Fossil Hunters

[b] Pros[/b] ✓︎ Unique game concept. ✓︎ Possibility to switch between single and local multiplayer modes. ✓︎ High variety of fossil pieces. ✓︎ Interesting environments. ✓︎ Clear controls, adapting to the type of joypad used. ✓︎ Good graphics, with well done illustrations. [b] Cons[/b] ✕︎ Repetitive gameplay. ✕︎ Very punishing obstacles. ✕︎ No inventory or any mechanics to organise objects inside the base. ✕︎ Co-op can be played only on a single shared screen. Fossil Hunters is an indie exploration puzzle game by Reptoid Games. The purpose of this game is to dig for and arrange together fossil pieces, creating dinosaur skeletons. It can be played alone, or by up to four players on a shared screen. [h1]Story, Dialogue and Characters [/h1] After the mysterious disappearance of other explorers, the player has to descend the digsite, but this plot has no real meaning. The story of this game is scattered in various journal entries that can be unlocked by finding them. Those entries do not provide a linear story, but rather they are notes left by the explorers who have advanced further. There are six NPCs. The first one communicates with the player through a radio located in the basecamp and provides the player with missions. He introduces himself as “The Collector” and won't reveal any more information until the end of the game. The other five are merchants that need to be first approached inside the levels they reside in. Their appearances is based on the same model, but have different colours and accessories. Four of them will move to the base, while the last one is bonded to the last set of areas. All the dialogues are quite simple, but still charming. They describe what a mission requires you to build, or what a merchant is selling and so they are purely functional. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] The main objective is to dig up fossil pieces and to arrange them. The player can dig in three different soil types, each holds a different durability. The most basic tiles are one square big, so they can be dragged away as soon as uncovered. The pieces can have a size up to four squares. They need to be exposed completely by digging otherwise can be destroyed, because there are some areas where the earth collapses. This can be opposed in later game, using one of available items that contrast the obstacles. The fossil pieces have to be dragged to their destination and can be rotated without changing their position, or dragged without changing their direction. Those operations are a little complex when using keyboard and mouse, thus the developers reccomend using a joypad. Tiles can be arranged on schematics, unlocking next levels, or freely combined to complete quests and gather coins and gems. Each skeleton needs to be fully completed, with no empty tile slots. Another hindrance can be found in walkable area limits. It's extremely easy to fall off of them, if carrying an object, or collectable, it will not respawn. In some cases it's possible to save the item, walking towards the edge. It is not possible to jump while carrying an object. Some of the biggest tiles can be moved through smaller rift areas. Eventually it will be required to drag the puzzles through disconnected islands. This will be possible by using bridges that will create paths in the void. However a bridge won't always work, simply falling into nothing and wasting resources, they must be positioned in a certain way that the player needs to figure out. The first areas are introductory, but some of them are full of crawlers – spiderlike creatures that destroy tiles if they touch them twice. They can be pushed away with the same key that cleans the tiles, or stopped by positioning lamps, available at the lamp vendor. Once they are set, the player can leave the bones without any fear and explore the area. Some of these levels are also shrouded in complete darkness, but again this can be easily solved using lamps. Next there are the Mushroom Ruins. As something touches the fungi growing on the floor, mushrooms explode, multiplying their number and covering the tiles with which they come in contact. This makes dragging slower and a piece covered with green growth can't be connected. This, as well as fungi themself, can be cleaned and is not permanent. The Magma Chambers are filled with mastodontic Fire Salamanders roaming through the floors, wrecking everything on their path. In some levels the player has to stay alert, watching out for any lizards that are about to walk into the skeleton. They can be shooed away, but this area is also particularly rich with explosives that appear after a tile dirt is destroyed, they can be very damaging. The explosives affect nearby bridges, tearing them down. This area is particularly difficult, due to the constant collapsing. The final levels are cosmic and are named The Abyss. This area is extremely time consuming. The fossil pieces are already available, there is no digging involved. Every level contains multiple schematics. Multiple bridges are needed to join the floating islands together. There is also a merchant, who fishes for remaining fossil pieces, if needed.. The final level combines some of the older mechanics. After matching several tiles there is a giant skeleton to complete, with enormous fossil pieces. Death of the character results in the loss of a small amount of coins, the charactar respawns instantly. However the money are important in this game, and require a lot of time to gather. In the closing of the game it is impossible to complete certain levels without spending a relevant quantity of coins. Aid objects cost 100 coins each, while fishing for a tile costs 300. There is also a different currency, the gems. They can be found randomly when digging or as a reward for assembling big skeletons. There are four different gems, depending on the zone, but are interchangeable. They can be used to open certain areas that are blocked. They gems are quite easily found. The elevator used to move through levels allows transportation of objects and smaller tiles. The game saves each time the player closes the menu or changes area and can be continued adding players or changing the character freely. The missions given by The Collector give gems or aid items as rewards. [h1]Graphics[/h1] The graphics are really pleasant. There are four playable characters to choose from, with four colour themes each. They are all quite detailed and well defined. Ingame models are nice too, following a similar graphics to the the characters. The animations and effects are all fluid and excellent. The design is really great and fossils are well done. They are also quite ambigous, allowing them to blend in any kind of creature. [h1]Sound[/h1] The background music is good, changing with each einvornement. The ambient sounds are indicative of what is happening and enhance the gameplay. [h1]Performance[/h1] This game runs smoothly on my computer. [i]Specs of the computer used:[/i] Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7500U CPU 2.70GHz 2.90 Ghz 8 GB RAM NVIDIA GeForce 950M [h1]Bugs / Issues [/h1] Often to collect the journal pieces the player will need to jump outside the main zones, but some of the floating islands on the edge of the map cannot be walked on.There are no bugs to report. [h1]Content to Price Ratio[/h1] The game lasts around 17 hours to be fully completed and still provides some entertainment after being compoleted. The price of 15 euros for such a complex work is deserved. Hopefully supporting this developer will provide us other quality novelty games. [i]This product was reviewed using a free key provided by the Developers.[/i] [quote][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/23741321/]Follow our curator page,[b] Alexander's Club Curations[/b] if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.[/url][/quote]

