Comedic sci-fi adventure Journey to the Savage Planet is the first game from Typhoon Studios. Is the trip as spectacular as the brochure suggests? Here’s what the critics think.
Journey to the Savage Planet is a new exploratory action game from Typhoon Studios. With its tongue set firmly in its cheek, the game takes inspiration from all manner of sources, from Metroid and BioShock to the works of Douglas Adams. The end product is a beautiful space adventure with a satirical edge.
Obsidian Entertainment’s recent RPG hit, The Outer Worlds, took a similar approach to some acclaim. Is Typhoon’s debut as successful? Can a video game be funny? Here’s our pick of the game’s reviews.
Journey to the Savage Planet review round-up
Videogamer
“What we have is a first-person sci-fi adventure-platformer, with—but not focussed on—shooting, all about exploration and gathering materials in an open, but manageable, world that lasts under fifteen hours. If we didn’t have the luxury of time, we might call it Every Man’s Sky.”
7/10 – Review by Josh Wise
The Guardian
“One of Savage Planet’s more notable achievements is communicating a sense of scale and freedom in a game that is only a fraction of the size of most open-world contemporaries. It tickles the part of your brain that yearns for distant horizons without demanding a huge chunk of your life, unlike Skyrim or Breath of the Wild.”
3/5 – Review by Rick Lane
Polygon
“The existential void of late capitalism isn’t new thematic ground for games these days, but that hasn’t prevented Journey to the Savage Planet’s creators from finding new angles from which to stare into the abyss. The exploding ugly-cute alien creatures, the interstitial commercials, my AI overseer, or even just the way my character flails his arm around for a slap attack all plant a smile on my face throughout the 15 hours or so it takes me to complete the game.”
Recommended – Review by Jeffrey Perkin
GameSpot
“Journey to the Savage Planet adopts the classic Metroidvania formula and executes it wonderfully, presenting you with an ever-growing arsenal of tools that are satisfying to use and feed into the game’s inherent focus on exploration.”
7/10 – Review by Richard Wakeling
RockPaperShotgun
“The Savage Planet is solid. It swooshes you along a parade of poppable aliens, proffering up nooks and crannies to explore along the way. It’s still a pleasure to be in, still sumptuous and appetising. You will see rocky islands floating high above you, and then you’ll be on those rocks, and then you will feel accomplished.”
Not scored – Review by Matt Cox
GamesRadar
“More than anything, Journey to the Savage Planet reminds me of Rare circa Conker’s Bad Fur Day. It’s bright, cute, colorful, and endlessly charming. AR-Y 26 is filled with adorably boggle-eyed creatures as well as ferocious predators, and there’s a dark silliness to it all that plays into its Dr. Seuss aesthetic perfectly.”
4/5 – Review by Austin Wood
PC Gamer
“Humour’s famously subjective, and perhaps your own experiences of the comedy here will be like watching a friend do karaoke while you’re mid-dental examination, but I doubt it. Pitch-perfect live action commercials for sci-fi gubbins punctuate your forays into the planet, aping the frothing sales pitches of ‘80s toy commercials and instructional videos, and I grew to actively look forward to Kindred CEO Martin Tweed’s next video communication with me.”
84/100 – Review by Phil Iwaniuk
Other publications
- Destructoid – 85
- Eurogamer – Recommended
- IGN – 6/10
- VGC – 4/5
- USGamer – 2.5/5
Title: Journey to the Savage Planet
Developer: Typhoon Studios
Publisher: 505 Games
Release date: January 28, 2020
Platform: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4
Visit our new releases section for more on this week’s new Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch video games.
