No One Can Find This "Creepy Dinosaur" Game...

Summary

The video follows the search for a long-lost childhood game remembered by both the creator and a Reddit user. It was a creepy point-and-click escape game set in a dinosaur museum, eventually identified as Escape Triassic Hall.

Search for the game

• The Reddit user Dinosaur Game Hunter remembers being trapped in a museum where dinosaur exhibits came to life. They also recall bugs, frightening death screens, and a strange furry face that appeared during a glitch.
• The video’s creator recognizes the description and adds memories of separate Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous areas, as well as an aquarium and submarine.
• Two similar games, Eyewitness Dinosaur Hunter and 3D Dinosaur Adventure, are investigated but ruled out.
• A 2011 blog post mentioning Escape Triassic Hall leads to a teaser video by Evans Essence, confirming the game’s identity.
• The creator contacts Danielle, a former Gametic employee, who says the publisher stopped producing the game after only a few thousand copies. Danielle suggests contacting lead designer Henry Shagu.
• After finding no copy through online searches or used-game stores, the creator checks the family attic and finds the original disc in an old CD case.

Gameplay and walkthrough

• The player starts in a dim, empty museum lobby, where a T. rex animatronic appears to hold a key in its mouth. The goal is to find the exit key and make it through the museum.
• The route leads through the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous exhibits, with additional areas including an activity center and an ammonite aquarium.
• In the Triassic exhibit, a staff-room control panel changes the T. rex’s animation and helps the player reach the key. Choosing the wrong animation can result in being caught.
• The museum’s animatronics gradually come to life. Dinosaurs may block doors or appear unpredictably. A practical tip is to leave and return later, remember where dinosaurs were, and listen for warning sounds.
• Notes from employees and the owner suggest that the eccentric museum is struggling financially and may eventually close. Faded writings also appear on the walls.
• The activity center includes a dinosaur-bone-dusting minigame and a disturbing skeleton that later comes to life. The aquarium’s submarine ride is another atmospheric highlight.
• The Cretaceous section is the most challenging, with more frequent dinosaur encounters and grim displays about the extinction of the dinosaurs.
• Near the end, the player finds a failing Carnotaurus animatronic connected to a power cord. Following the cord and unplugging it allows the player to take the key and escape.
• After the game is recovered, Henry Shagu shares an extra tip: clicking the faded scribbles on the museum walls reveals surprises. The creator replays the game to investigate them.

The search also leads the creator to reflect on lost media, fading childhood memories, and the effort to preserve things that might otherwise disappear.

People and sources featured

• Dinosaur Game Hunter — Reddit user who posted the original memory
• Justin — What’s Justin Playing? blog
• Evans Essence — creator of the Triassic Hall teaser video
• Danielle — former Gametic employee
• Henry Shagu — lead designer of Escape Triassic Hall
• Sagan Hawkes — video creator and investigator

Games discussed for comparison

• Eyewitness Dinosaur Hunter
• 3D Dinosaur Adventure
• Fisher-Price Great Adventures: Castle
• Tonka Digging Rigs