‘revenge Of The Savage Planet’ Is Splattered With Character, Adventure, And Tons Of Alien Goo (preview)

Today, I attended a preview event for Raccoon Logic Studios’ upcoming follow-up to their 2021 sci-fi action adventure hit. Revenge of the Savage Planet is a wacky, Metroidvania-esque action adventure that has you exploring planets, scanning its various fauna and lifeforms, and rebuilding space depots for your ever-present corporate overlords. While I never played its predecessor, those who enjoyed Journey to the Savage Planet will find a lot of similarities in its sequel. Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Unless, you know, it’s a rocket that launches you into space and onto other worlds. Gotta hit those quotas, right?

A whole new world, a new fantastic point of view

Moving from a first-person to a third-person perspective, Revenge of the Savage Planet has plenty to look at. Its four (or maybe five, wink wink) planets are lush, vibrant, and full of diverse scenery in every direction. Player characters, now visible with the switch in perspective, can be customized with various outfits to unlock. Wanna be a spaceman with a Steve-ish Irwin-ish hat? Go for it. Bring a friend while you’re at it. Journey to the Savage Planet‘s co-op functionality carries over to its sequel, delivering a seamless two-player experience for you and your pal.

There’s a deranged aura about Revenge of the Savage Planet that immediately piqued my interest. It never takes itself too seriously, leaning more into off-the-wall humor and unhinged sketch comedy bits that populate television screens. Weird, slightly offputting advertisements often invade your personal space, tapping into this bizarro world of nostalgic 90s commercials. Bug-eyed aliens burst into piles of colored goo, adding various layers of friction and flammability to the field. Its upbeat dystopian setting is zany, messy, and odd, and I love it. Fitting, really, as the whole game almost feels like an old cartoon you’d see on Nickelodeon back in the day.

‘Revenge of the Savage Planet’ is a wacky change of pace

It’s a welcome change for the devs at Raccoon Logic Studios, many of whom worked on games like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Call of Duty. No longer bound by the constraints of “realism” and “human-ish characters,” players in Revenge of the Savage Planet will jump to ridiculous heights, bouncing between treetops and platforms of gunk. Metroidvania staples like double-jumping and grapple hooks grant progression through its vast and explorable planets. At one point, I watched the player unlock a whip. Serving as a weapon and a method of capturing native habitat, it also knocks down walls of doo-doo. Later, I saw a series of invisible walls revealed by blasting green goop over them, leading to a new item.

Revenge of the Savage Planet looks to be a stupidly entertaining game to kick back and enjoy, either by yourself or with a friend. The team at Raccoon Logic Studios has no intention of making “an oppressive game” littered with microtransactions and live-service slop to keep you reeled in. Its 15 to 20-ish hour runtime makes it easy to pick up and enjoy at your own pace, and its vast worlds and goals for modes like New Game+ mean there’s room for eager planeteers wanting more. Revenge of the Savage Planet is scheduled to release in May 2025, and I can’t wait to get my grubby little space gloves on it.

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