Summary
- Revenge of the Savage Planet expands on the original game with more planets, creatures, tools, and puzzles to explore and interact with.
- The Raccoon Logic team always planned to make a sequel, drawing on their experience with the IP to create a bigger and crazier game.
- Real-life events almost prevented the sequel from happening, but the team regrouped and regained the IP to develop Revenge of the Savage Planet.
Raccoon Logic recently announced Revenge of the Savage Planet, the sequel to 2020's madcap adventure Journey to the Savage Planet. In this game, players take on the role of an employee of mega-corporation Alta Interglobal who is forced to survive on a series of strange planets after their position is terminated. It features more tools to use, more puzzles to solve, more planets to explore, and more creatures to interact with. The Raccoon Logic team revealed that a sequel was always planned, as they greatly enjoyed working with the IP and felt that they had more stories to tell. However, real-life events greatly affected the direction they chose for Revenge of the Savage Planet.
The Best War Games met with the Raccoon Logic team for an on-site reveal of Revenge of the Savage Planet. When asked when they came up with the idea for a sequel, creative director Alex Hutchinson revealed that they "always wanted to do two games." Hutchinson and the team feel that this is the "happy medium," allowing them to further expand on the Savage Planet IP without getting bored or going too far.
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Savage Planet Was Always Meant To Be A Two-Game IP
According to Hutchinson, plans for a second game were discussed during the development of the original Journey to the Savage Planet. Many members of the team had previously worked on later installments of long-running series, such as Assassin's Creed and Far Cry, and knew the benefits of making a second game using the same IP, rather than stopping at one. Technical design director Marc-Antoine Lussier had this to say:
"The first sequel feels amazing because you know the IP works. You know exactly what to fix. There's no need to debate the IP."
Hutchinson agreed, explaining that the team debated whether the original Journey's vibe would be "more Subnautica or more Metroid Prime." These discussions didn't need to happen when working on Revenge, as the team already had a feel for the IP. They were able to add elements that they couldn't fit into the original game, such as whip and grappling hook tools, a fully customizable Habitat, and the ability to capture creatures and interact with them at home base.
Real-Life Events Influenced The Sequel's Development
While the intention was always to make a sequel to Journey to the Savage Planet, real-life events almost prevented this from occurring. The original game was developed by Typhoon Studios, which was then acquired by Google to work on its Stadia project. After Typhoon was made redundant and shut down, several of its original members re-formed as Raccoon Logic, where they were ultimately able to regain the Savage Planet IP from Google and begin work on Revenge.
Revenge of the Savage Planet expands on the formula begun with Journey - there are multiple planets to explore instead of one, more creatures to interact with, more tools to use, and a more elaborate central plot filled with hidden secrets. The team was able to take everything they learned from making Journey to the Savage Planet and expand on it to make a bigger, crazier, and more elaborate sequel. However, the Raccoon Logic team isn't sure yet if a third game is on the horizon - they haven't written it off entirely, but are also excited about the possibility of experimenting with new IPs after Revenge of the Savage Planet releases in 2025.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 76 /100 Critics Rec: 76%
- Released
- January 28, 2020
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Language, Use of Drugs, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Typhoon Studios
- Publisher(s)
- 505 Games
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Xbox One
- How Long To Beat
- 7 Hours
