Game Review: Jurassic World Evolution 2 (Xbox Series X)

Released back in 2018, Jurassic World Evolution is a construction and management sim game. Think Theme Park but with dinosaurs.

While it wasn’t the first game with the Jurassic Park name-tag to do this, Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis came out in 2003, it was the biggest and most expansive attempt resulting in good sales, mostly good reception and in late 2021, a sequel. You can read our review of Jurassic World Evolution here.

Jurassic World Evolution 2 was released via Frontier Developments and is set after the events of the movie Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

Now, you might be wondering… just what has the movie got to do with this game? After all, you are park building and putting dinosaurs on show for the masses to enjoy. Well, the story told in the movie continues into Campaign mode. Easily the most disappointing mode of the game. However, it does make up for that elsewhere.

Before we get into that though… what can seasoned players expect? More of the same Jurassic World Evolution gameplay but tweaked here and there with some new additions to make things feel fresher. The goal of most modes is still the same… build the best park possible, earn a ton of money and take care of dinosaurs… all to achieve a five-star park. Sounds easy but with limited space, disease, storms and even sabotage events, a well-run park can quickly descend into chaos.

It’s not as simple as incubating, hatching a dinosaur and dropping it in the middle of your park. It’s a dangerous animal after all and needs an enclosure. Simple enough to build but is it big enough? Does it have its dietary needs met and can your park attendees see it? What happens if a storm hits and breaks your enclosure? Do you have a ranger team ready to tranquillise it? What if it gets sick? Is your medical team ready to act to save its life?

This is all part of building the best park ever, starting off with basic dinosaurs and basic attractions, letting the money begin to roll in. As you play, you can use scientists to research all manner of things that will allow to bring more and more dinosaurs in and offer even bigger and better attractions for your guests. The more things to entertain, the more variety in dinosaurs, the bigger ‘wow’ factor, the more money you will earn.

This, park building, is always the most fun thing about these games and it is at its best in Jurassic World Evolution 2. However, most will start their playtime with Campaign mode and probably find themselves feeling severely under-whelmed.

This mode is a handful of missions that are based around finding and caring for wild dinosaurs around the world. There is no ‘park building’ in the traditional sense as, like the movie, focus has shifted to a world where dinosaurs roam free. The whole mode lasts no more than 3-4 hours and ends up feeling like nothing more than a tutorial for the changed aspects of gameplay.

Once that mode is out of the way, it’s likely going to be Chaos Theory mode that most jump to next and this is where the game gets good. Five missions, five films, five ‘what-ifs’. Jump into Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park: The Lost World, Jurassic Park III, Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and play a ‘what-if’ scenario.

Those hungry for park building will find Jurassic Park, The Lost World and Jurassic World give all that you want. The middle of trio, one that wasn’t featured in the original Evolution game is particularly fun to play.

What about the other two? Jurassic Park III and Fallen Kingdom? After all, those two films are not ‘park based’. This is where the game changes things up.

The former has you collecting wild dinosaurs for the business mogul responsible for Jurassic World and the latter has you returning to the island to remove any proof that humanity was ever there. Neither is particularly fun to play but they do offer new challenges.

Speaking of challenges though… once again, we get a mode that tasks you with creating a 5-star park in different parts of the world in a set amount of time based off different difficulty levels. These range from enjoyably challenging (Canada & Germany) to downright infuriating (UK and Southwest USA). No matter how good you think you are, these challenges will test you, especially on the hardest difficulty.

If you’re after something more relaxing though, where you’re not limited by rules, landscape, or money, then Sandbox mode will deliver. It’s this mode where you’re able to find and unlock all the many incredible dinosaur varieties, skins, and evolutions. After all, this is Jurassic Park and you are playing god.

So, there is no argument that there is plenty of content even if the likes of the campaign are severely lacking. Likewise, the ability to get yourself lost in creating your ultimate park or trying to capture that elusive 5-star park is impressive. Hours can go by before you even know it. The minor changes to gameplay are just enough to make it feel like a sequel but also aren’t so wildly different that the original experience is disrupted.

Overall, if you loved the first game, you’re going to love this one too. Just be prepared for some frustration when it comes to challenge mode on Jurassic difficulty.