DINOTOPIA: Turning a classic book into a video game

Dinotopia was my FAVORITE thing when I was a kid. It's the story of a lost continent, where a peaceful society of dinosaurs and humans live in harmony. I always wanted a Dinotopia game. What I didn't realize is that... there were already three of them. Today let's look at Dinotopia: The Sunstone Odyssey, Dinotopia: The Timestone Pirates (boy there are a lot of...stones... in this series), and plain old Dinotopia. Guess what? Only one of them is an FMV with animatronic dinosaur puppets.
0:00 Exploring Dinotopia
0:40 Dinosaur games
2:08 What is Dinotopia?
3:30 Every other Dinotopia game
5:15 Dinotopia 1996
11:20 The aftermath
James Gurney is on KZbin! / jamesgurney
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#dinotopia

[@polygon]

Did you know? James Gurney has a KZbin channel and it's very soothing and wonderful and educational. Check it out! kzbin.info

[@hollandscottthomas]

I have a tonne of his art books! His educational materials are great for learning to paint fantasy realism.

[@nickbeutler]

I came down to the comments to tell everyone! James Gurney’s KZbin channel is amazing whether you’re interested in learning about painting or not.

[@rachelwahlig8756]

The moment I heard his voice I began looking around for the yellow ochre. And four-footed woodland-enjoyer Smooth, of course.

[@theleeryone]

no i did not know that this is maybe the best news ive received all year

[@theleeryone]

no i did not know that this is maybe the best news ive received all year

[@chemguyleland]

"What if FMVs survived?" would make a good Versus video

[@melskunk]

I'd LOVE to see how Night Trap fares in that alternate timeline

[@vect0rwolf]

If they do this they have to tap Justin McElroy who has a pHd in FMV games.

[@EinDose]

Would we be free of Sam Barlowe if the genre remained lively, since he wouldn't have something niche to revive? Or would he have latched on to another medium?

[@DoubleEdgeCat]

Reminds me of the video where they did movie tie ins. The Mario Bros. Movie one.

[@intraum]

i know of a certain oldest brother who may be interested as a consultant on this (pls convince plante or russ to ask)

[@1rainbowstrike426]

Knowing Simone was a dinosaur kid makes so much sense. This is the kind of representation I NEEDED

[@lemiel14n3]

More dinosaur kid content creators!! More dinosaur content!

[@andrewblack2596]

DINO KIDS RULE!

[@mariasolenardelli3745]

Can't wait for when video games will actually reach their full potential: once I'll be able to play as Clayton (that Clayton)

[@Giga-lemesh]

Alongside Nathan Drake (that Nathan Drake)

[@spacecasejay]

the dinotopia fan to DM/Writer pipeline is one that needs to be discussed at length.

[@Jeevesie1988]

How dare you call me out like this. Now if you'll excuse me I need to finish my word count for the day so I can prep for D&D tomorrow morning (actually the truth, I took a break to watch this video. XD)

[@Boozlenoodle]

Damn it you are correct

[@marisolkim9098]

That... somehow explains everything about me.

[@origaminosferatu3357]

I thought I was the only one. We are Legion!

[@lemiel14n3]

It's a similar path to the Dragon Riders of Pern fans

[@linden4372]

Man, the way I would pitch this immediately if I could. For starters, the worldbuilding is all already taken care of. Nowadays you can also make the case for nonviolent gameplay mechanics much more easily. It probably does justice to the source material most as a sandbox type of game where you can customize your shipwrecked character, explore, form relationships, and choose your niche in the community. Simone you made me want this so badly...

[@polygon]

RIGHT?? It’s so easy to imagine… I want it so badly. I would buy a game about delivering mail Dinotopia, I’d pay good money for it -Simone

[@DannoHung]

It’d be great if it were in VR. I think seeing the scale of the dinos would really make *just* being there enough to sell slightly more prosaic gameplay.

[@OlleLindestad]

So... Dinosaur Crossing?

[@Cuix]

@@OlleLindestad I would play the EVER LOVING FUCK out of Dinotopia Crossing

[@patrickbailey7988]

Ok... Yes, but it needs to be better than that. It needs puppets or something? It needs literal magic.

[@catbroady]

LET US BEFRIEND DINOSAURS!!! NO FIGHTING!!! JUST FRIENDS!!!! (I wish I knew about this game when I was a kid!)

