''Paleo Pines'', also known as ''Paleo Pines: The Dino Valley'', is an

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life simulation game Life simulation games form a subgenre of simulation video games in which the player lives or controls one or more virtual characters (human or otherwise). Such a game can revolve around "individuals and relationships, or it could be a simulation ...

developed by Italic Pig and published by

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. It was released for

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, and Xbox Series X, S on 26 September 2023. Players take the role of a rancher working in a

dinosaur Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic Geological period, period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the #Evolutio ...

sanctuary while befriending townsfolk and the creatures they care for.

Gameplay and setting

''Paleo Pines'' is a 3D single-player

farm life sim Farm life sims (also called farming sim or farm sim) are a subgenre of life simulation games which fuse social simulation, dating sim and farm simulation elements. The games generally feature a protagonist going out to a rural setting and taking ...

taking place on an island where humans and dinosaurs live together. The player takes control of a rancher tasked with collecting, cataloging, and caring for the various dinosaur species who inhabit the area along with their ''

Parasaurolophus ''Parasaurolophus'' (; meaning "beside crested lizard" in reference to ''Saurolophus'') is a genus of hadrosaurid "duck-billed" dinosaur that lived in what is now western North America and possibly Asia during the Late Cretaceous period, a ...

'' companion Lucky. Townsfolk and dinosaurs alike can be befriended and aid the player with specific skills needed to advance the story.

Development

''Paleo Pines'' was announced on 23 April, 2023 by publisher

accompanied by a reveal trailer. The title was developed by

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-based independent game studio Italic Pig, whose team is composed of members active in the UK animation and game industry. In August 2023, ''Paleo Pines'' made an appearance at that year's

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convention in

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, as well as the MIX Next Showcase which revealed its release date the following September for all platforms. In October 2024, Italic Pig revealed that they had been able to support the game over its first year on a "shoestring budget", but that support for a planned follow-up would depend on finding investors and publishers willing to back the project.

Reception

''Paleo Pines'' received an average critic score of 65 out of 100 from

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, equating to "mixed or average reviews". Ryan Thompson-Bamsey of TheGamer called the game "a largely successful execution of standard farming sim formulas," adding that the dinosaur collecting and caring mechanic was the "most compelling" part of the game.

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's Deven McClure felt that it "has all the right ingredients for a cozy game," but that the sometimes "uninviting" character designs and "shallow" features may put off some players. Gareth Newnham of Impulse Gamer remarked that "though not as sprawling or intense as something like ''Stardew Valley'', t'sstill a great way to while away a few hours," calling it a good entry point to newcomers of the genre. Violet Plata of GameGrin similarly commented that "if you're looking for a life simulation with cute dinosaurs — kind of like ''Stardew Valley'' with reptiles — this is not it," adding that its gameplay was more focused on collecting and exploring.

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Official website
2023 video games Farm life sim video games Indie games Life simulation games Linux games Modus Games games Nintendo Switch games PlayStation 4 games PlayStation 5 games Single-player video games Video games about dinosaurs Video games developed in Ireland Video games set on fictional islands Windows games Xbox One games Xbox Series X and Series S games