Dinoblade, the Soulslike Where a Spinosaurus Wields a Greatsword, Launches on Steam
Dinoblade demonstrates that a single developer's viral animation concept from 2022 can scale into a full commercial release that sustains strong player interest on Steam, with a wishlist count over half a million and positive early reception.
Key Facts
- Dinoblade launched on Steam on July 24, 2026, at a standard price of 2,600 yen, with a 10% launch discount to 2,340 yen through July 31.
- The game's Steam wishlist count exceeded 500,000 before release, and the demo received a 97% positive rating from approximately 4,900 reviews.
- As of July 24, the full version holds a Very Positive rating with 89% positive reviews from 285 reviews, and a peak concurrent player count of 2,204.
Reporting from 3 sources: Automaton, Denfaminicogamer, Game Spark.
Team Spino LLC and Boltray Games released the action RPG Dinoblade on Steam on July 24. The game is a third-person Soulslike set in a prehistoric world reshaped by a catastrophe. Players control a young Spinosaurus that carries a massive greatsword in its mouth, fighting rival weapon-wielding dinosaurs and apex predators called Alphas across biomes such as canyons, jungles, and snowy plains. Combat involves combos, dodging, rolling, and parrying, with the ability to transform into an inner beast and use special abilities. The developer is Jean Nguyen, a senior animator at Sucker Punch Productions who worked on Ghost of Yōtei. The game's Steam wishlist count exceeded 500,000 before release, and the demo received an Overwhelmingly Positive rating with 97% positive reviews from about 4,900 users. After launch, the full game holds a Very Positive rating with 89% positive reviews from 285 reviews as of the time of reporting. A 10% launch discount brings the price to 2,340 yen through July 31.
The game's protagonist is a young Spinosaurus, and the greatsword it carries in its mouth is the central visual hook. Boss enemies include a Styracosaurus that attacks with a chained weapon, a Concavenator called Red Ash that breathes fire with each swing, and a mysterious enemy standing among countless swords. The world spans dry canyons, misty jungles, and snowy plains, with giant Brachiosaurus roaming the environment. Developer Jean Nguyen originally posted a prototype animation of a Spinosaurus wielding a greatsword on social media in 2022, which received over 300,000 likes. Full development began in September 2023 under the tentative title Dino-Sword. Nguyen is a senior animator at Sucker Punch Productions, the studio behind Ghost of Yōtei. The game was co-published with Boltray Games. At the time of writing, the peak concurrent player count on Steam was 2,204. Some player reviews note issues with hit detection, camera behavior, UI usability, and terrain collision, but the overall reception highlights the appeal of the dinosaur animations and the fast-paced combat. The standard price is 2,600 yen, with the launch discount active until July 31. The game supports Japanese display.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 3 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.