Indie sequels are especially rare, so when you see them in the wild they should be celebrated.

Journey to the Savage Planet was a well put together, enjoyable game that blends a few different ideas together and had a fantastic, self-aware sense of humor. The game had identity, budget, quality and substance, as well as a striking visual art style that brought a smile to your face.

And it did well enough to constitute a sequel! Not just that, a self-published endeavour formed of members of the previous studio that was absorbed and dissolved. Introducing Revenge of the Savage Planet.

It’s a bit more of the same but with new cosmetics, customisables, creatures and environments to scan, on top of more challenges, planets, and even more new abilities.

Frankly, that’s what this game does best, giving you more of the same but improving the quality, scope and scale. It’s a larger sandbox, more quests, more character expansion possibilities and you can have some neat little crossovers, like dressing up as Dave the Diver.

The core loop is still fresh, enjoyable, has an excellent flow to it but it’s also light and digestible in quick, fast sessions or lengthy and elaborate for hours at a time, whether you’re traversing solo or working through it with a buddy. In fact, there are some sections – on balance – that feel like they may be catered more towards co-op than solo due to the difficulty spikes.

It’s also what the game has always been. It’s bigger than game 1, but still relatively short. Though enough that it doesn’t entirely outstay its welcome or give enough time for the formula to get too stale. There are also moments within the game that feel like they are lacking too much signposting and onboarding, and some missions that leave you aimlessly traversing.

But ultimately Revenge of the Savage Planet is great fun. It’s easy to love, can truly suck you in, it’s beautiful to look at, raises a chuckle or two along the way, and gives you something fun to play with a buddy. Or not, should you take the lonely road. Traversal is fun, the weapons and abilities give some good variety and for the most part, I had a blast while playing all the way through the campaign.

Missing first person view was a surprise – considering it was in the first game – though I didn’t miss it too much when playing. This also isn’t going to hugely convince you of the game if you weren’t a big fan of the original, but all in all, Revenge of the Savage Planet is a blast and a great way to pass the time, friend in tow or not.

Verdict

Revenge of the Savage Planet is a beautiful looking, entertaining blast of a sequel that iterates and improves upon many elements of its predecessor, offers a satisfying core loop with full multiplayer and a great variety and spread of abilities that keeps the experience fresh and interesting throughout. There’s a few surprise omissions – like First Person – and this is very similar to the first game, so is very much more of the same – which may or may not be to your liking – but it’s a very enjoyable romp from start to finish that raises plenty a smile.