The Turok universe is no stranger to rebirths. The character originally debuted in 1950s comic books but truly rose to prominence after Valiant Comics relaunched him as Turok: Dinosaur Hunter in the early 90s. This comic served as the foundation for the legendary game series that began on the N64, arguably one of the most influential console shooters of its era, second only to GoldenEye. After a 17-year hiatus, following the mixed reception of its 2008 reboot (which, despite not being a commercial flop, still saw its sequel canceled), Saber Interactive has stepped up to breathe new life into the franchise with Turok: Origins.
Admittedly, I approached the announcement at last year`s Game Awards with a degree of skepticism, as it initially appeared to be an exclusively third-person co-op shooter. Fortunately, my first hands-on experience at Gamescom 2025 dispelled those concerns: Turok: Origins offers the flexibility to play in both first- and third-person. While the preview session focused on the cooperative PvE mode for up to three players, the Madrid-based Saber Interactive team assured us that a solo experience without AI companions will also be available, staying true to the series` single-player origins.
Most importantly, however, Turok: Origins returns to the fundamental core of what fans expect from a Turok game: eliminating dinosaurs with an impressive arsenal of powerful weapons.
Naturally, this formula comes with its own unique twists. As the subtitle implies, this revival delves deep into the past, long before the events of the first game. Here, Turok isn`t the name of a specific character, but rather the designation of a tribe of hunters, whose culture is clearly inspired by indigenous North American peoples. As is typical for a team-based game, players can choose from various character classes, each inspired by different spirit animals—Raven, Cougar, and Bison—which dictate their loadout and abilities. Players are free to switch classes before each mission begins.
The dinosaurs in the game are referred to as Xenia—hostile reptilian creatures predominantly comprising familiar four-legged lizards. However, this also allowed the developers to introduce more humanoid adversaries and even something best described as a scaled troll. Fortunately, the first mission in the demo immediately delivered what I craved: we were dropped into a prehistoric-looking jungle, instantly swarmed by waves of raptors. Dispatching them was incredibly fun, whether I played from a first- or third-person perspective, which can be seamlessly toggled. In third-person mode, players can also switch the camera`s shoulder.
The excellent responsiveness of the controls is likely due to the developers confirming that the first-person and third-person pipelines were designed separately, giving each mode its unique mechanics. This is evident in details such as: when hitting crouch while sprinting, your character performs a slide in first-person but a forward roll in third-person. Melee combat is also a significant part of the arsenal, and even when playing in first-person, the camera automatically switches to a third-person view. This is ideal for executing a variety of brutal cinematic finishers: once a dinosaur is weakened to a glowing yellow state, a prompt appears to activate a spectacular attack where your hunter rips it apart with powerful blows.
Despite how cool these execution animations were, I couldn`t perform them as often as I wished, primarily because teammates kept showering enemies with bullets, finishing them off before I could press the prompt in time. In a subsequent mission set inside an ancient temple, the team was able to split up to address threats from different directions, which afforded me more freedom in dispatching the Xenia as I saw fit. Concurrently, I experimented with all available classes: first the automatic-weapon-wielding Cougar, then the more resilient Bison with its close-range shotgun.
Each class is equipped with three unique cooldown-based abilities, as well as an ultimate skill, typical of modern class-based shooters. After a couple of missions, I found my rhythm playing as the Raven with its long-range bow, successfully landing many satisfying headshots. The only drawback was that if an enemy wasn`t instantly killed, I would be too far away to deliver the finishing blow. Nevertheless, it was with the Raven class that I most confidently utilized its abilities, including a rallying cry that instantly eliminated weak enemies, summoning a swarm of glowing wasps to attack a nearby target, or creating a temporary barrier against projectiles.
Nevertheless, for the demo`s final encounter, I reverted to the Cougar class—an arena boss fight against a massive Triceratops that almost had a Monster Hunter vibe. My medium-range auto-plasma shots proved an excellent method for dealing damage from a distance while simultaneously dodging its horn charges. The Cougar`s ultimate ability is also extremely useful, temporarily granting the player a powerful bow with an infinite supply of arrows.
There was quite a lot to absorb, as the developers guided us through a varied and carefully curated experience in just 30 minutes. To maintain a brisk pace, we had to gather within a glowing blue circle to advance to the next section of a mission, which also meant some optional paths were intentionally blocked for the demo. However, even within this more linear structure, I still had opportunities to use my grapple to swing over certain walls or jump to higher ground to eliminate out-of-reach enemies. This kind of platforming traversal is another hallmark of the original Turok games that has been successfully carried over here.
While I would still prefer the opportunity to experience Turok: Origins in a full single-player scenario, this initial hands-on experience has nonetheless assuaged all my preliminary doubts. In the capable hands of Saber Interactive Spain, a franchise many had consigned to the fossil record appears to be getting a revival that could genuinely endure this time.
Turok: Origins is expected to release soon on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.