Revenge of the Savage Planet

Revenge of the Savage Planet is the sequel to 2020's Journey to the Savage Planet and is described as a "joyous, upbeat, action adventure sci-fi satire" - and that's actually pretty accurate. This game is just as wacky and playful as the original was.

It's always a bummer to get fired. It sucks even more when, after falling into a deep cryo-sleep on your way to do a job on an alien planet, as you wake up and realise you've been fired on the way there - and you're left to fend for yourself. That's exactly what happens to our little spaceman from mega-company Alta Interglobal - and you can't help but see this plot as a hidden reference to what happened to the developers behind this game when they went down when Google dropped their failed Stadia venture after being bought by the tech company in 2019.

Now they are back under their new name Raccoon Logic (formerly Typhoon Studios) and as this abandoned little spaceman, you must now explore the alien planet you have landed on. You have to use your scanner to map the planet's animal and plant life, you have to collect lots of different types of resources and luckily you quickly find an abandoned space station with a working 3D printer. This quickly becomes your best friend as it can transform the many resources you find into new gadgets, new weapons, upgrades, and much more.

In addition to your trusty little gun, one of the first things you get your hands on is a water cannon and a kind of glowing lasso. These two gadgets are a good example of how the items you get access to can function as both gadgets and weapons. For example, the water cannon - it can be used to clean a large radar (in true PowerWash Simulator fashion) so that it can be cleaned and thus be able to scan the planet for resources and other valuable items, but the water cannon can also be used to spray water on, for example, aggressive large flowers that become so overfilled with water that they explode. Later, it can be upgraded to, for example, suck lava from mysterious lava plants and spray them with lava.

Similarly, the glowing lasso can be used as a kind of whip to defeat enemies, but it can also remove a strange bluish substance in the environment that often hides useful items. However, it can also be used to capture some of the planet's animals, which you can then send back to the space station in the animal pen you have built in advance so they can engage in unpleasant research, which in turn is rewarded with new gadgets, new clothes for the spaceman and other things.

The glowing whip can also be upgraded with a grappling hook so you can now swing from ledge to ledge and so it is with most of the items you get access to, as they can be upgraded and improved continuously, giving you access to new functions and abilities, which in turn give access to new areas on the game's four planets.

Revenge of the Savage Planet is a playful game where you, either alone or with a friend in split-screen or online, explore the different planets. In many ways, Revenge of the Savage Planet is reminiscent of its predecessor, only with even more gadgets, even more weapons and even more enemy types - and there's nothing wrong with that.

It's still a game with a good sense of humour (kicking your co-op friend off a cliff is never boring) and it's a "happy game" as it constantly rewards the player with the prospect of new gadgets, new abilities, and thus new areas to explore. You can also just run around and explore the surroundings on your own or with a friend, and in doing so, you're bound to discover new side content that you wouldn't have seen otherwise. The game is packed with gadgets, upgrades and things to do in every corner and can take up to 20 hours to complete if you're the type who really wants to explore everything.

The biggest change from the original to this sequel is that where the first game was in first-person, the new one is in third-person and it's actually quite a successful move. You can now see your wacky little spaceman, with his wacky runs and how he scrabbles around when attacked by both animals and plants - and again how he lands in very painful positions when you are unloaded off a cliff for the tenth time by your supposed friend.

The visuals are quite nice and Raccoon Logic has built four beautiful planets with environments ranging from dense and lush forests to toxic swamps and open and barren deserts. All of the planets are inhabited by everything from cute and furry pandas with big eyes to angry flying insects and giant underground worms that breathe fire and shoot slime balls. Playing alone, you may run into problems from time to time, as these creatures are not particularly friendly, whereas in co-op you are better equipped to defeat them.

Revenge of the Savage Planet continues in the same vein as its predecessor and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's playful, it looks good, it constantly rewards the player and it mixes many different game genres together. However, it can get a bit monotonous over time, because although the upgrades and new gadgets provide new experiences, it's more or less the same thing you do all the way; explore the world, scan the environment, activate fast travel points, defeat groups of enemies, upgrade equipment, travel to new areas, repeat. But on the other hand, it's a satisfying loop because, as I said earlier, you are constantly rewarded and you want to keep going.

Revenge of the Savage Planet is a really lovely action-adventure with plenty of hidden experiences. It's wonderfully chaotic, especially side-by-side with a friend, but can also be enjoyed alone if you just want to explore the unexplored planets at your own pace. It's a game that puts a smile on your face as it's just a happy game and doesn't work against the player it's playing with. So, if you liked Journey to the Savage Planet, this is a no-brainer - you won't be disappointed. If you have Game Pass Ultimate, you will get access to the game on release day, May 8.