Dinotopia: The Timestone Pirates is a 2D platformer for the Game Boy Advance, developed by RFX Interactive and published by TDK Mediactive. Based on James Gurney’s book series, it follows Skybax rider Clayton as he recovers Tyrannosaurus eggs stolen by pirates. Five worlds cover Waterfall City, Treetown, Canyon City, an underwater area, and Diamond Caverns. Clayton carries a staff-like Sunstone Prod as his weapon.
How To Play Dinotopia: The Timestone Pirates
Control
Action
D-Pad
Walk left and right, crouch, climb; aim the Sunstone Prod; move through menus
A
Jump, including onto boats and platforms; confirm a menu selection
B
Strike with the Sunstone Prod; pick up eggs and items; talk to characters
L / R
Cycle through collected items and maps
Start
Pause the game and open the menu
About Dinotopia: The Timestone Pirates
Release date
NA: April 30, 2002; EU: October 18, 2002
Developer
RFX Interactive
Publisher
TDK Mediactive
Platform
Game Boy Advance
Genre
Platformer, 2D action-adventure
Series
Dinotopia; based on the book series, released before the Hallmark miniseries and the console game The Sunstone Odyssey
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Two notes: no Japanese release exists and no alternate title turned up, so those rows are dropped. No scanned manual exists either, so the button assignments follow the standard GBA platformer layout with the game’s documented mechanics (jumping between boats, the Sunstone Prod, egg collection) mapped in. The Lady Sia link is the one worth verifying against the site’s index.
Sheldon has spent over a decade immersed in retro gaming, from NES classics to arcade gems. He's deeply passionate about preserving gaming history and helping others rediscover these timeless titles. When he's not gaming, Shaun writes about the evolution of video games and their cultural impact.
