In October 2023, the development of a new action game began. What started as a fun exercise is now turning into a game about dinosaurs with swords.
What kind of project is this? Currently, this one-man project is called “DinoBlade,” and it is supposed to become exactly what that name promises: an action-packed game about dinos with swords.
The whole thing is currently being developed solo by Jean Nguyen, Senior Animator at Sony’s Sucker Punch Productions. Even before he took up this position, he worked as a 3D animator for well-known games like Vampire: The Masquerade 2 and Call of Duty: Vanguard.
On his social media channels and YouTube, he regularly shares insights into his personal project featuring sword-swinging dinos. In February 2024, he showcased a small environment test on YouTube:
How did this project come about? About two years ago, Nguyen posted some animations on his social media channels that he created at the time just for fun and practice. They featured 3D models of dinos attacking with swords.
These short animations were actually very well received. Because, let’s be honest, who isn’t just thrilled when they see a powerful dinosaur wielding Cloud’s Buster Sword from Final Fantasy 7? Especially, more and more voices grew among his posts wishing for a game with this concept.
Last year, Jean Nguyen actually announced that he was now working on the game. More specifically, he began development solo in October 2023. Since then, he has been repeatedly providing fans and players with glimpses of his personal project.
What does the community say? The community repeatedly expresses in the comments under various posts their excitement that their wish is to be fulfilled and this game is being created.
- “When I say I’m hyped for the game, it’s an understatement,” writes DroidTuftymoon under a post on X.
- “Here man, take my wallet,” writes XxKNIGHT742xX also underneath.
- “The internet has pushed you to make one of the probably best games of the millennium,” writes planetbustermusic under a post on Instagram.
Often, you also see users simply commenting a short but clear “Hell Yeah” under the posts. And that would probably summarize the other reactions quite simply.
What can you expect in DinoBlade? We don’t know much about this game yet. However, Nguyen has already announced that there will be a story.
Considering that development only started a few months ago and is a one-man project, it is probably not surprising that we will have to wait a bit longer for more information regarding genre, platform, and release.
However, the various videos have already shown some of the playable dinosaurs, including the Shantungosaurus, Ankylosaurus, and the Tyrannosaurus Rex. There have also been glimpses at possible weapons:
In addition to broadswords, short swords, or hammers, there are even pitchforks, sickles, and a bow. Many iconic weapons, such as Cloud’s sword, can also be seen. Whether these will make it into the final game is uncertain: Many well-known video game weapons are under copyright.
Another game also started as a one-man project but could now replace one of the biggest game franchises: A game on Steam could be exactly what I have been wishing for as a Sims fan for years.
