Only one game this week, on account of it being a busy week and already much later than I intended to start writing this. Some day I’ll learn to put some prep work in to these things. Not today, alas.

But oh, what a game I’ve brought you. Off-Road Velociraptor Safari is exactly what it sounds like: a mad dash through a possibly prehistoric, possibly hallucinated landscape filled with lush jungles, towering cliffs, inexplicable ramps, stacks of crates and, of course, deadly velociraptors. Built in a mere eight weeks by Flashbang Studios, it’s very nearly more fun than anything has a right to be. Multiple screen grabs included this time, as I’m not sure any number of single shots could properly capture what’s going on.

Every inch of Velociraptor Safari rejoices in being a game, at throwing as many things to do and as it can at you with never a care for how well it all fits together. With a wide sprawl of landscape to run through, just enough physics to make the gravity grabbing you at the height of a jump feel real without killing your buzz, and yes, many, many raptors to run over and capture with the immense spiked ball on a chain that pops out of the back of your jeep, there’s more to see, do, and try than could ever be accomplished within its five minute time limit. It’s not just a playground, it’s recess – you’ve got just a little while to get done all the things you want to do and everything else has to wait till next time. Lucky for you (and very, very unlucky for any sort of productivity you might have cobbled together up to this point), the next time is a mere mouse-click away. I’ve spent far too much time already leaping off of the various cliffs, ramps (are those repurposed solar panels? If not, why not?), and finding as many ways as possible to wreck my jeep in the allotted time that actually catching dinosaurs becomes something of an afterthought. That said, knowing I can point my jeep at a raptor and run it down whenever I like is the sort of option more games should include. Brain Age, take note.

Here’s a video of the game in action. If you played Splume, the rather great puzzle game talked about here a while ago, you’ll already have the browser plugin necessary for the game to run. If not, it takes all of a few seconds to download, and is well worth your time. Did I mention the part about how your character, the one driving the jeep, is also a velociraptor? Only he’s wearing a pith helmet and a monocle? Oh, just go see for yourself already.

Filed under: Monday Flash