The Turok series is fascinating; much like its reptilian subject matter, it isn't shy of evolution. Between my nostalgia for Turok 2: Seeds of Evil and fondness for the 2008 reboot, there's an entry tailored for anyone's tastes. Turok: Origins takes things back to the original canon, years before the events of Dinosaur Hunter unfold. It's a bold move to dig up a continuity that a generation of players haven't encountered before. For me, though, the real juice is in how Saber Interactive is molding its action into more than just FPS skirmishes.
Saber Interactive isn't ditching Turok's FPS game DNA entirely. In Turok: Origins, you can switch between perspectives; I played in third-person for the majority of my Gamescom demo. It's a deliberate design choice, intended to let you see more of your warrior. That's because Turok: Origins encourages you to revel in its classes, showcasing abilities with bombastic VFX and modulating sci-fi sound design that ripples through my headphones.
Classes, referred to as Primal Forms, free up multiple avenues of play. Your squad isn't forced to pick different ones, though. Split among the Cougar, Bison, and Raven, each delivers a mix of aggression, defense, and ranged playstyles. I'm curious to see what it's like when my squad is running the same builds and how ridiculous that can get in the heat of battle. I imagine it's bolstered by the available skill trees, which enhance your warrior's abilities. It's the usual gauntlet of upgrades, from damage output to healing speed.
The twist, though, is that I can extract DNA from specific enemies. These strands of DNA further alter my abilities, evolving my warrior's suit in real time. But as fellow journalists and I load into the demo's mission, I'm hit with vibes that I didn't expect from a Turok game. For a moment, it feels like I'm loading into a Warframe session. The way Primal Forms and DNA extraction let me tweak my abilities feels like Saber is borrowing from the same loot-driven power fantasy that makes Warframe so compelling.
The difference, of course, is that I'm not a space ninja carving through futuristic corridors; I'm a dinosaur hunter blasting raptors in a jungle. It's an odd combination, but seeing those systems translated into Turok's world makes me wonder if Saber has found a surprisingly natural fit for the formula.
In that aspect, while you can play Turok: Origins solo, it feels best suited for trio gameplay. Roaming around jungles, handling sub-objectives, and feeling the weight of my abilities feels like it's begging to be shared with friends, laughing over voice chat and reveling in how powerful we can become. It's this nature that makes the new Switch game feel surprisingly replayable. Outside of Gamescom, game director Carlos de Maria Castillo has confirmed post-launch content is coming, with a hefty endgame for those who really want to challenge themselves.
Speaking of a challenge, we're about to take down a massive dinosaur. After all, this is Turok. Cohesion between Primal Forms can lead to grin-inducing feats, and it's here that I can see Saber Interactive showing its cards. One of my favorite projects from the developer is Evil Dead: The Game, so it doesn't surprise me that Turok: Origins shares a lot of the team that made it. It's evident in the combat, from the barrage of bullets I'm unloading to the melee attacks I'm pummeling into grunts. Finishing moves could do with a bit more oomph, though. The clear highlight is an ability that essentially forms a bubble of time around anything in its path, slowing them down to a crawl.
Halting a mighty T-Rex with my 'time bubble' is a lot of fun, especially when I'm unleashing everything my arsenal offers to bring it down. It isn't too dissimilar to banding together to unleash the heft of the Kandarian Dagger in the climax of an Evil Dead match. But whereas Evil Dead has intriguing lore, I can't say I'm that enthused about the story here. To be honest, it's the last thing on my mind. I'll need to see the full game to get a better sense of it.
And that's ultimately what I need to see from Turok: Origins. The Gamescom demo gives me enough to believe that Saber Interactive has found a fun way to translate Turok into a co-op experience, even if it's borrowing liberally from the games that have made this kind of multiplayer action so popular. There's a genuine thrill in combining Primal Forms, tearing through dinosaurs, and watching a T-Rex get caught in a time bubble while three players unload everything they have.
I went into Turok: Origins expecting to spend 30 minutes wondering why Turok needed to become a co-op shooter. Instead, I came away wanting to play more, which is probably the biggest compliment I can give it. Whether Saber Interactive sticks the landing or not, I'm genuinely curious to see where this particular evolution of Turok goes.
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