Dino Crisis is a survival horror title from 1999, but Capcom’s dinosaur-themed classic has never returned since its release, despite many other games being inspired by it. In fact, a recently announced title from Nintendo’s latest showcase event shows off yet another Dino Crisis-inspired adventure. With Turok: Origins also bringing back dinosaur FPS action, it seems like many old and new series that feature prehistoric beasts is alive and well except for one obvious exclusion.
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The PvE/PvP hybrid online game Exoprimal was once thought to be a spiritual successor to Dino Crisis in some way when it was in circulation close to 2023. However, that game turned out to be something completely new, featuring mech suits with unique abilities similar to a hero shooter like Overwatch or Marvel Rivals. With a non-linear approach to its story, online multiplayer elements, and a strong emphasis on PvE action against dinosaur hordes, Exoprimal ended up being a far cry from any connection to Dino Crisis.
Tokyo Scramble Showcases Survival Horror Gameplay Against Various Dinosaur Enemies
The February 2026 Nintendo Switch 2 showcase debuted footage for Tokyo Scramble, a new survival puzzle action game featuring dinosaurs as the primary threat. This game features high schooler Anne getting trapped in a subterranean realm, where strange creatures evolved from well-known dinosaurs lurk in the shadowy ruins of a destroyed environment. With the dinosaurs being attracted to sound, Anne must navigate this desolate underground landscape without being eaten.
The survival horror nature of this game is shown through intense moment to moment situations Anne finds herself in, avoiding “Zino” monsters at every turn. Sneaking past dinosaurs, using obstacles to block their path, and staying on the move all seem to define Tokyo Scramble‘s gameplay loop. In addition, players can manipulate parts of the world through Anne’s smart watch, which uses apps to spring traps and distract dinosaurs to clear a path forward to safety. With limited battery for this watch, elements of Outlast or even Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs series can be seen in the DNA of this title.
The puzzles in Tokyo Scramble come from the stages Anne finds herself in, with each being vast caverns full of enemies and secret routes to discover. You might have to carefully walk across a network of steel beams or navigate a theme park crawling with dinosaurs left and right. Exploration and experimentation can unlock new options, but you’ll always have to be ready to face dinosaur enemies no matter where you travel.
The dinosaurs themselves are far from traditional too, with some not even being reptilian “Zinos” that occupy the setting. Tokyo Scramble‘s dinosaurs are a mixture of classic raptors, giant bats, large praying mantis creatures, rocky turtles, flying bird-like dinos, and even noble monsters who resemble the apex predators of the past. Overall, the Dino Crisis vibes come from the third-person approach to seeing all these dinosaurs, feeling like how Resident Evil‘s remakes ditched fixed cameras for over-the-shoulder zombie action.
Dino Crisis Has Lacked A Remake In Favor Of New Dinosaur Games Like Tokyo Scramble
With Capcom’s endeavors with Exoprimal and Turok: Origins‘ continued development, Tokyo Scramble marks another instance where a new dinosaur-themed survival game comes ahead of any attempt to revitalize Dino Crisis. Although Dino Crisis may be incredibly dated by gameplay standards today, the fact that its unique premise has never been brought back in some sort of remake or remaster feels like a lost opportunity. This lack of attention also feels even more surprising when you remember just how many Resident Evil games from the same era as Dino Crisis have been remade by this point.
The plot of Dino Crisis isn’t anything unique, almost copying Resident Evil with shadowy science and conspiracies. Gameplay also uses RE‘s resource management and puzzle systems, but having giant dinosaurs attack you with jump scares and big set pieces always helped the game stand out to its zombie-themed cousin. It helps that protagonist Regina is a great main character for Dino Crisis, representing a type of 90’s heroine that was cool no matter what absurd danger they found themselves in.
The lighting and atmosphere of Dino Crisis is something that games like Tokyo Scramble seem to replicate, with distinct dinosaur AI seemingly driving both titles to inject encounters with a tense sense of realism. For 1999, Dino Crisis was ahead of its time for sound design and 3D environments, which would benefit the most from modern sensibilities fixing other areas where the original game was lacking.
With Resident Evil Requiem right around the corner, Capcom’s new engine would be perfect for a Dino Crisis remake rather than games like Tokyo Scramble offering only a piece of what that title once offered. Modernized graphics and better controls combined with the dinosaur action of Dino Crisis would craft something great for fans, whether they played the original or not. With injury systems and survival horror mechanics returning, a remake of Dino Crisis might hit a broader audience than new titles may have a chance of capturing too.
With Capcom releasing collections of older games, remaking classic titles, and even trying to generate new IPs like Pragmata, a Dino Crisis reboot has a chance to be successful. Dinosaur survival and action games continue to be popular with Tokyo Scramble and Turok: Origins, so the fact that no Dino Crisis remake has been made continues to be a mistake every day.
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