Go Home Dinosaurs! is a tower defensevideo game developed and published by Fire Hose Games. It was released on March 14, 2013, for Windows and May 9, 2013, for iPad. The game focuses on a group of gophers working to protect their barbecue party after it gets crashed by a horde of dinosaurs.
Gameplay
Go Home Dinosaurs! is divided into three locations containing 20 levels each.[3] The main objective is to control a young gopher, who throws rocks at any dinosaurs within range. The players can earn up to three steaks per level, but each time the dinosaurs reach the barbecue, they blow up sticks of dynamite near it, causing a loss of one steak.[4] Additional defenses can be added via cards, which are usable by collecting enough coconuts from palm trees that randomly spawn throughout the board. By completing levels, the player will earn coins, which can be used to purchase power-up cards and costumes for the main gopher to use.[5]
Development
Go Home Dinosaurs! was first shown at the 2011 PAX event.[6] A year later, Fire Hose Games launched a playable beta version of the game on Chrome,[7] with several updates subsequently released to enhance gameplay.[8][9] Initially intended for a late 2012 release, Fire Hose Games delayed the full game's release to add more polish and extra content;[10] it was eventually released on Steam in March 2013,[11] followed by an iPad release in May, that same year.[12]
The PC version received "universal acclaim", while the iOS version received "generally favorable reviews", according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[13][14] Eric Ford of TouchArcade praised the iOS version's combination of tower defense and puzzle elements but noted control issues with the same version.[18] Andy Chalk of Gamezebo noted the PC version's lack of violence and short length, and called the game "fairly shallow", though he stated that it would be a good game for tower defense fans to play with their children.[15]