What the game is
Revenge of the Savage Planet is a satirical sci-fi action adventure set across four large alien planets. You play as someone made redundant by their employer and dumped on the far edge of space with little gear and no safety net, and the goal is to explore, gather upgrades and work your way back to Earth with revenge in mind. The loop is straightforward: run, jump, shoot, grind, stomp, dodge, slide, whip and grapple through the terrain, scan plants, capture creatures, swim lakes, climb mountains and dig through caves. Scanning and cataloguing creatures and plants raises your science level, which unlocks new gear to craft. Three types of gameplay goo give you different tools to experiment with, and lassoed creatures can be stored in Pens near your Habitat. Everything you haul back can be displayed in your own customizable Space Trailer.
Playing it with friends
The game supports online co-op and a co-op campaign, so you and a friend can work through the story together across platforms. There is also split screen, which puts two players on the same screen on the same couch, the way co-op used to be done. Between the two options you can pick whichever fits your group: remote over the internet, or side by side in one room. Exploring, scanning and capturing creatures are tasks you can split up, and the platforming and puzzle sections give you plenty of shared ground to cover.
Before you start
Expect a Metroidvania-style structure: areas open up as your abilities and gear improve, so some places will need a revisit once you have the right tool. The worlds are open and packed with secrets, so a lot of the game is spent poking into nooks and crannies rather than following a straight path. The tone is upbeat and comedic, with corporate greed and stupidity as the butt of the joke, so the writing stays light even when the platforming gets fiddly. Bring patience for exploration and scanning if you want to raise your science level and unlock everything on offer.