The first noticeable element in Revenge of the Savage Planet is the protagonist’s distinctive walking animation. Despite being unceremoniously deposited at the edge of the universe by an indifferent colonisation corporation, immediately made redundant upon landing, and left to scavenge for scattered survival packages merely to continue existing, the character swaggers around their new planetary home with the confidence of the most fortunate space pioneer ever to face redundancy.
This bouncy walking style perfectly encapsulates the game’s cheerfully optimistic approach to science fiction and social commentary, while also demonstrating how thoroughly this tone permeates every aspect of the experience. Raccoon Logic Studios appears to have meticulously branded every wall texture, creature sound and item upgrade with a consistent irreverence, creating a cohesive world that feels remarkably like stepping directly into the developers’ collective imagination.
In practical terms, Revenge of the Savage Planet presents a well-crafted metroidvania experience of similar quality to its predecessor, incorporating survival elements, a gradual upgrade path, and a remarkable ecosystem of plants and animals that players can manipulate for exploration, resource gathering, and now, relentlessly pranking co-op partners.
Goo, Glorious Goo
Another striking feature is the abundance of goo throughout the game. Massive globules of the substance appear everywhere, colour-coded to indicate various status effects. Some creatures or planets emit it passively, while others leave messy puddles when defeated. Regardless of source, these four planets contain more slime than a children’s television studio from the mid-1990s.
Upon discovering that certain goo types make surfaces slippery or flammable, players immediately recognise potential opportunities for setting traps for co-op companions. Few recent games have offered such entertaining possibilities with colour-coded status effects in cooperative play. Raccoon Logic hasn’t merely included co-op functionality as an afterthought but has thoroughly considered how cooperative gameplay enhances the game’s identity as an absurdist improvisational comedy playground. The addition of local/split-screen co-op is certainly valuable, but equally important is the ability to create devious traps using slippery green goo slopes with lava pools awaiting at the bottom—traps that companions will repeatedly fall into.
Familiar Yet Fresh
Players familiar with 2020’s Journey to the Savage Planet will recognise numerous elements in this sequel, despite the shift from first-person to third-person perspective and increased emphasis on platforming. The impressive variety of wide-eyed, gently cooing creatures populating the alien landscapes returns, along with methods to hunt, herd, or feed them to giant plants to facilitate progress. The metroidvania-style backtracking through fantastical environments painted in bold colours continues, as does the excitement of realising that newly upgraded equipment—jetpack, whip, or water cannon—now allows access to previously impenetrable areas. This exploration joy, within a vibrant ecosystem that seems to interact independently, remains the core experience, though the exploration structure differs significantly from the original.
Planetary Expansion
Where the original featured just one titular Savage Planet, the sequel expands to four distinct worlds. As players journeyed through the original game, diverse biomes transitioned every few minutes, creating the sensation of an epic adventure even during brief play sessions. Additionally, the enormous tower at planet ARY-26’s centre loomed imposingly on the horizon from the beginning, providing an early mystery—discovering what secrets awaited at its peak.
The expansion to four planets theoretically makes sense for a sequel—increasing scope and scale—and there is genuine pleasure in travelling between worlds with distinctive appearances, creature populations, and design themes. However, this provides a different, more subdued experience compared to the densely packed, varied single location of its predecessor.
This isn’t a case of developers creating vast but meaningless empty spaces. Each planet maintains a crafted quality, constructed from interconnected distinct areas without loading screens, each containing hidden secrets, multi-path vertical elements, and mechanical challenges. Rather, it seems the boundaries were expanded specifically to accommodate more chaotic co-operative play.
Cooperative Excellence
The game excels at co-operative play. Beyond providing opportunities for two players to combine tools for applying status effects to enemies before inflicting damage, it offers such diverse objectives that players can divide tasks between themselves and operate semi-independently—one gathering silicon while the other hunts rare creatures to capture with a lasso—before reuniting at the space trailer to purchase decorative improvements like a new pinball machine.
Where the multi-planetary expanse feels somewhat too expansive is during solo play. While it might sound obvious that a co-op game would be less enjoyable alone, given how well the predecessor handled both playstyles, this observation merits mention.
Standout Features
Even when playing solo, numerous qualities emerge that are genuinely uncommon in contemporary releases. The tools and weapons are inherently enjoyable to use, the resource-gathering for upgrades avoids excessive repetition, and each upgrade tier inspires fresh thinking about new possibilities within the game world.
Scanning objects, plants and creatures rewards players with descriptions featuring witty phrases and information that deepens understanding of the game universe. Each newly unlocked video from corporate supervisors feels rewarding to discover.
Revenge of the Savage Planet focuses its energy on ensuring component elements function effectively and provide opportunities for player expression, rather than encouraging microtransactions. Such games are sorely needed in the current gaming landscape.
This is a game with a specific vision—providing carefree entertainment with friends rather than demanding solo grinding accompanied by crafting guides. While not exactly a casual experience, players expecting the mechanical depth of No Man’s Sky with added humour might be disappointed.
However, nobody observing that distinctive walking animation would expect anything other than what Revenge of the Savage Planet delivers—a light-hearted, cooperative adventure through colourful alien worlds.
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