Saurian (video game)

Saurian is a survival simulation video game developed and published by Urvogel Games. The game aims to provide a scientifically accurate and realistic experience of inhabiting a dinosaur in its prehistoric environment. The player controls a juvenile dinosaur growing from hatchling to adulthood, navigating the Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota approximately 66 million years ago.

The primary gameplay focuses on surviving within a detailed and dynamic ecosystem. Players must manage their dinosaur's needs, including hunger, thirst, stamina, and thermoregulation. They must also avoid predators, compete with other individuals of their species and other herbivores, and learn to forage effectively within the environment.

Saurian initially launched in early access on Steam in 2017, featuring the Dakotaraptor steini as the playable dinosaur. Subsequent updates have added other playable dinosaurs, including Triceratops horridus, Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis, and Anzu wyliei. Each dinosaur possesses unique gameplay mechanics and survival challenges based on paleontological evidence and scientific interpretations of their behavior and physiology.

A core design principle of Saurian is scientific accuracy. Urvogel Games collaborates with paleontologists and paleoartists to ensure the dinosaurs, their environment, and their behaviors are represented as accurately as possible, based on current scientific understanding. This includes the animals' appearance, locomotion, vocalizations, and ecological roles.

The game features a detailed and reactive environment, with weather patterns, day/night cycles, and dynamic populations of flora and fauna. The AI of other creatures, both predators and prey, is designed to simulate realistic behaviors, creating a challenging and unpredictable survival experience.