Revenge of the Savage Planet is a game that some might not have expected to see happen after the dissolution of Google Stadia and its studios shortly after the launch of its predecessor, Journey to the Savage Planet.
However, after Typhoon Studios was shut down in 2021, its founders started another studio called Raccoon Logic and acquired the rights to Journey and the planned sequel. Now, over three years later, Revenge of the Savage Planet is on its way to Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC in May 2025.
I was recently invited to a preview event for the game to get a more detailed look at the gameplay, a few missions, weapons, enemies, the planets you’ll visit, and more. While I didn’t get to play the game firsthand, I was shown over 30 minutes of gameplay that left me excited with what I saw and wishing I was shown more.
Revenge of the Savage Planet Preview
Revenge of the Savage Planet is built in Unreal Engine 5 – specifically, 5.3 – and features a vibrant world with unique creatures and over-the-top animations that could best be described as goofy. There are four main planets with a secret fifth planet that you unlock “if you figure out the mysteries of the world and find it yourself”.
As opposed to the first game in the series, this game moves to a third-person perspective. Creative Director Alex Hutchinson said the developers made the move for a few reasons, including opening up for more character customization, better platforming, and better for seeing things that can happen to players such as catching on fire or slipping. With the move to third-person, the game removed the slap mechanic in favor of keeping the kick that can send creatures launching high into the air. It was done because kicks looked “funnier” in third person than a slap did, Hutchinson said.
As far as what players can expect with gameplay, Hutchinson said that Revenge of the Savage Planet is a “Metroidvania at heart”. You have to get new weapons and equipment, upgrade your skills, and uncover coordinates for the new planets to progress forward. There’s also character customization and home customization that lets you express yourself in the way you see fit.
Each planet has its own unique creatures that vary between friendly and hostile. Some will just roam around you while others will go out of their way to attack. One example on the desert planet is a beetle that digs its horn into the ground to help it flip and try to hit you with its back.
Exploration Is The Name Of The Game
The game features a map that the team debated adding. Hutchinson said they didn’t want players to play the game through a map. To avoid that, Raccoon Logic made it so the map reveals itself as you go to various areas rather than being available from the get-go. That’s part of the game’s ultimate goal as well. The developers don’t want you to get through the planets in one fell swoop while you play. With the various locations, they said that the goal is to distract you with everything around you. Each planet has a number of secrets to unlock and special areas to explore that will keep you from getting what you need in order to return to Earth.
Speaking of exploration, the planets have a layered environment, giving you more areas to visit and traverse. Some have you bouncing through a fungi canopy while others have you gliding through the sky to get to your destination.
The game can be played alone or with a friend either locally or online with cross-play support. Despite talks of potentially allowing for four-player co-op, Racoon Logic said that the decision to limit it to two-player was a creative choice. They found that players are more likely to talk and interact more with one other play than with a group.
Regarding game length, Raccoon Logic says tests have shown it taking around 20 hours to 100% the game while some have completed the main story in 15 hours. This is by design as the studio wanted to keep it realistic to complete where it didn’t feel like a chore or burden to get through. To hit that time frame, the game’s difficulty scale isn’t one to push players away. Rather than a traditional scale as you progress, Revenge of the Savage Planet’s difficulty will adjust based on how efficient you are as you play. The more efficient, the more challenging it can be. Still, they didn’t want the game to be too challenging for anyone.
“It’s not about challenge, it’s more about exploring,” Hutchinson said while adding that they view the game as something for all ages. “We’re not Dark Souls, we’re ‘Light Souls’.”
Overall, I was left excited about what Raccoon Logic has built with Revenge of the Savage Planet. The planets, for the areas shown, look great — there’s an ice planet that wasn’t shown but was talked about that I’m really interested in visiting — and the gameplay appears fun and accessible. One thing I would’ve liked to see more of during my time around the game, though, was its satire and humor. Journey to the Savage Planet was a bit hit or miss in that area. So, I’m hoping the writing is a bit better this time around. That said, humor is subjective so I know what I may find funny or not likely won’t be the same as you or someone else playing the game.
As mentioned earlier, the game will be coming to PC and consoles when it launches. For those on consoles, it’s currently planned to launch at a locked 30 frames per second (FPS). They are looking at getting it to 60 FPS on the systems, but it’s not something in the cards just yet.
One thing that the game will feature are platform-specific costumes at launch. For example, those on Xbox will have a Red Ring of Death costume available exclusively to them. Eventually, the plan is to bring every outfit to every player, but, at the start, they want to give players a unique feel depending on what they choose to play on.
Revenge of the Savage Planet launches in May 2025, so stick with Insider Gaming for a full review around release.
For more Insider Gaming, read about what Ubisoft is looking to do for the future of the Far Cry series. And don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
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