“Turok: Origins” Reboots After 19 Years, Switching Between Separately Developed FPS/TPS—Devs on New Features [TGS2026]

The “Turok” series is a line of action-shooting games that depicts a warrior battling dinosaurs and enemies using a variety of weapons, beginning with *Turok: Warrior of Time and Space*, which was originally released on the Nintendo 64.

And in 2027, *Turok: Origins*—the latest installment in the series—will be released, marking a return of approximately 19 years since *TUROK* debuted on the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2008.

Game*Spark took an early look at this reboot, which has finally arrived after such a long wait. We’ve played the demo, so in this article, we’ll share our impressions and an interview with the developers.

Switching Perspectives and Weapons Nonstop in a Fierce Battle Against the “Missile Dinosaur”!

This article covers the media hands-on event held in conjunction with the “Tokyo Game Show 2026 (TGS2026).” It was a rare opportunity to get an early look at the demo version on PC and Nintendo Switch 2.

We got to play the opening sequence of *Turok: Origins*. Vibrant graphics and cutscenes depict the protagonist—a Turok warrior—throwing himself into the fierce front lines to replace his father, who has been forced to leave the battlefield due to injury.

Now, let’s dive into the gameplay.

You can customize the appearance of the protagonist, who serves as your avatar. Additionally, you can choose a combat style from three distinct classes, each with its own set of abilities and weapons. This time, I tried out the power-focused style.

Each class features two types of main firearms and a special weapon. The variety is quite extensive, ranging from machine guns that boast reliable firepower to heavy weapons capable of delivering devastating single shots, as well as homing rounds that make combat a breeze.You don’t necessarily have to use them all equally, but switching between them depending on the situation—or simply to add some variety to your combat—is a key part of the experience. Let’s mow down the swarming aliens one after another.

The maps you’ll be exploring are vast, but since your objective is clearly marked, you won’t get lost very often—which is a big plus. Movement is fast, so you can explore and fight without any stress.

Shields and ammo lost in combat can be easily replenished on the map, and perhaps because it’s early in the game, I was able to progress smoothly.

While the “Turok” series has traditionally been an FPS-only title, this installment introduces a TPS perspective. You can choose to stick with your preferred perspective throughout, or switch between TPS for exploration and group battles, and FPS for scenes where you want to immerse yourself and focus on aiming—this seems set to expand your playstyle options.

After progressing through the quests to a certain point, I came face-to-face with what seemed to be the demo’s boss—a dinosaur that looked like it would be a real challenge… or rather, a truly menacing creature! The tension was different from the battles against the humanoid aliens I’d faced up to that point, so I had to make full use of my action moves and equipment switches to tackle the fight.

The dinosaur’s attacks were heavy, and it unleashed area-of-effect attacks left and right. Faced with this “boss-like” strength, my shield was destroyed, and I found myself in a tight spot. However, by running around to recover and then attacking in small bursts—a more cautious playstyle—I managed to clear the battle safely. Wow, that was quite the sense of accomplishment!

By the way, I played this time using a gamepad, and—perhaps thanks to the aim assist—both long-range and close-range combat felt fast-paced and stress-free. Additionally, the Japanese localization of the story subtitles and game UI was well done; there were no awkward translation moments, so I was able to fully enjoy the exhilarating gameplay and grand scale right up to the very end.

“TPS and FPS aren’t just a matter of switching camera angles—we develop them using separate pipelines”—Developer Interview

For the demo event, Jesus Iglesias, Game Director, and Alberto San José Tabares, Senior Game Producer, from *Turok: Origins*’ developer Saber Interactive, visited Japan.

Here’s an interview where we asked them directly about the key points of this highly anticipated new title.

—First, could you tell us the background behind the decision to relaunch the *Turok* series after 19 years?

Jesus: The *Turok* series is a very compelling franchise featuring battles against dinosaurs and aliens, as well as adventures across vast spaces and planets. The first three games, in particular, were a massive hit and made the series a huge success.

On the other hand, the subsequent titles took a different direction compared to the original trilogy and didn’t achieve the same level of success. Even so, we didn’t believe the IP had lost its strength. So this time, we decided to reboot *Turok* by returning to the appeal of the original—which enjoyed such strong popularity—and crafting a story that serves as a prequel to it.

――Regarding the series reboot, could you tell us about the elements you focused on to preserve the essence of *Turok*, as well as the new elements you incorporated?

Jesus: As for elements carried over from the original games, first and foremost are the action-platforming gameplay, the level design featuring significant elevation changes, and the exploration elements. While *Turok* is famous as an FPS, these three elements—along with the presence of “dinosaurs”—were undoubtedly the core appeal of the original series, so we’ve incorporated them without change.