[@josepholiveira2873]

Two thoughts: 1) I like that the FMV is for 'cutscenes' and conversations, rather than being the whole game. The attempt to have the whole game be FMV'd seemed to drag down a lot of games in the genre, making them slow and janky, but an art-based overworld and FMV scenes seems like a more sensible approach. 2) Dinotopia seems like perfect ground for a visual novel. Simone's 100% right, it's not a setting for Fightin' Dinos. It's a setting for talking and learning and building friendships and, dare I say, romance?

[@jaynenunya6070]

do u get to romance the dinos

[@origaminosferatu3357]

@@jaynenunya6070 Mission 3: Cop-off with Compy!

[@bobjoe3259]

Yes yes yes. Dinotopia is relentlessly, aggressively utopian and it’s endlessly charming because of that. Imagine: Slice-of-Life but with talking dinosaurs, and most of them feathered and fluffy but also scaly, all very much characters in their own right. It fights right in to what a lot of VN’s do nowadays, which is trying to render minimum-conflict stories in genres where most games have indulged in conflict. Va-hall-a (or however you write it) is chill anime cyberpunk bartending without a whole lot of replicant hunting or corporate strike team fighting - I can see Dinotopia doing much the same thing.

[@katharineschulman3333]

I WOULD PLAY THE DINOTOPIA DATING SIMLMFKFJDHDH

[@clairecohen3178]

I love the videos that are someone being enthusiastic about a thing they really like. It's very good. Thanks for sharing, Simone!

[@amnesiophilia]

agreed! this video radiates joy!

[@Rachel-xf3op]

Less than 2 minutes in and Hemingway has been brought into the dino conversation. On brand as always.

[@Hollyflame29]

this makes me feel like a dinosaur farming sim game would slap

[@polygon]

It absolutely WOULD - Simone

[@tobysinbad]

Related: give me a gruff ankylosaurus mentor with glasses to teach me about tilling and caring for the land, maybe grumble about inter-species racism and worker relationship dynamics.

[@robertskitch]

I've got my eye on Paleo Pines at the moment. Hopefully it should be coming out soon.

[@beretperson]

Dinotopia is such a mysterious, magical thing to me. First, I have no idea where my Dinotopia book came from. I remember reading it as a child, but I'm pretty sure I remember "discovering" it among my thing, that my first contact with it was "huh, what's this?" and opening it and OH MY GOD THIS IS AMAZING??, I don't remember getting it or "having always had it" as you do with stuff that's too old for you to remember when your parents got it. It just appeared one day. Second, until relatively recently, I never knew there was more! I thought it was just a single book, a single window into that world. I remember reading it again and again as a child, and it never even occurred to me that there might be more about that world to learn. Third, the world itself is amazing. The style, but also the amount of detail put into it. It's like nothing I'd ever seen before. It's a magical thing that owns a tiny part of my heart, something that has never taken over me but that has always been there. To this day I keep finding that the things I love share one thing or another with it.

[@livendus]

I relate to all of this so much!

[@madelynsmith3711]

Very strange to know that Simone was born. Kinda just assumed she Has Always Been And Will Always Be

[@polygon]

I mean, it's just the *official* year I was born. Who can really say? - Simone

[@russelljohnson7004]

Much like Wally from Where's Waldo, Simone is ageless, but we have an approximation for if they weren't.

[@thewingedporpoise]

@@polygon oh thank goodness

[@osaka_lilac]

babe wake up new simone video dropped

[@Tobascodagama]

I, too, am tired of games about shooting dinosaurs. I want more games about *being* dinosaurs, that aren't janky Second Worldish multiplayer roleplay platforms.

[@violetsnotroses3640]

Look up Nanosaur and Nanosaur II (I recommend the second game in which you play as a pterosaur).

[@martinovallejo]

The Dinotopia books are one of the few things that can easily help me reconnect with a sense of childish wonder. Gourney's art and woldbuilding had me in awe everytime I opened those books. And en effort also seems to have been put into this game.

[@walterr3602]

This video is a perfect gift to everyone who used to break their library cards checking out the dinotopia books again and again!

