Revenge of the Savage Planet

5 years since the original Journey happened and now it's back for revenge. A great follow-up with bigger worlds to explore and research, which doesn't take itself too seriously and full of character. While it does suffer from simplistic combat, lack of key rebinding and controller layout and the humour won't be for everyone's taste, it's still a fun trip that is worth checking out solo or with a friend.

"Revenge of the Savage Planet" is fun. And surprisingly, it stays fun. I gave up on the predecessor. The platforming elements were a chore in first person, now we have third person and the platforming is smooth and satisfying. In the predecessor, I was unable to complete the increasingly impossible tasks necessary to get the final upgrades. In "Revenge", the tasks are still daunting at times, but somehow I completed most on the first try. And while the game does get more difficult with each new planet, even the fourth planet is still enjoyable to explore. So, great improvements made in balancing the whole thing. The reward systems are more varied while the gameplay remains in its enjoyably simplistic form. There's a vast amount of quirky detail and satiric commentary. On the con side ... "Revenge's" hardware hunger is significant (and it wasn't in the rather similar looking predecessor). The game wastes 12 seconds looking for a GOG connection every time I boot it up. Resource collection becomes completely superflous after about two hours, and you'll only hunt for printer slurry and story progress afterwards. But the game's main sin may be that it frequently becomes what it attempts to parody. The respawns are too relentless, the challenges too 'achievementy', the humor too gross.

Three stars off because you have to log into GoG if you want to access the DLC, at least that's what I encountered in this game! The game itself is just as good as those other reviews describe, the music, art direction, humour and cheeky bit about the proper pronunciation of aluminium make this game a keeper, but mandating that the user log into their account, *just* to play the DLC that they already paid for is unacceptable! UPDATE: "In-Game content locked behind "Cosmic Hoarder" Edition" <= Title from another videogame shop's forums... While writing this, I read that there is in-game content locked for those who just bought the base game, so until you purchase either the special edition or its DLC, you'll be locked out. It's too bad, as the game is a solid five-star! Unfortunately, I'm going to get a refund in spite of this game being a keeper, but paywalled in-game content is a deal-breaker for me!

Pretty good sequel. They switched perspective from 1st to 3rd person (most likely to showcase the collectible outfits), and also changed the mechanics a bit, but the core gameplay, the exploration, and the humor are still the same. If you liked the first game you should definitely give this one a try. Conversely, if you didn't like the first one, this probably won't win you over.

Having recently finished Journey to the savage planet before playing this. This game feels like both a step forward and a leap backwards. There are more silly ads. And an actual plot this time around. A lot more variety in critters you encounter. And better ways to track where you missed something, if you want to go scan for 100%. Where the first game seemed like you had to sniff around each rockface for secrets, this game seems less speckled with secrets. Not sure that's true though, more the fact that this game has 4 planets with a large expanse of land on each. Gone are the small self-contained floating islands, instead there are areas with their own feel to them, but lots of blank space between them. Both a blessing and a curse. Where fall damage reduction, and putting all powerups on your HUD was a late-game upgrade in the Journey, here you can have them almost at the start. This removes your drive for exploration, but also reduces frustration having to find powerups in the huge open areas. Now you also have a menagerie you can capture and collect creatures for. And home base customization. And being third person you have more reason to go find cosmetics. In all, still a great exploration game, feels more homogenized than the first game, but tries to make up for it with polish, area and critter variety.