It may only be in the early stages of development, but Instinction is already shaping up to be one of the must-play indie titles of 2022
We’ve had some decent survival horror games in recent years, including numerous remakes of Resident Evil and the excellent Resident Evil Village, but what about Capcom’s other franchise? The Dino Crisis series was much-loved when it first released (well, the first two games, at least), and fans have been crying out for a sequel or at the very least, a remake. Sadly, their cries have fallen on deaf ears at Capcom, but there is still hope…
Instinction, from developer Hashbane, may not be an official follow-up to Dino Crisis, but there’s no doubt where they got their inspiration.
Instinction
“Experience a cinematic story-based action adventure with combat, exploration and puzzles, where the environments can be as treacherous and beautiful as the creatures you encounter.
Environmental puzzles will have you completing quests and searching for ancient artefacts left by an unknown civilisation long since gone, or so you thought, while navigating stunning locations with ever-changing weather conditions and embark on an unforgettable journey.“
Having a dino-mad son, I spotted several dinosaurs and prehistoric beasts, such as a sabre-toothed Smilodon, the distinctive chunky head of a Carnotaurus, Deinonychus (the lethal hunters Jurassic Park used as inspiration for their Velociraptors), pack-hunting Coelophysis and many more. So far, there are more than two dozen different prehistoric animals to hunt/fight/poop your pants and run away from, with Hashbane taking requests on its social media channels for people’s favourites to add into the game.
Even though ammo is likely to be scarce (this is survival horror, after all), Instinction will have an epic arsenal of weaponry, all of which has been created under the guidance of TJ Bova, who is ex-military and has over 15 years of experience with all kinds of firearms. There’s going to be a whole suite of weapon customisations available, including skins, reticles and attachments – just don’t get too excited and waste your limited ammo!
We can expect a wide-ranging variety of biomes to explore, too. From dense forests and ruins of past civilisations to cavernous underwater areas, all packed full of creatures that want to eat you and people who want you dead. Story details are limited at present, but we know there is an evil corporation (of course) up to no good, and loads of dinosaurs. There’s obviously way more to it than that, but I mean, it has dinosaurs – what more do you need to know?
Finally, we need to mention those visuals – Instinction is being developed with Unreal Engine 5, and it looks simply stunning:
Admittedly, the trailers look more like pre-rendered cinematics than actual gameplay, though they are created in-engine, and we’ve already seen just how good Unreal Engine 5 can look. If they can maintain production and produce a game that lives up to both the promise of the trailers and the nostalgia and expectations of Dino Crisis fans, then Instinction is well on track to filling the dinosaur-shaped void in our lives.
Hashbane is targeting a Q3 2022 release for Windows PC (Steam), PS4/5, Xbox One/Series X|S and Stadia. It’s available to wishlist right now on Steam, and they hope to bring a Beta and early access release at some point in the coming year.
You can find all of Hashbane’s social accounts with this link to their Linktree page