[@LexVexation]

Fun Dinotopia fact: In Australia the short series was released as a full length film, with a run time just over FOUR HOURS. You best believe I watched it multiple times 👏👏

[@Irisverse]

Yeah, I remember picking that for a family movie night once, and pretty much the entire second half involved everyone in the room going "How long IS this movie?"

[@robotiquebleu9619]

You had me at puppets

[@polygon]

I THOUGHT SO

[@thoughtguardian]

My life has been forever changed with the knowledge that there are more than one of these books. One raindrop really does raise the sea. Thank you.

[@voidn8273]

i love it when simone goes off; i'm also really loving the retroactive look polygon is doing for content. thanks for this video :)

[@guusbremer8435]

I had one of the big books as a kid but never knew there was more to Dinotopia than that, so I guess I now have to hunt down every single book there is.

[@polygon]

I remember particularly loving the earlier paperbacks, like River Quest and The Lost City! But no promises, I haven't reread them in years. - Simone

[@gallaradragon5637]

There are a total of 22 books!

[@erictappan3906]

It's about time for someone to go completely full circle and painstakingly model 3D puppets to star in modern FMV masterpiece.

[@naszfluckah7314]

My money is on Worthikids - have you seen his Captain Yajima??

[@yotube155]

@@naszfluckah7314 I would pay top dollar for a Worthikids FMV game

[@Sara3346]

What an amazing gift the internet is for humanity and it's connections.

[@Cuix]

idk why but something about this whole thing makes me weepy, like just the incredible outpouring of love that clearly propelled this game, the entire aesthetic and ethos of The Dreamers Guild, the commitment to making something different and kind... and knowing even just from the title and the subject matter that it's all doomed to failure and obscurity, only happenstance bringing it enough attention to resurface as a curiosity it just gets to me in that particular melancholic way hope those folks are doin' well, wherever they are

[@PetahThePirate]

Dinotopia unlocks some deep core memories for me. We definitely need a new game. (And maybe some new books or a good tv adaptation?)

[@sanityisrelative]

That miniseries with Wentworth Miller is pretty fun honestly. The TV series that they made to follow it is terrible and should be lost to time, but the miniseries is pretty okay.

[@tobysinbad]

@@sanityisrelative is the miniseries the one with David Thewlis or is that the crappy one and I just loved it anyway bc I was little

[@sanityisrelative]

@@tobysinbad yeah, it's got David Thewlis. First thing I ever saw him in. I genuinely love it.

[@tobysinbad]

@@sanityisrelative always nice to have my taste as a young kid vindicated

[@mory6572]

oh, what a good time to listen to Simone talk about her interests... its always so good and fascinating! i could listen to this for hours

[@roxas_rucksack1042]

Simone is so persuasive omg I’ve never heard of dinotopia but now i want a new game more than anything and need all the pretty books 😭

[@hotscottrulz]

Now I really want to see a Versus on a world where FMV won, and became the primary format for video games.

[@lohjutsulegend]

I REALLY do NOT want to see this!

[@Immortal-ironic-fist]

Watching Simone flip through thr pages of the original art book accessed a pool of nostalgia I didn't even know existed. I must have stared at my old copy for dozens and dozens of hours as a kid

[@YuriHabadakas]

We had this as kids! It also came with a book-on-tape of Dinotopia itself, and a beautiful deck of cards for the card game from the video game. I was obsessed with it! I'm still a bit sad that I lost that deck... We got incredibly stuck trying to play the videogame, though. But I still do remember the line "Zuka loooove Waterfall City!" from one of the two dinosaurs who haul you around.

[@gallaradragon5637]

Which quest did you get stuck on? I might be able to help!

[@Elvalley]

Glad to see I'm not the only one whose childhood was defined by Dinotopia. Even though I only had ONE book and didn't even know more existed (thanks, third world). That alone would make this a must watch, but... They made an adventure game of it? And it was made by the peeps who made IHNMAIMS?? And you reached out to Gurney for this video??? Holy canoli I'm hooked!

[@Elvalley]

Also, if you make a petition for a new Dinotopia game, I'll gladly sign it... As many times as I have alternative email accounts.

