So, Saurian has updated a couple of months ago. I recently had the opportunity to play the new patch 2.0, which is notable for the introduction of brand new plant and biome assets for the environment, as well as the introduction of Triceratops as a brand new playable dinosaur (its been over three years, but here it is). I must pin a disclaimer here... I haven't reached adulthood yet in any of the gameplays I did for this patch, but I have played enough times to confidently give a review of my experience.

What do I have to say about this experience? I liked it very much. Lets just say the performance is so, so much better in this new patch. Its extremelly noticeable for me how smooth the gameplay experience runs through. There are some instances where frame drops occur, but nothing too drastic, and the game has crashed at times, but that doesn't seem to be too surprising given the history of the game. This is obviously accompanied by brand new floral assets, which are basically plant remodels. This was deemed important, as the game was introducing the first playable plant-eater. Fortunetly this was accompanied both by a performance increase and an aesthetic overhaul. Although I didn't mind the old look, this new one looks much more realistic, under my own judgement. The plants seem to have a duller color tone, which makes the world look much more realistic, in contrast to have it all bright green.

Now for my experience in playing as a Triceratops. It is an extremelly fun experience. I could even risk to say its more pleasant than Dakotaraptor (more on that in a bit). Triceratops are social creatures, and it was an obligation, on the game's part, to provide us with the tools to enjoy this social lifestyle as vividly and as effectively as possible. The diversity of different calls and social features is small, but can do just enough for me. I particularly praise the inclusion of a stats menu, which allows you to see all the stats of your herd, including the names of your herdmates, that you can rename however you want. I highly reccomend for you to name your herdmates with your own personalized names. This will help you develoip an emotional connection with your herdmates, and as you progress and grow, it will force you to keep track of the herdmates that were with you since the beginning, the ones that eventually left your herd and moved on (or died), and the new ones that join. Its a rewarding experiment and one that certainly gives a "soul" to your gameplay, which is something that I feel was lacking in Saurian. As a Dakotaraptor, your life is solitary, and there is nothing much to add in terms of interactions with other animals, which, in my opinion, makes this an inferior playable. At its benefit, Dakotaraptor is a carnivore, and it is rewarding to kill bigger and bigger, harder and harder prey, as you grow, as you grow from the bottom to the top of the food chain... metaphorically at least. Triceratops is a pretty lame animal to play as a solitary animal. Not much happens... you just drink and eat plants. And if a big predator comes after you... you won't outrun it, because you're slow as hell, so you lack some of the gists that make Dakotaraptor an interesting animal when both are compared in terms of solitary gameplay.

Dakotaraptor has surprisingly become harder to play when compared to previous patches. Animals, with this social overhaul, are now way more reactive, and attack you with much more ease. I remember the times when it was easy to kill an Acheroraptor and even your siblings... now, for some reason, they go after you more easily and inflict bites on you much faster, forcing you to keep more wary. I remember one gameplay where I was killed by a immature Triceratops... JUST by standing in front of one after peacefully drinking... and I was a hatchling, so no way I was going to be a threat. The turning is also a bit different in Dakotaraptor, and I have to adjust my previous skills to this. Its a bit harder to catch Chamops and Didelphodon, but its still doable. Overall Dakotaraptor is a bit harder to play, but that nevertheless makes it good. Its just a bit more challenging. I also want to mention the fact that you can stick around your parents and siblings for a considerable amount of time. They don't despawn when you sleep, as a hatchling, and you can't bite and hurt them, until you pass to the juvenile stage. I think this is a nice little hint of social bonds in this largely solitary creature, which is a nice touch, in my opinion.