An indie project with impressive ambition.
Project Ferocious is an indie game in development by OMYOG, a solo-developer. This production is an FPS action-adventure that takes inspiration from classic games and movies, like Jurassic Park, King Kong, Crysis, and the first Far Cry.
This is a hard challenge for a solo developer because he has in his hands the chance to bring dinosaur adventure games back to life and give a signal to Ubisoft and Universal to invest again in the Jurassic Park and King Kong franchises.
The Core Mechanics
Ferocious has some interesting mechanics. The core mechanic is about fighting with high-level, detailed fire weapons.
We can notice the differences when the character shoots with different types of weapons, like shotguns or assault rifles.
There’s a possibility that the weapon in use can break, and it needs to be repaired. Another mechanic is environmental destruction. As it happens in Crysis, the environment around the player is a part of the action and can be used as an advantage for the players. The environment, like trees and houses, can be destroyed. This creates a level of immersion and realism, like in the first Crysis. The third mechanic is exploration.
It’s not clear if the game has an open world or open map system, but from the different trailers, it’s possible to see a very cured and iconic style, from the tone of the island and forest to the illumination.
These elements suggest a dark and mature narration and some horror elements, thanks to the creature and enemy design.
The Hardest Rivals of Project Ferocious
The game has some rivals, and they come from the past.
The first rival is one of the most ambitious first-person shooters in gaming history, the first Crysis.
Crysis was a masterpiece at the time and still today continues to destroy other games thanks to his graphics, physics, and highly ambitious chapters like Onslaught (a large-scale battle in a valley with tanks) and Ascension (a difficult section for all PCs, a long escape with a VTOL, with some flying enemies and dangerous atmospheric conditions).
The second rival is closer to the Ferocious ideas: King Kong, the official game.
King Kong is one of the best tie-in games in gaming history, developed by Ubisoft.
This game can be a great help to the developer in adjusting accessibility, maintaining mystery, and maintaining fluid continuity for the game.
The developer can take good inspiration from the Rapids level for his intensity. With new technologies, it is possible to do something more powerful.
Another level is the first encounter with the V-Rex, an intense encounter that made me very anxious.
The developer can use this concept to create some intense moments.
The third rival is Jurassic Park, a historical trilogy with many inspirations to choose from.
Jurassic Park offers two levels of inspiration. The Krypton’s books are more horror and anxious, with some deleted scenes like the river chase with the T-Rex and more violent dinosaurs. From the movies, a good inspiration is the scene when the camper falls when attacked by the two T-Rex, or the first attack of the T-Rex in the first movie.
The last rival is the first Far Cry. This game is a masterpiece for the use of an advanced I.A. and the tactical communication system on all islands.
With an alarm in a simple camp, buggies, helicopters, or armored jeeps can come as reinforcements.
This characteristic is a good way to create more interesting and advanced combat situations and make competition with some actual action games with a “not good” I.A.
Ferocious needs to have a good I.A. for dinosaurs and humans so it can provide a more immersive experience.
A new level of realism with Unity
OMYOG chose Unity to give life to Project Ferocious.
Unity is an important engine, used for a lot of little projects over the years, like The Binding of Isaac and many horror games. Unity has received many updates over the years, and with Ferocious, the engine has been used to its maximum potential.
OMYOG uses photogrammetry to create realistic textures in the environment.
With the new tools of Unity, the developer has the possibility to create something incredible and surprisingly accurate. Unity has improved so much over the years and now permits creating a more realistic and immersive experience.
The Game Release
Ferocious was scheduled for 2023, but some delays made the game silent. The game is probably coming in 2024. OMYOG recently released an update trailer with the promise of more updates in the future.
A game like this needs time, and the result can be impressive for sure. Project Ferocious is coming on Steam; place it on your wishlists.
See you on the island!