[@matthewgilson9834]

i love dinosaurs so much (even volunteered on a dig in montana when i was in high school!), and these books were also my childhood, and learning that this game exists makes me almost as happy as seeing how happy simone is about it does

[@rionsanura]

This is SO delightful and so comprehensive!! I hope Simone knows about Saurian, the paleontologically-accurate dinosaur game, which, despite being in development hell for many years, is still captivating to see updates on

[@Dethanh]

'89 here. I couldn't get enough of this game as a kid, and I still have my signed copy of the original big book. Glad it's getting the recognition it deserves! Thanks Simone!

[@reubenm.d.5218]

I had that book edition as a kid and it drew me in every time, especially the dragon alphabet. I never why I loved it or that any of this existed

[@polygon]

I desperately wanted them to teach the dinosaur alphabet at my grade school - Simone

[@FosukeLordOfError]

I need to check this game out. I would also like to recommend the 1996 dinosaur game "dinosaur safari". You do shoot dinosaurs in this game but it's with a camera. It takes place in the future with an alien time machine going back in time to the dinosaurs and getting pictures of them.

[@yebkamin]

Dinotopia feels like it should be a myst style game of puzzles and discovery or even a game like life is strange that is all about conversation mechanics

[@Cuix]

Dinotopia Is Strange would be AMAZING

[@yebkamin]

@@Cuix right?

[@livendus]

Oh my god Dinotopia. I was born in 92 and got the book not long after, I looked dreamingly on those amazing illustrations long before I could read it and it's still standing proudly on my bookshelf now. If I could have had any job there I'd be jousting on the back of a deinocheirus because that looked fun and cool as hell

[@jlnrdeep]

This 90's games were so unique that they were like fever dream until you stumble on them years later on random corners of the internet, so awesome.

[@BucklingSwashes]

I had that original Dinotopia game and got stuck mere hours in every time. If I'd had access to the sort of video game FAQ's and walkthroughs that became commonplace online a few years later, I'm sure I'd have gotten more out of it, but I simply couldn't figure it out on my own at that age. But goddamn, thank you for showing me just how unique it really was!

[@tobysinbad]

That reminds me of Grim Fandango and how bloody terrible the puzzles were if you didn’t already know the solutions. such a cool game but God, I tried to show my 18yo siblings and they were baffled that I ever had fun with it

[@juliamaddalina5813]

James is one of the all time greats. I would see him every year at the Portrait Society of America Conference, and he would document everything through his art. I grew up reading his art instruction books, and love that others love this series so much!

[@danielmurrell3583]

Thanks for making this video! I totally had this game. There was a glitch (oversight?) where you could drop items when you jumped off the cliff, and man they were gone. You could see them fly by when you jumped again, but they went too fast to pick up.

[@gallaradragon5637]

Wow! I never lost anything off the cliff but I came close to losing items. I did once get stuck behind a wall.

[@chris247478]

This was a wonderful video. Dinotopia was the bee's knees when I was a kid. Thank you

[@anotherwesley7661]

"Thank you James Gurney you are the architect of my childhood!" DEEPLY FELT

[@zachtiessen6804]

I was born in '97 and I remember playing this game! I think my parents got it at a thrift store. Thanks for bringing back the experiences that made me love dinosaurs even more

[@em.a.httpss]

simone open heartedly gushing about dinosaurs for 10 minutes has really made my evening

[@sebastianwolf3236]

I NEED to know where/how I can play this game. Dinotopia was my childhood, and knowing there's a video game about it with puppets in it fills my heart with joy

[@EdPenna]

The was so incredibly wholesome, Simone, the video really showcases the love you have for Dinotopia. You probably have already visited the exhibit, but just in case you haven't: go NOW to the Jim Henson exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens. Go, and like me, cry like a baby in front of a Kermit puppet while Rainbow Connection plays in your head.

[@polygon]

This is such a good exhibit!! I went and held the Rowlf the Dog puppet. T__T - Simone

[@linden4372]

I think it’s really cool to see that FMV is making a slight comeback with games like Her Story and The Shapeshifting Detective. Clearly it has its place.

[@Feyraligatr]

I loved these books as a kid! What a find, thank you, Simone!

[@AreYouShore464]

These are my favourite types of Polygon video. Super enthusiastic, niche but very interesting and thoughtfully presented! Really enjoyed it

[@DanielGalimidi]

This feels like Simone going on Shark Tank to pitch a Dinotopia sequel.

