So far as sequels with the phrase “Revenge” within the title go, Revenge of the Savage Planet is way from the darkish second act the naming conference is understood for. This follow-up to 2020’s Journey to the Savage Planet amplifies its predecessor’s zaniness and scale, with 4 lush alien planets to discover as you go about cataloging each plant and creature on the best way to unfurling the sport’s many secrets and techniques. It is a powerful mishmash of genres, too. Whereas predominantly a pulpy sci-fi action-adventure with metroidvania stylings, Revenge of the Savage Planet additionally incorporates components of puzzle-solving, survival-crafting, creature-capturing, and even Animal Crossing-style adorning to its eclectic combine. Very like the primary sport, fight remains to be a evident weak spot, however it is a sequel that improves upon the unique by nearly each different metric.
In what can be a humorous twist if the state of affairs weren’t so frequent, Revenge of the Savage Planet’s narrative is clearly influenced by the circumstances that led to the sport’s creation. Storm Studios, the developer behind Journey to the Savage Planet, was acquired by Google in 2019, just some brief months earlier than the sport’s launch. The Canadian studio was bought to create video games for Google’s cloud-based platform, Stadia, however was unceremoniously shuttered when the short-lived platform failed. A lot of the staff fashioned a brand new studio known as Raccoon Logic and managed to safe the Savage Planet IP, resulting in the creation of Revenge of the Savage Planet and its story of acquainted company incompetence.
You play as a anonymous intergalactic colonizer who, after rising from a 100-year cryosleep, discovers that they are now a member of Alta Interglobal, a holdings firm that acquired your former employer, Kindred Aerospace, whilst you had been sleeping. Oh, and you’ve got additionally been made redundant, as Alta laid off all of the ex-Kindred workers instantly following the acquisition. Sound acquainted? Now marooned in an unfamiliar galaxy, your final objective is to actual revenge in your former employer and return house by any means doable.
Understanding Raccoon Logic’s backstory provides a not-so-subtle tinge of ire to its pointed satire of company greed, mismanagement, and sheer stupidity. It isn’t fairly as scathing as you may count on, although, as above all else, Revenge of the Savage Planet is a joyous and optimistic sport that refuses to take itself too critically. It does not matter if it is poking enjoyable at CEOs with a myriad of irreverent FMVs or dropping you onto one other vibrant planet teeming with peculiar alien life. The story is not significantly deep however stays at its greatest when pulling on the thread of company ineptitude. When it veers away from this path for the ultimate act–becoming a indifferent meta-commentary on sport design–the story underwhelms.
Nonetheless, it is a late-game setback that does not bitter the comical irreverence fueling the sport as much as that time. From a tune about urinating on the corporate dime to a industrial for a crypto nostril miner the place minted boogers exist on the boogerchain, Revenge of the Savage Planet’s Tim & Eric-esque humor is hit and miss, however I by no means discovered the misses grating. The swap from a first-person perspective to a third-person one additionally contributes to the sport’s comedic tone. Whether or not you are strolling, sprinting, wading by knee-deep water, or kicking a furry creature up the bottom, the player-character strikes with the kind of whimsical jaunt that resembles a Looney Tunes cartoon. You may slip and slide throughout inexperienced goo and burst out of creatures that swallow you complete, including a slapstick factor to your exploration of those alien worlds.
The shift in perspective does lose a number of the connective tissue that tied the unique sport to Metroid Prime, however I believe it is a optimistic change–even if it feels barely extra uniform because of this. You may nonetheless scan every planet’s ecosystems of flora and fauna–discovering tidbits that may put a smile in your face or deepen your understanding of the sport world–and development is dictated by a lock-and-key system that requires you to regularly unlock upgrades to entry beforehand inaccessible areas. However as a third-person sport, Raccoon Logic can be in a position to stretch its platforming pedigree much more. Every planet is vertically designed to empower this newfound emphasis on platforming, whether or not you are ascending onto floating rocks within the sky or descending into the bowels beneath a planet’s floor.
