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Can you pet the dinosaur? You can in Paleo Pines!

6K View2023-09-27

Paleo Pines

AgricultureDinosaursFarming SimCreature CollectorRPGCasualFamily FriendlyCharacter Customization

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SHOULD I PLAY PALEO PINES?

If you’re looking for a cute, cozy game, you’ll have a hard time finding something cuter or cozier than this! Paleo Pines is a farm sim with an amazing twist: you have a pet dinosaur. When I wasn’t busy watering crops, I could hop on my dino and ride into town. Paleo Pines is a little buggy, and the controls are kind of clunky, but I still thought it was a lot of fun.

TIME PLAYED

I spent about six hours playing Paleo Pines, which gave me time to clean up my farm, meet the locals (and their pet dinosaurs), and do a whole lot of exploring. Time technically passes in Paleo Pines—I went to sleep at the end of each day—but there’s no on-screen clock. I really felt like I could chill out, relax, and enjoy the game at my own pace.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT PALEO PINES?

• The world’s cutest dinosaurs. Okay, dinosaurs are always adorable, but Paleo Pines has some of the most adorable dinos I’ve ever seen. Every potential dinosaur friend is perfectly designed, with soft colors, big eyes, and a sweet friendly face. It helps that you can interact with dinosaurs in lots of fun ways. You can give them pets, feed them treats, and even play them music!

Paleo Pines started me off with one dinosaur, but I eventually had the chance to tame some of the dinosaurs I saw in the wild. Befriending a new dino usually took a bit of time, but it all felt worth it when I brought a new pal home. I would have been content to just look at my dinosaurs—and pet them—but I could also get them to help out with farm chores!

• Fun farm customization. My farm was pretty messy at first, but over time, I was really able to make it feel like my own. It helps that Paleo Pines has a fantastic selection of furniture. I found cute wicker couches, comfy piles of cushions, and everything else I needed to create the cottagecore space of my dreams! I could also buy pen decor and create custom pens for my dinos. I wanted all my dinosaurs to be as happy as possible, so I loved building them pens that were as cute as they were.

• Lots of collectibles and exploration. I almost always made some sort of discovery when I was wandering around in Paleo Pines. Sometimes I’d discover a new plant that I could log in my journal. Other times, I’d find dinosaur food, a stray bag of seeds, or abandoned clothing I could use to dress up my character. Little details, like changing weather and unique dinosaur calls, make each location feel distinct.

WHAT SUCKS ABOUT PALEO PINES?

• It doesn’t have fast travel. At first, riding my dinosaur across the grassy fields of Paleo Pines was an absolute joy. After a few hours of fetch quests, however, I started to long for a shortcut. The path between my home and the nearest town wasn’t super long, but it still felt like a trek when I was going back and forth every day. Having fast travel would have streamlined my experience and made the game feel more relaxing.

• It’s buggy. I encountered a lot of bugs during my Paleo Pines playthrough, and while they were all pretty minor, they were definitely annoying. When I was in town, I frequently saw NPCs glitch out and walk into each other. Sometimes my character would briefly get stuck when I was completing a basic task. There are some other minor issues as well, like framerate drops and clipping. The game isn’t a mess, but you should definitely prepare yourself for some mild bugginess.

• Clunky controls. Paleo Pines plays decently on both PC and Steam Deck, but its controls are more awkward than they should be. Equipping items takes a few too many steps. Sorting through your inventory is surprisingly difficult, especially when you want to do something simple, like splitting a stack of items. Sometimes, it felt like the controls were getting in the way of my fun.

💬 Do you want your own dinosaur farm? What’s your favorite type of dinosaur? Share your thoughts in the comments!