[@seth561]

Watched the whole series as a kid, nothing felt like it, what a wild piece of content

[@McClintonforThree]

“A bunch of little paperbacks which defined my childhood.” I’ve never related to something more in my entire life. River Quest was my favorite. Then Chomper.

[@MasonA2358]

Based River quest fan

[@ComeRee]

Your enthusiasm is infectious, and thoroughly enjoyed learning/re-remembering Dinotopia with you. If you managed to get someone who understands unreal engine 5, then you really could make a photorealistic remake.

[@samkirk79]

Of course Simone worked in a Hemingway reference

[@polygon]

I saw my chance... I took it - Simone

[@droolmax8943]

This is why I am still subscribed to polygon after bdg left. This is amazing content

[@yotube155]

BDG was cream of the crop, but the rest of the polygonists are lovely too, especially when doing weird videos about their niche interests

[@svenbtb]

Yeah, Simone and Pat especially I love a lot

[@yotube155]

@@svenbtb Jenna is pretty great as well. The rest I'm not too familiar with, but any weird video content is Polygon at it's best

[@tobysinbad]

@@yotube155 recommend checking any video on a subject you are vaguely interested in/ recognise to get a feel for a bunch of the writers/ presenters, they’re all so very good and I feel like the Polygon quality of humour/ deep dive research/ editing is really consistent. Simone’s my favourite these days and doesn’t make a lot of videos, but Jenna’s really great at finding the little games I hadn’t heard of but convinces me to try, Clayton’s Sim City video is a whole gosh darn documentary that I still think about all the time. Patrick both gets my opinion that the best horror and violence is fun and funny and makes me actually want to hear about programming and development stuff that would usually bore me.

[@quefluxwinger3212]

Simone reminds me a lot of a friend I met in Elementary School, my friend always searched for every appearance (and book) of dragons not just being treasure-hoarding monsters, but intelligent beings and even the protagonists in certain cases! I couldn't possibly watch Simone excitedly jumping up and down on her bed about the idea of riding dinosaurs without a smile on my face! :)

[@taylorott401]

A year ago I went insane trying to find a hardcopy to purchase. Wanted to get that sweet card game that came packaged with it.

[@Tempus_Sicarius]

Ok but real talk? The Dinotopia GBA game was a huge part of my childhood and it was fun as hell!

[@iitu2]

I did not remember Dinotopia existed, but just reading the name brought warm nostalgia feels. I loved Dinotopia books and it's good to be reminded of them 😍

[@foolbackwards]

I really love james gurneys paintings but im gonna check out dinotopia now! This was a great video thanks so much for making it! Cant wait to see the illustrations!

[@guytorie]

I would have loved those Dinotopia books as a kid! I was born in 1992, so I have no idea how I managed to fully miss the whole entire franchise, but good to know it exists!

[@jamesgurney1111]

The world needs more James Gurneys…

[@paulatreides9096]

The mini series was legitimately my favorite thing when i was a kid. I forgot all about it until I saw this video.

[@codycarney2311]

I had Dinotopia "The Timestone Pirates" as little kid, what huge amount nostalgia right there, and yes it was brutal.

[@sharksgrr]

Jame's Gurney's books (Painting Light and Imaginative Realism) are considered evergreen top-tier resources for artists.

[@jwaffles9269]

Simone said she was born in 1990 and I genuinely did a double take thinking “SHES THIRTY ONE?” Simone you need to teach us your secrets to looking so young!

[@polygon]

gaming

[@0Gumpy0]

@@polygon truth. Sunlight makes you age. Gamers stay inside. The fountain of youth is a WoW addiction.

[@rustyskeleman]

Born '90 with a baby face I can confirm it's gaming.

[@YuriHabadakas]

Oh my god wat people don't turn into skeletons and crumble to dust as soon as they hit 30... ...that happens at 40

[@TheLaughingDove]

31 is not old is the secret (also don't smoke probably)

[@jebnordost7487]

The book still has a special place on my shelf, I really loved it as a kid. So I'm kind of glad that I never knew there were video games based on it...

[@estusshart6470]

This game/book/show made me so happy as a kid!!

[@StevoIDH]

Simone and her amazing pulls from the library of video game history nets another 10/10 video. Excellent work.

