Dinosaurs wielding oversized swords; sounds like a joke, right? Yet, Dinoblade is very much real, blending Soulslike combat with light RPG progression and exploration for a prehistoric adventure that’s already earned an enthusiastic reception. Ahead of its full release, there’s still plenty to know beyond its eye-catching, if absurd premise. Here are twelve things you need to know before buying Dinoblade.
You’re a Dinosaur with a Sword
Okay, getting the obvious out of the way immediately: Dinoblade is a prehistoric action-RPG where you take command of a Great Sword-wielding Spinosaurus, setting forth to wage war against an army of rival dinos, each armed-to-the-teeth with similarly sharp weaponry. As far as concepts go, this one’s pretty out there. And whilst it is indeed a fantastical premise, Dinoblade finds its footing in familiar mechanics, where combat, progression, and exploration loops tread ground well-trodden, meaning intuition will see you through the opening exchanges. It’s just that, you know, you’re a dinosaur… with a blade. A “Dinosword”, if you will.
Its Coming From a Solo Developer
Dinoblade comes from the mind of solo creator Jean Nguyen, who is currently cutting their teeth as a Senior Gameplay Animator at Sucker Punch Productions, with credits on Ghost of Tsushima and Ghost of Yōtei. The first images of Dinoblade emerged as playful experiments; animations shared to the developer’s social media accounts, where they never expected attention significant enough to warrant a fully-fledged game. Yet, just a few years later, here we are – Nguyen’s pedigree as an animator shines in the Spinosaurus’ fluid, impactful movement, with a prehistoric world thoughtfully designed to funnel you toward your next encounter, not unlike Sucker Punch’s feudal Japanese opuses.
Demo Reviews are “Overwhelmingly Positive”
There’s a free demo on Steam that’s been available to download since October 2025, and in that time the hour-long extract has garnered a significant amount of positive feedback, so much so that its current rating is “overwhelmingly positive”. For English reviews, at least, praise centres largely on the game’s solid combat, readable animations, and memorable dino designs, while citing occasionally jagged edges that’ll hopefully be smoothed out come the full release. If you’re unsure whether such an outlandish concept can work in practice, the demo’s Steam reviews should have you assured.
Story Follows a Meaningful Journey
In Dinoblade’s alternate-history timeline, the existence of dinosaurs, and the trajectory of their future survival, has been reshaped by a mysterious, cataclysmic event. As the young Spinosaurus, you’ll take your sword forged by ancient power to the throat of your adversaries, fighting tooth and nail to prevent a looming extinction. There is, also, an overarching plotline, one of a savage world wrapped in an enigma for you to unravel. The game’s description details said mystery could save your dinosaur species or doom you all for eternity. There’s more than fate at stake, then, as your exploits could have a seismic effect on your habitat’s sustainability.
Combat is Soulslike
Straight outta the FromSoft playbook, Dinoblade’s combat brings light and medium attacks, dodges, and specials, alongside a passively recharging stamina meter that refills fastest when executing a perfect parry. You’ll want to study your opponent’s moveset, be prepared to evade, and time your strikes to land when their defenses are down. Your special manoeuvres – with names like Meteor Slice and Alpha Roar – spend mana points to expel, while glowing health packs, magic points, and XP can be collected from downed opponents and scavenged throughout the environment. And some more elements of Soulslike game design: the world hides alternate paths, and mini-bosses are everywhere.
Character Progression Follows Familiar Paths
Throughout your odyssey you’ll be presented with new skills to learn and level up, alongside attributes such as overall health, damage output, mana use, and stamina power which can be independently boosted with XP. Those special moves just mentioned? They’ll need to be unlocked by spending specialist boss skill points – earned, of course, by downing one of the game’s many mini-bosses. From what’s been shown, Dinoblade’s RPG mechanics do seem light compared to others in the genre. Despite this, there’s still scope to tailor a build to your preferred playstyle; investing in mana to become a special move powerhouse, for instance, or maximising damage output over health and stamina to encourage an aggressive approach that ends fights quickly.
Bosses are Bigger Dinosaurs (With Even Bigger Blades)
So, during Dinoblade’s hour-long demo, our Spinosaurus encounters three bosses: a pair of mini-bosses Kira the Exile and Axe, the latter wielding, unsurprisingly, a serrated axe as their weapon of choice. The demo culminates with Kasei the Tyrant, a T-rex-type who stomps, chomps, and tailwhips with power and purpose. Most strikingly, during the battle’s first phase Kasei swings a poor Ankylosaurus in its jaws, using its hammer-like tail as a weapon. They eventually summon a colossal barndoor on a stick once the Ankylosaurus loses its form, and if this fight is any indication Dinoblade is set to feature a gauntlet of gruelling dino-foes to test your reflexes, spacing, and ability to handle multiple attack patterns at once.
A Posture Meter Turns Parries Into Counters
Because your stamina gauge builds most efficiently through perfect parrying, you’ll want to engage with that mechanic from the outset. But, there’s another reason too: when facing one of the game’s myriad bosses, a posture meter appears beneath their health bar. By executing perfect parries and by landing attacks, the posture meter fills until your opponent becomes staggered and vulnerable. Then you can unleash one of your specials as a devastating counter. It’s not a revolutionary system, sure, but it’ll serve you well during the game’s tougher boss encounters.
Exploration Rewards Curiosity
Whilst combat may be Dinoblade’s primary activity, venturing off the beaten path should prove just as worthwhile. Its prehistoric world is divided into numerous distinct biomes, each adorning their own aesthetic, from millenia-old canyons carved by ancient water-flow, to scorched forests, burnt volcanic plateaus, and mist-strewn jungles. Exploration, however, isn’t just for the scenery – hidden routes conceal optional encounters, valuable resources, and legendary weapons.
Each Biome is Ruled by an Apex Predator
Even though they begin as rudimentary encounters, each biome’s regular, more modestly-sized enemies grow in danger, ultimately channeling the region toward an even greater climax. See, each biome is ruled by an Alpha; an apex predator that blocks the route forward, serving as the area’s defining challenge. Again, this structure isn’t entirely novel, but it does bring a sense of purpose and escalation as you move through the world. And, if the early game is any indication, overcoming an Alpha won’t just mark the end of a level but feel like you’ve earned the right to venture forth into the next untamed wilderness.
Launching to PC Only (So Far)
Scheduled to release on July 23rd, Dinoblade is, so far, set to be playable on PC via Steam only. Depending on how sales fare, the game could find a home on consoles, but currently there is no official information on whether more platforms will ever arrive.
PC Requirements
To comfortably play Dinoblade on your hardware, the system requirements listed on the game’s Steam page detail an Intel Core i5-7500 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 CPU, a GeForce GTX 1050 4GB or AMD Radeon RX 560 GPU, and 4GB RAM. Storage-wise, you’ll need 13GB.