Whilst you initially begin the sport with a double bounce, you ultimately unlock a whip that doubles as a grappling hook, permitting you to latch onto particular surfaces and grind power rails. Mix this with a thunderous stomp assault, a tool that allows you to discover underwater, and every planet’s hand-crafted really feel, and easily traversing these vibrant worlds is extremely rewarding. And that is to not point out the sense of development derived from regularly unlocking all of those different and impactful upgrades. Even with an goal marker on display, I discovered myself being continuously pulled in a number of instructions directly, as my consideration was grabbed by a path of big mushrooms main up a cliff face, an attractive opening to a cave, or an impediment I might now bypass with my most up-to-date improve. Exploration is commonly rewarded with the whole lot from well being and stamina boosts to additional proof of Alta’s crimes, resulting in your personal revenge on the heinous company. However all 4 planets are visually alluring, too, presenting various biomes with peculiar ecosystems that work together independently of no matter you are doing.
You first land on Stellaris Prime, a verdant planet that is not dissimilar from Journey to the Savage Planet’s ARY-26. Stellaris Prime shortly turns into your base of operations as you determine a house within the swamps of Nu Florida, full with a 3D printer for crafting new upgrades and your personal customizable dwelling area. There is a beneficiant quantity of furnishings and weird equipment you need to use to make this habitat really feel like a house away from house. I had my very own kitchen, bed room, rest room, and health club, full with a human-sized hamster wheel, a hugging machine, and a bathroom that sucks any waste right into a miniature black gap. There isn’t any incentive to do any of this. It has no bearing or influence on gameplay, and you may’t even work together with many of the objects, however I nonetheless appreciated the choice to bask in some customized customization.
The remainder of the planets cowl the gamut of doable biomes, from the arid deserts of Xephyr to Zenithian Rift’s contrasting amalgamation of a frozen tundra and an energetic volcano. Apart from aesthetic selection, it is also satisfying to determine what’s new in every sandbox and the way your instruments can work together with the ecosystem. As an illustration, one among your most vital upgrades is the Energy Hose and its Goo Ingestor. There are three kinds of goo, all color-coded to indicate their numerous standing results. Some creatures and crops spew it out, whereas others explode with the stuff once they die, abandoning inexperienced, purple, and purple globules. Through the use of the Goo Ingestor, you may harvest it from particular crops, then use the Energy Hose to spray it wherever you please. Typically this can be utilized in satisfying methods to resolve puzzles, like utilizing the conductive purple goo to create paths of electrical energy and energy up electromagnetic vines to open a path ahead. Different instances, you need to use it to defeat enemies, utilizing the identical purple goo to electrocute creatures or igniting the flammable inexperienced goo to engulf something standing on it.
Regardless of this, fight remains to be unremarkable, for probably the most half. With none of the goo-specific crops round, you are saddled with nothing greater than a dinky pea shooter. Utilizing this gradual and unsatisfying weapon to defeat enemies is so tedious that I principally averted it if I might, however this is not at all times an possibility. There’s a new seize mechanic this time round, the place you may daze a creature by concentrating on its weak level, then use your whip to lasso and teleport it to a habitat on your property base. Doing so can unlock upgrades and beauty objects like a special shade scheme in your area go well with, with just a few of the sport’s targets revolving round capturing a specific creature. Doing so is barely quicker than killing them outright, so I typically took the chance even when I would already captured that enemy sort earlier than. That was not out of mercy, however as a result of fight is simply that boring.
These misgivings apart, Revenge of the Savage Planet affords up a carefree journey that is a rollicking good time both solo or with a friend–whether on-line or in split-screen. It is a extra assured and different sequel, with a shift in perspective that maximizes its slapstick comedy and platforming chops. Fight is a letdown, however the whole lot round it’s a pleasure, from discovering inventive methods to make use of its devices and remedy puzzles to easily exploring each nook and cranny of its various and bountiful planets. Revenge of the Savage Planet could have been born from less-than-ideal circumstances, nevertheless it’s evident from enjoying it simply how a lot Raccoon Logic is reveling in it current in any respect.