[@origaminosferatu3357]

I have been waiting my entire life for this game and I didn't even know it. Dinotopia WAS my childhood.

[@nikkijewel1285]

Puppets make me nostalgic in a way nothing else can. Thank you Simone!!💘💘

[@pinkflipphone]

dinotopia seems like it deserves to be adapted into a life sim type of game, like animal crossing or stardew valley

[@HellaBeed]

Almost forgot that I read some of these books and even watched the miniseries as a kid. Definitely wish there was more dinosaur stuff in video games.

[@emo6577]

I love Simone’s energy so much. I need to read Dinotopia right away

[@Alyssa-dk2yx]

This was one of the most delightful videos I have watched, her obvious joy at speaking about Dinotopia really shows!

[@kieran.grant_]

Man, I haven't thought about dinotopia for *far* too long! I'd love to see a game that features the dino mechs in that lost city, those were the coolest thing ever as a kid and they still are today.

[@dhiibvulk9036]

Maybe I'll check out the dinotopia books after this, they seem so cool!!! And the concept of puppets in a video game is amazing, I'd love to see that again

[@ethan-loves]

awesome :) I'd never heard about Dinotopia but this makes me wish it was a part of my childhood

[@cdutson]

I love so much about this video: the subject, the enthusiasm, how deep a dive it goes into the games production, Simone’s fantastic makeup. Fantastic.

[@chrismanuel9768]

It. Looks. Amazing. Those Jim Henson ass puppets will always have a place in my heart

[@SuperSheep18]

Fantastic video. Simone should check out the endgame in the DS classic "The Urbz: Sims in the City" where you build custom Dinosaur pets that you more or less coexist with as well.

[@crickettbug3959]

I’m very glad you made this video, Dinotopia was such a huge part of my childhood and I’m happy I got to see this part of it that I otherwise never would have known about! Thanks, Polygon ❤️🦕

[@zachlebar]

This video is everything I hoped it would be and more. Thank you Simone!

[@fedorafinder]

i have been waiting all my life

[@dummy_vicc2976]

honestly the bit with the characters interrupting each other makes the conversation feel more realistic, as opposed to the 2 second gap before a rebuttal or interjection you see in a lot of games

[@gallaradragon5637]

Nallab’s rebuff was 100% on point.

[@Michael_Lindell]

Cool video! What were your Dinosources?

[@IcicleM]

These yound adult novels and games and illustrative books are truly formative, for me. I absolutely adore that you did this for Dinotopia. My heart will always belong there.

[@daveyboi4344]

Every day I become more convinced that the 90s were a collectively shared fever dream.

[@lokiiago_x0x]

The Bearenstein-verse

[@thegaspatthegateway]

This looks like such a faithful adaptation! Thank you so much for excavating this treasure! I wish everyone knew how cool this IP is

[@flower4000]

dude, those books are so beautiful. gotta find a away to play this game.

[@melskunk]

This is positively delightful! My dinosaur and Henson loving self would have adored this, I'm also wondering how I never saw it. Quite possibly because there were SO MANY dinotopia things coming out in the mid 90s I probably lost it in the noise of calendars and books and vhs and so forth

[@aamr7434]

Finally, some good representation of “child who never grew out of their dinosaur phase” in media

[@SureyD]

Damn, that game really *does* look dope as hell! Really does stand out among all the "dinosaurs as weapons" games.

[@Atomic_Chef]

Gurney lived in the same town my mom grew up in and so I always got signed copies of the Dinotopia books from my grandma growing up! This video brought back some amazing memories! Thanks Simone! 😊 And I agree! Netflix, HBO, games industry, are you listening? It’s time to bring Dinotopia back dammit!

[@liquidl5380]

I'm so EXCITED for this! That CD Rom was my JAM as a kid. Did I ever finish the game? No. Was I devastated when machines stopped being compatible with it and I was better at gaming? Yes. But it was so lush and the FMV bits were so great.

[@zaxzilla4451]

I feel like dinotopia would be the best setting for a detective/crime drama game to give the player an excuse to explore the island without breaking the utopia too hard but just slightly enough to push an player made narrative

[@Yesnomu]

Simone's videos are always so cool and interesting! I LOVED that book as a kid, and would have adored this game if I'd known about it. I too have felt the lack of dinosaur games where you do more than just kill them, blech!