Ratalaika Games' PS5 port of the 1991 Sega Genesis title Dino Land brings a quirky prehistoric pinball experience to modern hardware, faithfully recreating the efforts of developer Wolf Team.
In this action-packed pinball adventure, players control Dino, a kind-hearted dinosaur who rolls into a powerful ball to battle ferocious rivals threatening his girlfriend Meeshell and their companions. The light storyline follows Dino's quest to restore tranquility across a chaotic Jurassic landscape, blending pinball mechanics with exploration of land, sea, and sky environments filled with dynamic hazards like eruptions and tempests. Beyond the core gameplay, the port includes a robust suite of extras such as a gallery showcasing original artwork and packaging, a full jukebox for the soundtrack, and toggles for cheats, turbo speed, rewind functionality, and save states.
The Gameplay ...
The game offers three primary difficulty setting including Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert, each adjustable via the config menu to suit various skill levels, altering ball behavior, scoring multipliers, and stage progression rigor. It's three distinct tables anchor the action. The Land table acts as the central hub, where players target ramps and a slot machine mechanism to accumulate bonuses and unlock the other stages while fending off terrestrial threats. The Sea table immerses you in underwater chaos, focusing on evading marine predators, activating lava flows, and depleting the life of a massive crab boss, and the Sky table elevates the challenge with aerial maneuvers, demanding accurate shots through storms to dismantle a pterodactyl boss and secure sky-high rewards.
Modern conveniences shine through with save states for instant pausing and resuming, turbo mode to accelerate gameplay, rewind to perfect tricky shots, a gallery for nostalgic visuals, jukebox for on-demand tunes, and a cheats menu offering infinite balls, table select, and instant morph. Customization abounds with visual filters like CRT scanlines or LCD effects among others, plus adjustable screen ratios for authentic arcade feels or widescreen tweaks.
The Presentation ...
Presentation captures the era's charm with vibrant pixelated dinosaurs and environments that pop against prehistoric backdrops, complemented by Ichiro Haneda's energetic, memorable soundtrack blending orchestral flair with chiptune zest. The user interface remains straightforward, displaying ball count, bonuses, and scores clearly at a glance. However, the flipper controls feel inconsistent with modern control setups. The left thumbstick or DPad flips the left flippers while SQUARE flips the right flipper, creating a learning curve for today's gamer.
The verdict ...
Ultimately, this port delivers solid content for a niche retro gem, running smoothly on PS5 with zero hitches or little to no lag, enhancing replay value through high-score chasing toward the 100-million-point cap and boss mastery across difficulties. While the repetitive structure limits long-term depth, the chaotic physics and unlockable stages keep sessions engaging. It's a retro experience best suited for pinball enthusiasts, Sega retro collectors, and quick-blast seekers craving affordable dino-themed nostalgia.
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