Released in January 2020, Typhoon Studios’Journey to the Savage Planetwas a first-person Sci-Fi action-adventure game that saw players exploring a wealth of bright and colorful biomes as one of Kindred Aerospace’s budding volunteers. In the five years sinceJourney’s release,Typhoon Studios was closed down by owner Google, the team reformed as Raccoon Logic, and a sequel to its 2020 adventure,Revenge of the Savage Planet,was announced.
Set for release on May 8,Revenge of the Savage Planettakes its predecessor’s exploration-focused gameplay formula and gives it a few obvious tweaks and improvements, many of which Game Rant got to see first-hand during a recent co-op session with design director Steven Masters. Though the hands-on preview lasted only an hour, it made a strong impression thanks in no small part to the sequel’s distinct brand of charm and humor.
Revenge of the Savage Planet Is Teeming With Creativity and Life
The Benefits of Working on an Indie Game, According to Steven Masters
Game Rant’sRevenge of the Savage Planetpreviewbegan a few hours into the story, giving us the chance to explore the game’s first planet freely. While blasting away at some adorably aggressive raccoon-like alien creatures, Masters talked a little bit about his extensive experience in the video game industry. Long before joining Raccoon Logic, Masters worked at Ubisoft where he became lead designer forAssassin’s Creed Brotherhood,Splinter Cell Conviction, andAssassin’s Creed 3. DuringAssassin’s Creed 3’s development, Masters was part of the leadership team coordinating between 16 separate studios spread across the world. At Raccoon Logic, he works alongside just 30 developers.
Naturally, there’s a night and day difference between working on a AAA project likeAssassin’s Creedand an indie game likeRevenge of the Savage Planet. One of the examples Masters used to demonstrate this huge difference was changing the speed of a character’s jump. On a project likeAssassin’s Creed, it could apparently take upwards of a week to alter a character’s jump speed, with different departments in studios in various time zones all needing to work together. On anindie project likeRevenge of the Savage Planet, it takes mere minutes to alter jump speed, with the developers (including Masters himself) being able to manually tweak the values right there and then until it feels right.
Another key difference that Masters noted was that he was able to finally create something again, and that he and his team’s fingerprints could be seen throughoutRevenge of the Savage Planet. That personal – and passionate – creative touch can be felt at every turn when playingRevenge of the Savage Planet.
Revenge of the Savage Planet is Genuinely Funny
The aspect ofRevenge of the Savage Planetthat’s left the strong impression is the game’s animations and how they’re are used to give the game a sense of identity.Revengemakes the switch to third-person, a simple change that paves the way for a mountain of creativity and self-expression. From an intentionally goofy-looking sprint to an equally exaggerated jump, all ofRevenge of the Savage Planet’s hand-crafted character animationsare designed to evoke humor, and they go a long way in continuously cementing the game’s comedic tone and vibrant aesthetic.
Journey to the Savage Planet’s live-action ads and cinematicsreturn in full-force in the sequel, once again conveying topical anti-capitalist themes in witty, satirical fashion. Those cutscenes are accompanied by near-constant tongue-in-cheek narration from the player-character’s AI assistant, whose self-referential quips remained enjoyable throughout the preview. These humorous elements, much like many ofRevenge of the Savage Planet’s features, felt truly personal.
ThoughRevenge of the Savage Planettechnically continues the story of its predecessor, new players will be able to get the gist of the story immediately.
Revenge of the Savage Planet Is Bigger
That personal, hand-crafted feeling also extended toRevenge of the Savage Planet’s gameplay, which makes some key refinements to its predecessor’s formula.Revenge of the Savage Planet’s gameplay loop will essentially see players exploring a planet, scanning plants and animals, finding materials, and unlocking upgrades that allow them to progress to new areas and new planets.
One improvement over its predecessor that immediately stood out during the preview was its enemy/creature variety. Each and every creature encountered during the play-session offered some kind of unique challenge or displayed some kind of distinct behavior. There were mushrooms that sobbed violently and ballooned when the player approached, flying projectile-throwing birds, and green gelatinous monsters that multiplied when shot and could only be killed with fire.
These new creature types fed directly intoRevenge of the Savage Planet’s improved environmental puzzles. For instance, at the start of the secondTatooine-like planet, players will need to shoot chickens that burst into a frenzy of electric energy in order to power a device in the environment. Eventually, players will unlock a goo-gun that can be used in tandem with these creature abilities to solve even more elaborate puzzles. For example, an electric current can pass through the purple-colored goo, allowing players to turn on multiple power sources at once. These goos can also be used to defeat enemies in creative ways, and will apparently be used in boss encounters, though we didn’t get to see that first-hand.
These multicolored goos essentially act as the foundation forRevenge of the Savage Planet’s Metroidvania structure, with them unlocking pathways on previously-explored planets that lead to the discovery of more materials. Upgrades also play a pivotal role in the game’s Metroidvania structure. Just like the first game,Revenge of the Savage Planethas a fairly expansive upgrade system, filled with primary upgrades (traversal upgrades like jet boosters, a grappling hook, and glider) that are needed to unlock new areas and progress, and optional upgrades such as increased damage and jump height.
There are a total offour fully-fledged planets inRevenge of the Savage Planet. We only got to see two during its preview session, but both seemed to be fairly large and densely packed with useful materials and rewarding secrets. Both planets also had completely distinct biomes, plants, and alien lifeforms, which again all felt hand-made and purposeful.
A big boon forRevenge of the Savage Planetis that the entire game can be played in 2-player co-op, either in traditional split-screen or online. Game Rant’s preview session was played entirely in split-screen co-op, and it worked pretty seamlessly for the session’s duration, with both players being able to freely explore the planet with minimal stuttering.
Revenge of the Savage Planetwill be available on Xbox Game Pass day-one.
Revenge of the Savage Planetis shaping up to be a really special successor. The sequel seems bigger in just about every way from its multi-planet-spanning Metroidvania structure to its enemy variety and progression systems, and every inch of each world is teeming with personality.
WHERE TO PLAY
Revenge of the Savage Planetreleases on May 8 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Game Rant was provided travel and lodging for the purposes of this preview.
