I got my first glimpse at Revenge of the Savage Planet late last year during a virtual preview event, and at first, I thought I had accidentally joined the wrong live stream. The bright, bold visuals and alien world sure looked familiar, but unlike its predecessor, Revenge of the Savage Planet has shifted perspectives, moving from a first-person view to third-person. It might seem like a minor change, but it’s much more than that. One could argue that developer Raccoon Logic has birthed an entirely new look and feel for the franchise, and I, for one, hope it sticks around moving forward.
There have been plenty of changes (more on those in a minute), but for those of you reading this who have fond memories of Journey to the Savage Planet, you can rest easy. The rinse-and-repeat cycle of exploring, gathering resources, and crafting upgrades is still the name of the game, though developer Raccoon Logic has fleshed out the moment-to-moment gameplay. In this regard, Revenge of the Savage Planet embodies the Metroidvania spirit more so than the original.
Starting with nothing but a pistol and jetpack, the opening moments are all too familiar for returning players, but it doesn’t take long for the ball to get rolling. Aside from your trusty pistol, handy jetpack, and proton tether, you’ll soon gain access to the Goo Gun, which lets you paint the environment and douse your foes with a few choice concoctions. Aside from the most vanilla of options (water, which can be used to extinguish lava and clean up messes), you’ll eventually gain access to more exotic fare. Ferro Goo might be a pain to walk through, but its conductive properties let you conduct and chain electricity from one area to the next. When you need to add a little fuel to the fire, you can’t go wrong with lava-like goo, as long as you take care not to step in it.
I have a soft spot for Green Goo. Sure, it’s the first one you’ll come across, but watching your character do his best banana peel-slip impression as they struggle to traverse the slippery stuff never gets old. Once you see it in action, it’s almost a no-brainer why Raccoon Logic opted to pivot to a third-person view. While the handful of planets you’ll explore are filled with their fair share of deadly creatures and hazardous environments, Revenge of the Savage Planet puts humor front and center. Chaotically slipping on goo, careening through the air after being caught in an explosion, and drop-kicking bug-eyed, raccoon-like creatures are innately funny, but I’d wager that they wouldn’t hit quite the same way if presented in first-person.
Speaking of humor, Revenge of the Savage Planet is chock-full of it, whether that be delivered in the form of one-liners (courtesy of your robot sidekick, EKO) or through the FMV advertisements and video messages that play back at your home base. Comedy is a tough aspect to nail down, and that goes twice for video games. I enjoyed a majority of what was on offer, but even I have to admit, some of the more gross-out in-universe ads and infomercials will likely rub some players the wrong way — when you come across a commercial for a truly disgusting product dubbed “Burger Squirts,” don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Thankfully, most of these videos can be skipped, and you can even tone down (or entirely disable) EKO’s running commentary and helpful guidance, though some issues can’t be avoided. Revenge of the Savage Planet is a great-looking game with a bright, vibrant aesthetic, though the 30 FPS limit on PlayStation 5 does make the entire affair feel less fluid than it should. Sliding down slopes, grinding on rails, and soaring through the air feels much more manageable from a third-person view, but the same can’t be said for combat. Even with aim assist and snap targeting enabled, gunplay never feels quite right.
The UI can also feel a bit cluttered at times. While I certainly understand the need for a quick scanning feature to highlight what’s in your vicinity, I often found myself a bit confused as to what the game was attempting to point me in the direction of, especially when it’s not in your direct line of sight. Similarly, the in-game map lacks any icon indicators or custom waypoints, which seems like an odd omission. Thankfully, there isn’t much in the way of technical issues, though I did run into a few instances where enemy grunts and battle cries would continue to play even after the creatures responsible had died.
Revenge of the Savage Planet Review: Final Verdict
As a Metroidvania, Revenge of the Savage Planet might not be exploring uncharted territory in terms of game design, but it refines and builds upon the foundation laid down by its predecessor, offering up plenty to explore across a handful of exotic, alien worlds. Whether you’re adventuring solo or bringing a friend along in co-op, there’s a lot of fun (and a few laughs) to be had.
SCORE: 8/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 8 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.
Disclosure: The publisher provided a PS5 code for our Revenge of the Savage Planet review. Reviewed on version 1.00.
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