Revenge of the Savage Planet is a third-person sequel to the game Journey to the Savage Planet, itself a first-person shooter/adventure that was far more silly and whimsical than it was savage. And this newest game feels cut from the same goopy, goofy and just-this-side-of-crass cloth as its predecessor.
Gamers play as a kick-your-legs-forward-with-comic-abandon space colonizer who’s plopped down on a strange planet after 100 years of cryopod-frozen transport. The problem is, during that century of suspended animation, the company you originally signed up with was swallowed up by a bigger company. And that organization realized that colonization of space was far too expensive.
So, the minute you hit terra firma for your big adventure, you’re also notified … that you’re fired. And abandoned! Good luck out there. See ya’! You’ll have to scrabble and scrounge around for local resources, as well as rationing a few 100-year-old survival packages, if you want to stay alive.
But it’s not as dire as it sounds. At least that’s what your ever-present, floating robo helper, EKO, will remind you as you explore your new world with a bouncy, swaggering gate.
Gameplay-wise, it’s all about exploring every nook and cranny of several different planets and their varied biomes. You’ll scavenge; craft tools and weapons; battle bizarre, gloppy and savage-ish creatures; research and dissect the world at large; and repair what you can. All in the hope of finding a way to wreak revenge on your former heartless employer.
Along the way, you’ll also be peppered with silly sci-fi commentary, visual goofiness and toilet-humor gags.
This is a single player or two-person local co-op game. And it does not require an online connection unless you’re using Game Pass cloud streaming to play.
Revenge of the Savage Planet mixes a colorful romp with some shooting battles and platforming. And it’s designed to tickle your ribs while you explore and gambol. (More on that in Content Concerns.)
On that “humor” front, it should also be noted that EKO’s chatterbox dialogue can be fine-tuned to your tastes through a “none … some … or lots” adjustment.
The game also humorously drives home the fact that players could be bettering themselves with their time. But, it notes, “You did none of that. Instead, you played this game.”
However, for all of its goofy charm, Revenge of the Savage Planet tends to get a bit messy in its lowbrow quips at times. Not only are there scores of booger, poop and fart jokes to endure, but some of the giggles cross the line into more adult territory.
One video bleeps out parts of a profanely angry rant, for instance. In another case, a space ad advertises a phone sex connection with slimes: “The most seductive softbodies in the galaxy.” A winking moment catches a robot’s grunting reaction as a human repeatedly mashes a reset button on its backside. Etc.
T-rated language creeps in, too, including uses of “h—.” “dam-it,” “crap,” and someone who exclaims, “That scared the bejesus out of me.”
Violence never gets too heavy, but players battle large creatures and robots in big boss battles that include using gun fire, water blasts, explosions and the like. And creatures will attack and eventually kill your character if given the opportunity.
Like its predecessor, Revenge of the Savage Planet is a playful colorful, sci-fi romp peppered with winking snark. But parents of younger players may not want to venture into that toilet-humored universe.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
