Raccoon Logic’s debut is a sport constructed on Revenge. Revealed at Gamescom’s Opening Night time Stay, the shock sequel to 2020’s Journey to the Savage Planet sees gamers returning to a vibrant, alien-ridden metroidvania. But make no errors – Revenge of the Savage Planet isn’t only a careless moniker, it’s a press release of intent.
Sitting in a downtown Montreal boardroom, the group proudly reveals me a hands-off demo of their shiny new sequel. But, in an exquisite piece of environmental storytelling, outdated post-it notes caught to a facet wall and half-erased whiteboards trace on the occasions that led them right here. Originally named Storm Studios, their pandemic launch was successful, amassing tens of millions of gamers.
Sensing the pre-release buzz across the studio, the Savage Planet creators had been swiftly purchased by Google in 2019. Able to reap the rewards of company possession, the group discovered themselves excited to be a first-party studio engaged on Google’s formidable Stadia mission. But the day Journey to the Savage Planet eventally hit Stadia, Storm Studios was unceremoniously shuttered.
“Google needed video games that solely labored within the cloud – which don’t exist”, Alex Hutchinson, co-founder & inventive director, explains. “They had been asking us to ship the sort of video games constructed by 400 to 600 individuals, enormous Marvel license video games and Star Wars tie-ins. They stated when you make the sport and it’s nice with 25 individuals, then we’ll allow you to rent 500 artists, which is not the way it works. Nobody was speaking the identical language.”
Because of the Covid 19 pandemic, Storm didn’t even get to step foot inside a Google workplace earlier than the company determined it was executed making video video games.
“It’s telling that Google has cubicles that you just e-book purely to scream in,” provides Hutchinson. “We didn’t get to enter the scream rooms – we didn’t even get to expertise the onsite barista!”
Now, these spurned Canadian creators need revenge. Preserving possession of the Savage Planet IP, as soon as Storm studios had been dissolved, Racoon Logic was swiftly shaped from its smouldering ashes. Retaining many of the core group, these Montreal Misfits returned to their comedy-infused metroidvania to point out the world who’s boss. Enter Revenge of the Savage Planet.
Put in a shiny new house swimsuit, the sequel begins with an upbeat company message informing you that you just’re embarking on a mission to assist humanity discover a new house, funded by your rich new employer, Alta Interglobal. But upon arriving at your lethal vacation spot, you uncover you’ve been made redundant, deserted within the far reaches of house with little gear. Cease me if this sounds acquainted.
As you could have seen throughout Opening Night time Stay, Racoon Logic’s company expertise appears to have given them a brand new perspective. Dropping its predecessor’s first individual view, this sequel shifts the digital camera behind the gamers, letting gamers’ witness their bizarre little sci-fi colonise in all their goofy glory.
“Upon arriving at your lethal vacation spot, you uncover you’ve been made redundant, deserted within the far reaches of house with little gear. Cease me if this sounds acquainted.”
As our newly-animated protagonist leaps, clambers and shoots his manner throughout a luscious, deadly inexperienced world, curious creatures wander over with wide-eyed enthusiasm. They’re, in fact, swiftly murdered, rewarding the participant with some valuable, valuable goo. When you’re feeling a tiny bit extra merciful, gamers can choose to imprison the indigenous animal populace as a substitute, sending their captured critters hovering right into a portal, like a sci-fi twist on MGS 5’s fulcrum system.
Persevering with its predecessor’s deal with exploration, this can be a sport about discovering assets, mapping out vibrant planets and crafting sufficient gear to make the journey house – besides this time, you possibly can convey a mate alongside for the trip.
As you try to construct your new homestead, craft weapons, and map out the bizarre biomes contained inside every floating rock, you are able to do so with both a web-based mate or one blasting alongside you in the identical room. Vowing to not have any in-game purchases, “the world wants much less video games as a service”, the group says– what I’m proven looks like a throwback to a less complicated period of gaming.
There’s additionally a pleasingly systems-based strategy to every biome. As grass catches fireplace and well-aimed photographs of goo create new pathways, its disparate sport methods collide in satisfyingly immersive sim style, permitting gamers to experiment with their approaches to interstellar exploration.
Whether or not it’s the litany of company satire advised through video calls in your crashed ship, bizarre parodies of forgotten memes, or hilarious e-mail threads buried in your transportable pc, Revenge is a sport that doesn’t take itself too significantly.
It’s a philosophy that applies to this universe’s bizarre inhabitants. From a comically shrunken racoon that wobbles round, pathetically, to a set of endearingly goofy animations, there’s a refreshing silliness permeating all through this metroidvania meets survival romp.
“Its disparate sport methods collide in satisfyingly immersive sim style, permitting gamers to experiment with their approaches to interstellar exploration.”
I’m additionally briefly proven a boss battle towards a gargantuan cave monster, some suitably whacky upgradeable weapons, a prey-esque goo canon and even an Indiana Jones-esque laser grapple.
Aiming to launch earlier than Q2 subsequent 12 months, the group tells me it is going to take gamers upwards of thirty hours to see all that the bottom sport has to supply. With 4 most important planets to discover – and a bonus fifth that the studio is tight-lipped about – Racoon Logic says that the purpose with ‘Revenge’ is to inject a dose of color, enjoyable and playfulness again into Western video video games.
In an period the place story-led co-op video games are a rarity, this enjoyable however deep-looking romp has the potential to develop into a multiplayer mainstay.
Whereas I’ve but to really play Revenge of the Savage Planet, I’m totally onboard with Racoon Logic’s mission assertion of a refreshingly old-school co-op caper. But, given the rocky trip the studio’s taken to get right here, this sequel’s mere existence looks like an act of defiance.
“Google requested us to make a sport for everybody, one thing ‘universally beloved’ like Google Maps”, Hutchinson says. “What does that even imply? When you inform me your favorite movie, I could hate it! Individuals simply use Maps to get house… Nobody loves Maps!”
Whereas Revenge of the Savage Planet might not be the elusive universally beloved sport, with Racoon Logic self-publishing – due to an funding from the ever-present Tencent – that is undeniably the sport its creators need to make.
Because the group giggle all through our demo, proudly mentioning goofy in-jokes and explaining meta autobiographical nods, it looks like a return to a less complicated age of sport improvement. In an period the place hovering prices and avoidance of threat threaten to smash mid-budget video games for good, I go away Montreal feeling extra hopeful concerning the state of this more and more unpredictable trade.