Fossil Hunters is a cute, top-down game with all the right elements for fun. It's a great game for co-op play and the shenanigans your dig-happy crew will get you into does make for a fun time of running from cave-ins due to an over-enthusiastic hunter. Making crazy skeletons of completely strange creatures, like the two headed, spiral dinosaur I made with my friend during the beta was quite amusing, seeing how to you have to continually protect the larger skeletons from the little jerks who love to devour your precious bones. It's an all-ages friendly type of game with an amazing artistic style, an excellnt level design with some interesting creatures and the semi-frustrating cave-in all make for a great experience, even if you're crying about losing that ONE piece you needed to make that blueprint dino you so desperately have been digging for! It's worth the price and if you've got a family of little ones who are interested in dinosaurs, or just playing in the dirt, it's a no-brainer!

This game is actually more than I expected. I wasn't around for the Kickstarter or any of the development. I don't really remember what keyed me into this game. Maybe Steam realized my undying love for both Dinosaurs and Puzzle games and was like: OMG WE HAVE THE PERFECT GAME FOR YOU. I love this game. I'm a huge fan of casual puzzle games - games I can sip tea and waste my evenings on as I wind down after work. Lemme cut to the chase with a list of pros and cons: Pros: - Beautiful. Love the art style. Smooth animations. - Excellent controller controls. - Interesting gameplay - such as the crawlers, the notes, little puzzles, and powerups. I particularly like the cave-ins and the fact that digging near your fossils makes them dirty again. - Great choice of 4 different characters - all well designed + different color choices too! - Levels vary and each seems to have its own challenges. - Very zen game that is honestly great for all ages. - Reptoid Games is responsive, interactive with it's consumers, and very friendly to work with. Cons - Not very mouse & keyboard friendly. I think more thought could have been put into the controls for the PC, considering this was released on Steam (for PCs), and many people may not have a controller set up for PC like I do. - Not sure about replayability. I'll have to finish the game to see. However, I could definitely see the potential for updates or DLC in the future for more levels, if the developers decide to go that route. Is this game worth $15? I would say so, and I'm pretty cynical when it comes to games & prices, to be honest. The game is gorgeous and well made. I only encountered one issue in my time playing it so far & Reptoid Games is working with me on it. The game runs very smoothly & is honestly everything I wanted and more. If you just want a game that is pretty to look at and easy to relax to, definitely pick this one up.

One of the rare actually 'For Everyone' games that is actually for everyone! The game has charming art, wonderful musical composition and easy-to-jump into gameplay and mechanics. It's got a simple but constantly stimulating formula of 'Dig up, piece together' that really suits any time of day or mood. Play it to relax, play it to have fun,or play it with a few friends- just play it.

