Revenge of the Savage Planet

While its predecessor's floaty, unsatisfying combat remains, and its enemy variety is lacking, Revenge of the Savage Planet's freedom of movement and exploration make this short-but-sweet, eccentric Metroidvania well worth a go.

Revenge of the Savage Planet is a large, ambitious adventure with great visuals, varied gameplay, and split-screen co-op to boot that's a great sequel to an underrated sci-fi platformer. However, the crude humour and corporate satire can be grating and the whole game feels like a collection of shallow busywork – though the design of the final few hours is exemplary.

There’s something magical in the air here, and I think it’s just pure joy more than anything. Danger may lurk around every corner in the world of Revenge of the Savage Planet. But seeing my little dude strolling along without a care puts a smile on my face. It runs great, looks fantastic, and plays well, too. I can’t get enough of this world and all of the goofiness that it exudes from every pore.

But it feels like some identity has been lost in the game's expansion. In broadening out to encompass four planets and change, Revenge loses touch with the series' foundations. It's a more curated open-world experience than, say, Assassin's Creed Shadows, but it isn't nearly as different from that kind of mainstream triple-A open-world game as its roots would lead you to expect. Revenge of the Savage Planet seems to have confidently marched in this direction, but I'm not sure it was the right one.

The word that immediately came to mind when first jumping into Return of the Savage Planet is ‘joyful.’ It's an out-of-pocket word to pick for a goofy indie space exploration title, but immediately after booting it up, everything from the voice acting and setting to gameplay and humor made me smile. There’s an undercurrent of love found on every screen, with the small team behind the game weaving their passion and playfulness into each pixel.

Tras nuestra primera incursión en el Planeta Salvaje, Revenge of the Savage Planet aumenta su apuesta con una oferta de juego más ambiciosa y redonda. Un viaje de 100 años que culmina en la exploración de todo un sistema solar abandonado de la mano de una gran corporación. Su propuesta metroidvania en 3D incluye plataformas, combate, exploración y una gran cantidad de puzles y coleccionables que nos ayudarán a conseguir el final deseado... o sucumbir en el intento.

One of the best 3D Metroidvanias ever made, with the same endearing sense of humour as the original but several welcome improvements and a more substantial adventure.

If you’re a fan of the first game, or if you just want something silly and entertaining to blast about in after a hard day not getting fired, then I can wholeheartedly recommend Revenge of the Savage Planet. Although I wouldn’t recommend pissing on your boss and calling it self defense in real life.