Is it worth returning to the Savage Planet?

In a future knocked off its axis by corporate greed and stupidity, you have been made redundant and abandoned on the far edge of space with little gear and no safety net. You must explore every nook and cranny, collect dozens of upgrades, and turn over every mysterious alien rock if you want to get revenge on your former employer and return to Earth. Across multiple planets and through myriad challenges, you will be tasked with exploring and understanding these beautiful alien worlds. There are plants to scan, creatures to capture, lakes to swim, caves to spelunk, mountains to climb, upgrades to craft, and hundreds of secrets to uncover…

The original game “Journey to the Savage Planet” was a first-person space adventure that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was very surprised to hear that’s its sequel “Revenge of the Savage Planet” would be only in third person. It’s not the most dramatic change to a sequel, but it’s still unexpected. The good news is that you can still play with a friend locally or online.

The first game had a great sense of humour and that has luckily remained intact for the sequel. It never takes itself too seriously and leans on its slapstick style, which works well. There’s plenty to do from crafting and exploring and customizing your base with things you find. The sandbox nature of the game makes it easy to pick up and play, while scanning new lifeforms and gathering resources along the way.

I would definitely recommend playing with a second player, it makes the game more enjoyable and makes gathering resources a lot quicker overall. I do miss the first-person look though, I can’t find a reason why they decided to ditch it. But moving on, the combat can be tough at times, but its not frustrating and there are some decent bosses thrown in for good measure.

The visuals are impressive too. With vibrant worlds to explore, nicely detailed surroundings and running at a smooth framerate throughout. There isn’t PS5 Pro support at present, so this and the Xbox Series X versions are fundamentally identical in their performance and appearance. The voice-acting is impressive and hilarious, while the soundtrack has some great tunes throughout.

The Verdict

Revenge of the Savage Planet shifts perspective with its camera but doesn’t lose focus on what made the original fun. It will take a while to get used to, but this is one return Journey worth taking.

Score: 8.0