in cover indefinitely. Despite the large open world, exploration rarely feels rewarding: the strongest weapons can be purchased almost immediately, money is never an issue, and scattered resources quickly fill the inventory (body armor, spears, bandages, and more). As a result, the game never truly makes you feel threatened.

Atmosphere is not enough

The core idea behind Ferocious is solid, but the execution falls short. It is difficult to justify a score higher than 6.5/10. The game can be engaging, and its atmosphere does work, yet overall it feels somewhat unfinished. There is still plenty of room for improvement, which may explain why a console release has not yet happened.

If you enjoy dinosaurs and have a soft spot for FPS games, it may still be worth checking out despite its flaws. You can easily sink 15–20 hours into it, and it is exactly the kind of game you can casually stream on Discord between holiday meals, laughing along with a friend at the unfolding chaos. For that purpose, it works perfectly. Genuinely so.

-V-

Developer: Omyog
Publisher: TinyBuild
Release date: December 4, 2025
Genre: FPS