Nobody needs to be fired, particularly whenever you’re tens of hundreds of lightyears away from residence on a abandoned planet. That stated, the state of affairs is definitely extra enjoyable with a good friend in tow. For my first style of Revenge of the Savage Planet, I performed alongside game design director Steven Masters to take a look at every little thing new within the third-person co-op sequel to Journey to the Savage Planet.
I’ve landed on a colourful but lethal alien planet, my employer has fired me mid-flight, and I’m now left to fend for myself. Inside seconds, it’s clear that developer Racoon Logic is doubling down on the foolish, chaotic motion that received its predecessor so many followers. Revenge of the Savage Planet‘s world, which is made up of 4 distinct planets and one further ‘secret’ planet, is filled with issues to see and do.
Cute bug-eyed ferret creatures run round your toes, much less cute goo monsters assault you on sight, and you’ll go wherever you may see. With a few limitations, you may scale most cliffs, rocks, or ledges, although you would possibly first have to unlock the proper instruments or talents. Whereas it’s a foolish third-person shooter at face worth, it’s a tightly designed Metroidvania at coronary heart.
You’ll return to earlier worlds to open up new areas utilizing your ever-growing assortment of instruments. There’s a lava gun to burn down obstacles, a water gun to make crops develop, a goo gun to create slippery surfaces, and extra. Secrets and techniques and branching paths are hidden nearly in every single place you look, and also you’re handsomely rewarded for exploring.
From the second your character is fired, your job is to seek out assets and craft the instruments you could survive and escape. It’s a easy premise, however the two worlds I noticed had been effectively value exploring, with scarily deep lakes, a beautiful forest grove space, and even a speaking tree. It’s simple to let the attractive landscapes and normal assault of silliness draw you in.
Your new instruments additionally double as weapons. There are hearth, water, conductive, and poison goop weapons, in addition to a whip, a robust kick, and extra. With entry to such a broad arsenal, fight quickly descends into a large number of shade.
You’ll be able to kill goop monsters by filling them with water till they explode, whereas the furry creatures are greatest left alone fully. You can too use elemental combos and the surroundings to get the higher hand, triggering explosions to take out teams or spraying slippery goop on the ground to cease enemies from nipping at your shins. I’m excited to see the complete potential of Revenge of the Savage Planet’s fight.
The motion is dialed up much more with one other participant within the combine. Solely the host retains any progress made, with the second participant merely tagging alongside for the journey. Oddly, there’s no problem scaling in co-op, making the sport loads simpler. Nonetheless, Masters tells me he dies extra usually in co-op than he does when taking part in alone because of the sheer chaos.
Whenever you each have so many instruments at your disposal, and people instruments may cause a spread of environmental reactions, it looks like something can occur. I don’t think about most individuals will decide to a full co-op playthrough as a result of these irritating development restrictions, but it surely’s effectively value making an attempt in small doses.
Revenge of the Savage Planet gives extra depth than you would possibly suppose, whether or not you’re taking part in solo or with a good friend, and the Metroidvania construction retains development tight and satisfying. There’ll be numerous secrets and techniques to seek out and stunning instruments to craft as you discover the area recreation‘s worlds, and I simply hope the complete expertise lives as much as the appreciable promise of its opening hours.
Revenge of the Savage Planet arrives Could 8 on Steam.
