by RadiumEyes, HSM team writer

Spending the day in a dramatic interpretation of Earth’s prehistoric past (specifically, the period where the mighty dinosaurs roamed the planet before the K-T event all but brought their dominance to an end) can be both exhilarating and dangerous; if this occurred in real life, think of the great risks involved in trying to directly observe some of Earth’s largest animals, especially up close. A Tyrannosaur would be just as confounded by our appearance as we would be of our sudden time-traveling experience, at least before he would go off to find a meal.

Thankfully, the dangers inherent in meeting such creatures in reality are rendered null and void in Lockwood’s latest personal space, the Prehistoric Valley, available exclusively through the gift machine.

The space consists of a sparse hut, overlooking a great panorama of the valley in question, with numerous now-extinct spenders presented in digital form for users to observe through binoculars; the dinosaurs present range from the Stegosaurus to the aforementioned T. rex (which one can find looming in the trees near the abode). As a space, it offers a spectacular view of an Earth as it might have looked 100 million years ago – with a bit of artistic license, of course.

As one might expect, the Prehistoric Valley includes dinosaurs from different times, putting them all in one place for the adventuring amateur archaeologist to examine from a distance. The Stegosaurus, for example, lived in the late Jurassic, while the Tyrannosaur (one of the most popular of all dinosaur species) appeared during the late Cretaceous, a time difference of some 80 million or so years. But that’s nothing peculiar – popular depictions of dinosaurs, from The Flintstones to Jurassic Park, offer the same jumble of periods, with humanity thrown in for good measure. Lockwood’s latest venture does offer caveman and cavewoman costumes for purchase, along with dinosaur mounts, so one can’t fault the company for providing some nice variety.

The binoculars actually act as a mini-game, wherein a user can locate different prehistoric animals (did I forget to mention the mammoths?); a scorecard keeps track of the individual animals you notice for the day, and filling out the related day’s roster of Dinosaur Bingo offers you a free item as a prize. Note that the scorecard is separated by day, with Monday through Friday represented; a different item awaits you on a different day, so make sure to return during the week to make full use of the game. Keep in mind that the Valley contains numerous binoculars, and one may not give you an adequate vantage point to see every creature available; make sure to alternate between observation posts to find everything.

The sheer scale of the valley makes this space quite beautiful, and the various animals present are a great touch; not only do they contribute to your Dinosaur Bingo (I’m calling it that from now on) card, they give a sense of habitation, a living space where creatures wander around. It’s rare to see a personal space that comes bundled with in-area living things that co-exist with you, and Lockwood did a wonderful job animating them – one gets a true sense of scale and wonder while there. You’re not alone, as you share living quarters with a multitude of other species; of course, if this really existed, one would be careful not to get in the way of some of the carnivorous individuals. As anyone familiar with Jurassic Park can attest, dinosaurs have a habit of not listening to human beings in popular dinosaur-centric fiction, but here they bear you no mind. It’s refreshing to see a prehistoric area that doesn’t follow earlier examples.

As mentioned earlier, Lockwood also offers related LMOs and outfits for the intrepid explorer; the cave-dweller outfits remind me of One Million Years B.C. or similar depictions of the “caveman” archetype. These outfits are minimal, and based on the skins of mammoths (going by the shaggy fur), and it’s a classic design – although I would enjoy something a little more unique, such as clothing that early human societies did wear, in addition to the costumes already available. Then again, historical accuracy doesn’t factor too much into this, and I definitely wouldn’t fault Lockwood for introducing a space based on staples of prehistoric-based films, comics and what-have-you. One need look no further than such characters as Fred Flintstone or Ka-Zar (a Marvel character living in the Savage Land) to find precedence for the Valley’s aesthetics; Lockwood’s addition to the theme, namely the game and the various LMOs and costumes, provide some unique flair.

The space itself is vast, not only in sheer size, but also in what the user can access; there’s a path leading to the hut, and the hut itself has two stories to it. Looking at it for a brief moment, I noticed that it could be difficult to decorate, particularly with themed items – Lockwood offers several already, which can be unlocked via Dinosaur Bingo, so an owner has some good options available from the outset. But this is a minor quibble – the space is breathtaking, and one can certainly find a means of decking it out without any trouble. Seeing the bookcase made from dinosaur bones is a nice touch, I must say – kinda morbid, but you might as well make do.

All in all, a wonderful outing for the company, and something worth investing in. I can only imagine the machinima possibilities – someone trapped millions of years in the past, relying on the elements to stay alive, while simultaneously understanding how the planet was like long before humanity’s arrival. The more sci-fi oriented among us can make it part of a Holodeck-style presentation; the sky’s the limit.

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One Response to “A Day in the Prehistoric Valley”

1. SealWyf_ says:

   October 19, 2013 at 5:41 pm

   I loved this space when I visited it, and I hope to find a deep-pocketed friend to gift it to me.

   My own take on it is that it is not so much “time machine” as a “Lost World” in the Professor Challenger mode — an isolated corner of the Earth where creatures of all geologic periods still happily coexist, along with primitive humans. We, the visiting Victorian explorers, have just set up camp in the clearing, where we can interact with the resident cavemen and observe the abundant wildlife.

   My host had glitched a telepad into the landscape, and I have to tell you that the scenery and creatures are just as awesomely detailed up close as they are from a distance. Wandering “behind the scenes” does destroy some of the illusion of reality, and I can understand why developers don’t want us to do it. But what you lose in illusion is more than made up by the awe at the sheer cleverness that went into building this space within Home’s memory budget.

   Bottom line: it’s a beautiful, beautiful apartment — tough to decorate, perhaps, but with its own unique gifts of fantasy and wonder.

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