Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion Remastered

My history with the Turok series has been a rocky one. I played and enjoyed the original quite a bit on the N64, but I bounced off the two sequels pretty fast due to their unplayably terrible framerate on the console. They were ambitious in scale and quality, for sure, but it just wasn’t made to run well on the system. As such, I limited myself to the original Turok: Dinosaur Hunter and the vastly underrated Turok Rage Wars instead.

Fast forward to modern times, and Nightdive have taken it upon themselves to give the main N64 trilogy a much-needed coat of paint. With high resolution textures, a silky smooth framerate, and some quality of life adjustments, we can now play the games as they should have been played. 

The first two were a great success and allowed their underlying quality to shine, but how does this third one fare?

Many thanks to the publisher for the review code.

RAWR-SOME SHOOTING
The third entry of Turok starts off following the troubled Joshua Fireseed as he’s plagued by nightmares of Oblivion. After fighting off the Primagen in the previous game, its destruction has caused ripples across the whole universe, enabling Oblivion to draw closer. With existence in peril, Joshua – the fabled Turok – is the only one who can stop it. Except he dies in the first five minutes of the game.

All hope is lost, but Adon – the speaker of the council of light, who previously acted as a guide for Joshua – has decided that there is one final hope: one of his siblings could take up the Turok mantle in order to stop Oblivion. It is up to either Joseph or Danielle to accept the role and save the world.

The Turok series has always had a surprisingly convoluted plotline, but this third entry really takes things to another level. With futuristic godlike entities and time travel, as well as the lore behind the Turok lineage, it’s almost certainly going to confuse newcomers. Whilst it is certainly ideal to play the previous entries first in order to comprehend any of what is going on, the game is still inherently an old-school shooter that values fast and visceral action over the central narrative. If you’re just here for the gore, then you can hop right in to this blood-soaked ride.

Right from the offset, Turok 3 is a clear departure from the game’s that came before. Opening up in the Fireseed homestead, these are very different surroundings compared to what we are used to. Even as we take control of one of the protagonists, it’ll be quite a long time until we see a shred of greenery. In fact, the opening city levels seem more akin to that of Perfect Dark than of the game’s true predecessors.

It’s a bit of visual whiplash for fans of the series, but it’s easy to accept once you start taking control. Right from the offset with your Axe and Bow, it’s still very clear that this is a Turok game. That fast silky smooth movement combined with the over-the-top gore makes the game so viscerally fun to play, and this game makes its mark very early on. Dismemberment, fountains of blood, the works. It may look different, but that Turok feel is still at the heart of things.

Even the bulk of the main weapons should be familiar to series veterans with the Cerebral Bore making its comeback, along with the fantastic Shotgun and Firestorm Cannon too. They lack the secondary functions from the second game, but you are able to acquire upgraded version instead. Each character has their own upgraded variant too, which really helps to distinguish between Danielle and Joseph.

Speaking of the two protagonists, Danielle is made for the Rambo-aficionados that want strong and explosive firepower. She’s fast, jumps high, and her weapons all feel like tools of ultra-death. Joseph, on the other hand, opts for a much quieter approach. He’s stealthier, and has access to a more subtle arsenal when compared to his sister. He’s also got a pair of night vision goggles to help him sneak around, instead of the grappling hook that Danielle acquires.

These differences aren’t just for show either, as the two characters have levels tweaked for their skillset. This allows them to access areas that their sibling cannot, and even have completely unique stages too. It’s not quite as different as the dual campaigns of Resident Evil 2, but it certainly encourages you to dive in for another playthrough after seeing the credits. 

Not that the credits will take long to reach either, as the game is also substantially shorter than the other two games. Part of that is due to how they’ve removed the massive maps and collectibles that slowed down the other games’ pacing in favour of a much more linear experience. It works to the game’s favour for the most part, as all the maps and waypoints of the second game didn’t stop it from being a pain to explore at times. Some may bemoan the simplicity, but I found it helped to keep you in the action at all times – bar the rare moment when the way forward wasn’t overly clear.

And that approach to keeping you in the action is what really helps make the game such an exhilarating thrill ride from start to finish. You’ll be blasting your way through the wide variety of foes – both old and new – and taking out some rather interesting bosses along the way. It’s not all action though, as the occasional set-piece helps to vary up the action too. Even the generic key hunts don’t feel like key hunts here due to how little backtracking there is; instead of going back the way you came, you usually end up getting dumped where you need to be – if you’re familiar with the dungeon design of Skyrim then you’ll probably have a good idea.

It has such fantastic design for the most part that it’s a shame it was overlooked by many (including myself) back when it launched. The dismal framerate was so nauseating that exploring for secrets and upgrades was such a chore – but now at 60FPS it’s an absolute joy. And that’s only the start of the improvements that Nightdive have made in making this the ultimate version of the third Turok game. It may lack multiplayer at the moment, but there’s always a chance it gets added in later as was the case with Turok 2.

VERDICT
Nightdive have done their best work yet with turning an unplayable shooter into one of the best classic shooter remakes on the Switch. They’ve really shown off there’s a fantastic game at heart that FPS fans should jump at. The story may not make sense if you haven’t played the previous games, but if you just want to turn some creature’s brains into liquid then you shouldn’t hesitate to grab it.