Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is yet another movie tie-in, and it’s because of this that many people will want to shy away from this game. After all, most movie tie-ins are sub par at best and feel like an utter waste of money, which is why you may find this a little hard to believe. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is actually a pretty good game.
It fills in the void left by Ratchet & Clank and, more notable, the Jak series from Naughty Dog. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is essentially a string of gameplay gimmicks and mini-games, but in a combination and pace that feels fresh and energetic. The game starts off very simple and easy, slowly unlocking various controls and gameplay features from level to level. And as the game progresses, the levels become steadily longer and more complex in both design and scope.
At its core, it’s a game built for kids, but it also has the strange ability to make adults feel young again. The lighthearted tone of the story and gameplay elements are to thank, and the corny jokes uttered by the digital cast really are constantly smile-enducing. And more notably, the voice actors from the movie also voice their videogame counterparts, which was a great decision. The game takes a while to warm up, but once it does the action set pieces take the spotlight and prove that Blue Sky is a developer that, if given the chance to make a platform-exclusive title, could concentrate their resources and make something truly astounding.
I can’t stress enough just how user-friendly Dawn of the Dinosaurs is. There are constant hints within the levels, so many that I can’t imagine how someone would not be able to beat this game. For example, visible gusts of wind clue the player in on the general direction they should navigate. And if that wasn’t enough, rock sculptures carefully placed before ‘challenging’ sections explicitly tell the player how to advance to the next stage. Again, this game really is aimed at kids, so give the developers a break.
