Developer: Raccoon Logic Studios Inc.
Platforms: PC (Reviewed), PS5, Xbox Series X|S
Genre: Action, Adventure
Publisher: Raccoon Logic Studios Inc.
Revenge of the Savage Planet is a satirical action-adventure. The game is based in a science fiction world filled with all sorts of wacky elements. Revenge of the Savage Planet is a sequel to the game Journey to the Savage Planet with much more content mayhem. This game was developed and published by Raccoon Logic Studios Inc. This review was done on the PC version of the game, but the game is also available on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 4|5.
Revenge of the Savage Planet follows on from the first game. You are part of an unpleasant space company that has fired their employees upon arrival at a stranded alien planet. It is up to you to build up the community and increase the population of the planet while using high-tech gadgets to find resources and upgrade items. Explore the vastness of an unforeseen alien habitat while encountering all sorts of species and creatures.
Revenge of the Savage Planet allows for a co-op experience both online, split-screen and cross-platform. Players can opt to take on an adventure by themselves, but the game plays much better with someone else by your side. We played the game both online and split-screen to test out the experience, and they seem to play similarly. Of course, being able to play with someone physically next to you will allow for a more interactive experience, but I always enjoy the accessibility of online co-op. When playing online with a friend, it seems as though the game only recognizes controller inputs for both players, but then once you are loaded into the game, you can disconnect the controller and play with keyboards. We had tried restarting the game itself several times, but it would never allow for even one person to start off with a keyboard input. We weren’t quite sure if this was a part of the game build or a bug, but hope it gets fixed because quickly connecting a controller just to load in was annoying. Nonetheless, the multiplayer experience is perfect as you both get to dwell on your own tasks or work together to capture a beast. What I quite like is that items and upgrades are shared between the pair. Plus, what’s better than having someone come to your rescue as you die of some annoying mushrooms? You can always play by yourself, which is a nice way for you to build up on items, resources, and upgrades, but players should really take the opportunity to play with someone else.
Preference-wise, the keyboard seemed much more agile in movements, whereas my duo felt that the controller was much smoother. It could be a matter of which type of controller you are using, but it was just something to note. Besides, the controls and mechanics within the game were well-explained, with thorough descriptions and accessibility options to allow players to make the experience much more frequent. The beginning of the game brings you into a sequence where you start a ‘tutorial’ that shows you the essential ropes upon which you build upon. Upon your arrival to this uncharted alien planet, you get sufficient guidance from your drone EKO. One of the most chattiest drones ever at times, it felt like it would just, yap, not stop. I loved the option where you could tone down EKO’s chattiness, but with it away, it felt like someone was missing.
The art style of Revenge of the Savage Planet reminds me of the game High on Life, which features vibrant and graphic elements within its environment. The art style is a mix of quirky and zany that works well with the alien theme. Revenge of the Savage Planet mixes additional elements to create a comic-like, cartoony feel that captivates the player’s attention. In itself, the game seems like an animated show in itself where you are the main character of it. Every location or unexplored area that you visit has a great amount of detail put into it, from the critters to the odd-looking fauna. What really pulls the visuals together are the creature designs, which are quite out-worldly. Some seem so frugal and sweet whereas other creatures you come across are aggressive by look. Wacky creatures fill the place, and you will always encounter them in unexpected ways. I do have to say that I enjoyed how humans were featured in the videos/ads you would watch on your TV in the hub kind of reminded me of Wall-E. Though some of those videos were beyond my expectations, which was hilarious. The game features some element of acting and voice-acting that works nicely with bits here and there, especially in relation to the videos. The visuals go hand in hand with the quirky sound effects to the upbeat music playing when killing creatures. It creates an atmosphere to explore, which is exactly what the game wants you to do.
Now, I am not someone who has played the first game before, but know that the first game was more first-person, and this game is in third-person, which seems like quite an interesting change. I think, in these types of games, the third-person point of view allows for better awareness.
When it comes to Revenge of the Savage Planet, rather than being a survival game, it’s more of an exploration, gathering resources, upgrading, and doing the same on other planets. You are given quests, but the quests allow for the player to explore even more. As you collect resources, you can create an array of tools. As for resources are abundant, and it feels like you will never be short on items. Every time I wanted to build something, it never took me long to gather the resources, which made things extremely efficient. I always looked forward to creating a new tool or unlocking more upgrades because I could explore areas I have previously explored to find items hidden in areas that I was not able to reach earlier. The game works in a progressive sense like that, especially if you have a thing for exploring every inch of the world. You will come across areas that you can not reach, but after unlocking something, you can go back and finally reach it.
Personally, when it comes to exploring, being able to traverse smoothly is essential for jumping up hills or climbing cliffs, using your jetpack for a jump boost and more. It seemed as though there were constant occurrences in the game where the running or walking animation of the character would bug or act extremely flimsy, making certain actions unresponsive until the character stopped moving.
There are several elements to Revenge of the Savage Planet that make the player laugh; abilities seem to be added for the laugh, which I thoroughly enjoy and adds to the atmosphere of the game. At first, you may think that the world is your playground, but you need to work to get upgrades to really get into the depths of the planet. For instance, when I dived into a lake, I was so confused why I wasn’t able to swim, only to find out I needed to upgrade to swim. You were given quests, but you also were given a sense of idea of what was needed for you to progress onwards. I thoroughly enjoyed the game, especially because I played with someone else, and it felt like we were able to goof around on a planet that was slowly becoming ours.
We are very thankful to have been provided with codes for this review. One of the other players, Moody, had the following to say, ‘First of all, the visuals of Revenge to the Savage Planet are enticing with its colour palette, its different biomes, the weird creature inhabitants, to even just the description of this goof-ball like of an explorer. It was nice to see that you could customize your outfit with pre-set skins, one of which was Dave the Diver. You get put into a planet that you are unaware about, and that planet intrigues me into wanting to explore every part of it.
What I enjoyed the most about this game was being able to complete tasks to get rewards, but most importantly, it was being able to capture creatures. It is kind of like capturing a Pokemon but a lot more intense than you would think. Felt like I was fighting my own battle with the creature, but being able to capture it was so worth it. There is so much to do in Revenge of the Savage Planet than you would think. To say the least, collecting resources is easy enough to do and unlocking upgrades and making tools are sufficient, but you need to tackle four or more planets and ensure clearance levels are at 100%. Combat with creatures is fun, and friendly fire is on, which accounts for even more chaos between you and your duo. I don’t know how many times I shot her, but it was too many to count.
At first, I thought it was living on one planet and completing all quests there, but you get to explore more with even crazier creatures. Revenge of the Savage Planet does a great job of incorporating a chaotic blend of satire and slapstick. There is a narrative the game follows that incorporates humour and allows for players to reach the end. From main story content, side quests, collectives, and constant discoveries, Revenge of the Savage Planet is truly a game for avid space explorers.”
If you want to play a game where you get to explore alien planets to collect resources, unlock upgrades, and build wacky toys whilst being guided by a drone that will not keep its mouth shut, then this game is just for you. Revenge of the Savage Planet allows players to play by themselves or co-op (online and local split-screen) to encounter a zany narrative and creatures that will keep you intrigued. An out-worldly game design that is best suited for space explorers, so be sure to check out Revenge of the Savage Planet.
Overall: 8/10
This is S & S. We are world game explorers. We play games. We have played over 10,000+ games! We travel, we write reviews AND we play more games!!!!
