The original Journey to the Savage Planet came to be something of a cult hit, with some fun vibes and style mixing with adventure aspects that won a good amount of people over. It was also one of Google Stadia’s big bets, so when that service went the way Google services tend to go, it was unsure if we’d ever see more from Typhoon Studios and the series. Well, Typhoon may be no more but from the ashes rise Raccoon Logic who are here to bring us more savage planets to explore. We were presented with a roughly 30 minute hands off showing of the game and between the new perspective, more in-depth customisation, and some genuinely funny and fun looking exploration we could be in for a bit of a treat next year.
We start off in our home base, currently a sparse room with a simple bed and not much else. RL inform us we can expect to upgrade this as we play with collectible items and parts to make it a home, as well as a more robust base to support our adventures. Various currencies are collected out in the field that can be used to 3D print items, weapons and more, though they emphasise that we’re free to build as much or as little as we want for the base. Seeing as we’re now playing in third person there’s a lot of ‘legally distinct’ costumes and upgrades to be crafted for our character, with new items and colour schemes found out in the world.
Once we’re outside we get to see the lush, exaggerated look of the first planet we’re shown; all dense foliage with bright colours and hints at what’s to come. Studio head Alex Hutchison was keen throughout our demo to emphasise that they want players to explore the 3D play space, not relying on just watching a map icon as they explore. As such, we can check our map in the inventory or scan the environment and display locations of interest but it’s left up to players to find the best way there. There’s a strong element of Metroidvania to the flow of gameplay, and some paths will be blocked until we have a certain upgrade or item, but it seems RL have paid attention to making sure we always have some carrot on a stick to keep us moving forward.
There are a lot of systems that interact with the player, enemies and environment, with various goo-like substances that offer up different uses. We were shown a green coloured one that was slippery allowing us to slide faster, but was also flammable; coating an area in it from downed foes lets us create a minefield of fire for other enemies approaching for example. We can use a water jet to clean up items covered in dangerous goo or to rehydrate withered plants to create new pathways too. And at a point we gain access to a whip which is used to attack as well as a grapple to traverse to new areas. As Hutchinson points out, Metroidvania’s are the only genre where backtracking is a fun time and it seems that RL are making the most of the idea with lots of things hidden for players to find or come back to at a later time.
Two player co-op features in either split screen local play or online, with full support for crossplay too. It seems that it won’t be seamless drop in/out as it was mentioned that for another player to join we’d need to go back to the title screen but we can play the whole adventure as a pair should we so wish.
With multiple planets in play this time, one of the driving hooks is finding information on one planet that then leads us to the next, but we can return to old planets with new items/abilities to get to new areas and find more collectibles. It was mentioned that playtesters who just went through the game on a fairly straight path to the end boss were clocking in completion times of about 15 hours, but those looking to fully explore can expect this number to increase significantly.
We’ve got a few months before next May’s release of Revenge of the Savage Planet but after this brief hands off taste we’re very keen to see more and give it a go for ourselves. It retains the humour of the first title but places us in third person this time with lots of collectibles to find, large maps to explore, and systems and intricacies that hopefully will feel rewarding to engage with and encourage us to return to planets to see what other secrets they hold.
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