Journey to the Savage Planet is the latest release from developer Typhoon Studios and published by 505 games.
An upbeat co-op adventure game, set in a bright and colourful alien world filled with weird and wonderful creatures.
After landing on a previously undiscovered planet only known only as AR-Y26, you find yourself as an astronaut working for Kindred Aerospace; a company that is proudly the 4th best interstellar exploration company in the galaxy. You are tasked with exploring the unknown and uninhabited planet to learn as much as you can about the alien flora and fauna and its suitability for human life. Shortly after arriving and watching a quick welcome video from Martin Tweed the Kindred Aerospace CEO, you set off on your truly unique journey!
Here's a quick message from CEO Martin Tweed himself:
Journey to the savage planet is a remarkably wacky and fun game, only made more so when playing in co-op. When playing in co-op, your team mate is actually a clone of yourself made from reconstituted meat products......I know right! The world outside of your spaceship, known as the Javelin, is odd to say the least. There's the adorable, yet odd creatures, such as the cutest little alien creature you've ever seen the Pufferbird, the insane Baboushka, a 4 headed creature that screams and runs away as you approach and the equally odd plants scattered around the place. There are the vitality plants that heal you when you slap the fruit off them and a Mesmertoxin plant that releases a gas as you approach that puts you in what can only be described as a hallucinogenic splendor for a few moments.
Inside your Javelin, you have access to a 3-D printer which acts as your upgrade system, collecting materials to build weapons and upgrades to your tools and suit etc.
Progression through the game is relatively self explanatory and your progress is capped until certain missions/tasks are undertaken in order to move forward. For example, at the very beginning of the game your path is blocked by a mysterious substance that can't be cleared until you've built a gun; and to build a gun you must collect a specified number of specific materials. Another example of this is a little further through the game; there's certain platforms and ledges that are slightly too far to reach. To reach them, you must 3-D print a thruster upgrade for your space suit allowing you to double jump, however, to print this you must again collect the right materials.
I was pleasantly surprised with Journey to the savage planet because not only was it consistently funny, but it didn't have that overwhelming emphasis on survival! I can't stress enough that this is not an FPS, nor is it an RPG for that matter. Although it does contain aspects of both, it is much more than just another shooter! It was fun, relaxing and easy to play; whilst still managing to have a few moments of sheer panic and all out warfare, and even a few twists along the way. The bulk of the humour comes from your personal assistant E.K.O (pronounced echo). Her dialogue is sometimes laugh out loud funny, and whilst attempting to split your sides, she occasionally assists you along your journey.
Using a plethora of different skills and abilities, you get to explore this alien planet and have a lot of fun doing it! Journey to the savage planet is strangely a mix of Splatoon and Subnautica in the style of No mans sky; and is for me so much closer to the game I wanted No Mans Sky to be! A fun space exploration that I can embark upon with friends.
I'm absolutely loving my time running around and exploring AR-Y26, from the beautiful scenery to the adorable and truly unique flora and forna of this mysterious alien planet. Journey to the Savage planet is a welcome breath of fresh air when it comes to space exploration that focuses on quality not quantity. The world which is relatively compact compared to games such as No Mans Sky, which can sometimes feel quite empty and lonely, is alive in every sense of the word. Every inch exploding with colour and filled with something else to look at!
Check out the gameplay trailer here:
Play it solo, or play it with a buddy! This game will have you in stitches whilst taking you on a fun and colourful adventure. Journey to the Savage Planet arrives on PS4, Xbox One & PC (Epic store exclusive) on 30th January 2020. The biggest upside for me is the price tag, retailing at only $59, I'd absolutely recommend picking this one up!
Overall Score : 8/10
What do you think? Look like something you'd have fun with?