These are my thoughts as of playing through the game, and are subject to change upon completion. Fossil Hunters is a lovely game. I remember as a kid getting excited over the first Lego Star Wars game. When I first heard of this project until finally playing the full version (almost a full year), this game has had my excitement in the same way that the first Lego Star Wars game had done. But, let's talk about the game (as far as I have played) Gameplay is easy to learn and deeply simple. What do I mean by that? + Easy and intuitive controls, both for PC and gamepads + Drop in drop out local co-op! + Easy to understand but time-consuming (and sometimes requiring some extra thought and planning) + Creative and innovative, there's nothing really like it + Fun little Journal-based Lore about missing archaeologists and more! + Just when you think that they couldn't add any more fossil pieces, they add more, and in ways you didn't expect! + To add on to that, each time that they add something that changes gameplay or modifies the way you approach your dig, it is clear and very understandable, yet it doesn't hold your hand and force you to learn. It's a very smooth dependency they place on you to learn while at the same time teaching you what the new object/entity does. Graphics are cartoony and it runs in the Unity engine. Needless to say, its pretty accessible for many different builds of computers. I play on a powerful build and am used to running new games at maximum+ with 55+ frames. Although I prefer games with a smoother graphical system, like Assassins Creed Origins, Fossil Hunter's graphics and art style don't deter from the experience, and if anything add on to it. There's a few different music tracks in the game, but there's a looped track for when you're in a cave/dungeon. It doesn't get annoying though, and fits well with the dinosuar/prehistoric theme. When you open your journal, the track switches to a beautiful piano melody, and continues where the base track left off. When in the elevator menu, you get elevator music, which is pretty entertaining. Basically, the music is good. Sound design is pretty clean and nice as well, and mixed and matched perfectly to compliment the rest of the game's design. Animations on characters are smooth and I have only one complaint -- when holding a light, your character doesn't actually hold it. I get why this is (because of how you want the light to function when being held), but I can't help but feel off, knowing full well that I don't have telekinesis. The freedom you have per level is pretty cool. You can make any sort of skeleton of a dinosaur that you want--as long as you use any type of endpiece on any ends to make sure its completed. I've made some wacky and funny stuff, basically making a dino that looked like a piano, from a dino made of two tails. There are some roadblocks you face as you go deeper into the caves, "Crawlers", little mean spiders that are angry that you're working on the most beautiful dino to ever exist, which hate the light. Little touches like seeing the layout of the cave you're about to enter, how much of it you've explored, etc., really shows the care that went into this game. There is a loose story, which is more or less just an excuse for your character(s) to dig through the tunnels. You find objects pertaining to lost Archaeologists as you explore and solve optional puzzles, finishing side objectives and using the gem rewards, or even more. So far, I'm giving this a 9/10 (It'd be higher but I feel like I can't do that until I've completed the game). If you're looking for a game to play with your partner(s), children, parents, siblings, or even just to play by yourself, Fossil Hunters will prove to be worth your cash!

(Warning, I don't write reviews) Just finished the game and I love it soooo much. I saw this game for a brief moment at a convention and I just fell in-love with it instantly and joined the kickstarter, and I'm very glad I did. It's a really great game if you wanna just relax and chill out for hours. If you like just exploring and finishing puzzles, this is the game for you. I'm a huge completionist, and if you are too, this game will be a lot of fun for you, as well. There's tons of secrets everywhere for you find and collect in your beautiful journal which is filled with artwork to enjoy. I'm an animal crossing/harvest moon kinda gal, so if you are too, you'll absolutely love this game. It also has multiplayer and I can really see this being a fun game to just hang out with someone and play. Obviously it has a few bugs here and there to fix still, but it's what you can expect with a game just released. I'm easily giving it a 10/10. It's just what I thought it would be, and I love it.

Keyboard/Mouse controls are awful

トレイラーを見るとわかるけど、土ブロックを崩してランダムで出てくる化石パーツを所定の位置に並べ、お題通りの標本を完成させるだけの面クリア型COOP推奨ゲー。 掘って化石を組むのは飽くまで入り口に過ぎず、そこからなにかもう一捻り化けるゲームなんだろうなって思って買ったんだけど、まさか本当にそれだけだなんて……。後半の面はパズル要素が増えるらしいが、退屈すぎてそこまで行き着かない。 ソロだとつまらないというレビューもあるが、「ああこれCOOPできたら絶対楽しいだろうなぁ」という予感も特に働かない。もしこれを一緒にやって楽しいと思える人物がいるのなら、その相手とは他のことをやっても楽しい。このゲームである必要がない。 追記：Parsec経由でCOOPしてみたけど別に面白くはないし、先のステージに進んでも手間が増えるだけで面白さは増えなかった。やめとけ。

If you're planning on playing using a keyboard (mouse doesn't do anything) I suggest you skip this game and try something else. The game is intended for controllers and the keyboard controls are simply awful, unintuitive and I found myself insanely frustrated trying to move things and just going in circles (you can't change the controls on top of that...who decided z and x would be the interaction keys? and moving with the arrows instead of wasd? why not use a mouse??). I can't even comment on the gameplay itself because I spent most of the time trying to actually control the toon. Really horrible experience for PC gamers.

키마 컨트롤이 애매하고. 생각보다 재밌지도 않다. 화석을 모으는 작업은 뭔가 밋밋하고 이어 붙이는건 다소 고통스럽다. 그리고 몹을 넣을거면 수적 제한을 두고 완전히 제거해 버릴 수단을 주면 좋을텐데 때려서 밀어버리는거 말고는 방법이 없다. 이게 거지같은 컨트롤과 겹쳐 짜증의 시너지를 만들어 내는데 안 그래도 컨트롤 방식 문제로 화석의 이동이나 회전,붙이기 때문에 짜증나는데 몬스터가 화석을 부숴버린다. 그걸로 모자라 낙석조차 화석을 부숨. 다른 외국 리뷰를 봐도 키마 컨트롤에 대한 불만이 많다. 그리고 중요한건 재미가 없다는거...