Conversely, one of the new additions is the TPS perspective. It’s said that the majority of players these days prefer TPS games, so we decided to implement it so that those players can also pick up the game and enjoy it.

Another newly implemented feature is the ability system tailored to the Bio-Suit class you select. This system allows you to collect DNA from enemies and the environment to unlock new abilities. Since the main game lets you explore numerous worlds and planets, we hope you’ll enjoy the diverse and ever-changing biomes.

――Based on my hands-on experience, the FPS mode offers the immersion needed to fully appreciate the environment, while in scenes where large numbers of enemies attack, the TPS mode’s ease of situational awareness and combat becomes a clear advantage.

Jesus: Actually, the two modes aren’t just a matter of switching the camera—we developed them as separate production pipelines to ensure seamless transitions.

――That must have been quite a challenging development process. Still, the transitions were incredibly smooth, and I had a lot of fun playing! I played solo this time, but could you tell us about the difficulty adjustments and game pace design for the multiplayer mode planned for the full release?

Jesus: We’ve already finished tuning the game, and we’ve adjusted it to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience whether you’re playing alone, with one other player, or with the maximum of three players. The difficulty level will vary depending on the situation.

Alberto: You can select your difficulty level, and the game’s challenge will adjust accordingly. What you just experienced was the medium difficulty setting.

――The boss battle was a real nail-biter and quite a challenge, so it sounds like the higher difficulty levels will offer an even more challenging experience.

Alberto: I was watching you play, and you were really skilled—switching between abilities and camera angles! You made great use of the game’s key features.

――Really? Thank you! I also enjoy the excitement of multiplayer and being carried by skilled players, so I’m looking forward to that as well.

Alberto: You can play solo without an internet connection, and multiplayer supports cross-play.

――With cross-play, players using keyboard and mouse will be mixed with those using gamepads, right? Based on my experience playing with a gamepad this time, the aim assist worked really well, and it was a pleasure to play.

Jesus: The aiming system is something we fine-tuned specifically. We focused on making sure players could enjoy a smooth experience.

Alberto: We also believe that gunplay is a very important part of this game, so we’ve put a lot of effort into it.

――It seemed like players could enjoy the game without worrying about differences in devices. Are there any restrictions when playing with others at different stages of progress?

Jesus: There are no restrictions. For example, even if I’ve progressed to Mission 4, I can still play Mission 2 with other players.

――That’s the standard mechanism where the game adjusts to the player who’s furthest behind. Are there any other aspects of cross-play that you’ve paid special attention to?

Alberto: In terms of hardware differences, while 60 fps is standard on other platforms, the Nintendo Switch 2 and Xbox Series S run at 30 fps. However, we’ve worked hard to ensure it still looks smooth, so I think the visual experience will be virtually identical.

――In fact, both versions are running right now, and at first glance, I don’t notice any major differences even in combat scenes. Graphically speaking, when I experienced a map resembling a dense jungle, contrary to my initial impression that “enemies would be hard to spot,” the enemy indicators on the map were easy to see, so I was able to fight comfortably.

Alberto: Thank you. That’s exactly where we put a lot of effort.

Jesus: It was really tough (laughs). There are also completely different environments throughout the game, so please look forward to them.

――Could you also tell us about the attention to detail in the cinematics, including the story cutscenes?

Jesus: The story is quite solid, but if I had to pick one thing we really focused on, it would be the finisher animations (for delivering the final blow to enemies). Each of the three classes has its own unique weapons, and since we’ve prepared specific finishers for each type of enemy, the total number is incredibly high.

――That sounds like a feature you’ll be able to enjoy over and over again across the various classes. I imagine there are quite a few people thinking of trying *Turok* for the first time with this game—is the story still enjoyable for them?

Jesus: As the title “Origins” suggests, the story in this game traces the narrative from the first game through the third.While some parts remain shrouded in mystery, the story and world are introduced from the very beginning, so I think this will be a great opportunity even for those experiencing this world for the first time. I hope players will take this chance to rediscover the roots of *Turok* and why it became such a popular series.

――Thank you. Finally, could you share a message for Japanese players?

Jesus: While there are new elements, this game is undoubtedly the latest entry in the *Turok* series. For those who have played the series before, there will be many familiar elements, and I hope you’ll enjoy the new additions as well.

Also, for those experiencing *Turok* for the first time, there are plenty of exciting elements—from the stunning environments and world-building to the story and combat featuring unique characters—so I’d be thrilled if you could enjoy it.

Alberto: I feel exactly the same way. I really love Japan, so I’m thrilled to be bringing this game here. We hope you’ll give *Turok: Origins* a try.

*Turok: Origins* is scheduled for release in Spring 2027 on PC (Steam/Epic Games), PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. If the gameplay footage and interviews have piqued your interest, stay tuned for future updates!