How Revenge of the Savage Planet completes player choice

Revenge of the Savage Planet Follows as a slap in the footsteps of its predecessor, exploration-heavy Metroidvania filled with humorous gags and difficult mysteries off the beaten path. Developed by Raccoon Logic, a studio created by Journey to the Savage Planet With devs shutting down Google Stadia, this sequel aims to deliver much of the humor and satisfying exploration that made the original a sleeper hit.

Game Rant sat down with Raccoon Logic co-founder and creative director Alex Hutchinson along with game design director Steven Masters to discuss the team's vision. Revenge of the Savage PlanetMetroidvania elements of. Like the first game, players can choose to beeline towards primary objectives and complete the game quickly, or they can explore every nook and cranny to find more secrets and upgrades. In their minds, both views are completely correct.

Revenge of the Savage Planet responds to player choices like Stanley Parable

Like any good Metroidvania, Revenge of the Savage Planet Consistently offers players multiple paths forward and multiple options in between. Masters points out that it's important not only to provide players with choices, but also to acknowledge and celebrate them. This is universally appreciated in games, especially notable in choice-driven RPGs Dragon AgeSo expanding it into the Metroidvania genre seems like a wise move. Giving players choices is great, but it's most effective when the game responds to these choices. As the masters say,

One of the things I enjoy most about that design challenge is responding to and accepting the player's path through the world. Take scanning as an example. One of the first things you'll find is a health plant, right? You start off slightly damaged, and there's a health plant nearby so you can replenish yourself. Your robotic friend will say something like, “Hey, you should probably check out what that plant is and see if it's useful for you.”

If you choose to scan it or not, you will get different results from the bot. That's just a simple example. If you eat the plant without scanning it first, the plant may admit you're a bit bold and say “You probably should have scanned that first!” As you can say. So you take that idea and apply it to the rest of the game.

Revenge of the Savage PlanetThe particular mix of comedy also lends itself well to acknowledging these player choices. Cautious players can scan an unfamiliar plant before eating it, while adventurous ones can dive in and take a quick bite. Both of these are recognized approaches and the robot companion may have humorous comments in store based on that choice. It taps into what players love The Stanley Parable So much so: the feeling that the game is responding to the player's actions.

There's no wrong way to play Revenge of the Savage Planet, say the devs

Hutchinson believes it is important that these acknowledgments are always encouraging. While some devs may not be happy about a gamer running through painstakingly crafted levels and spending countless hours writing dialogue, Raccoon Logic recognizes this as a valid approach and the game is enriched by recognizing those players. A player moving through quickly Revenge of the Savage Planet Appreciating their laser focus on a primary objective can elicit joy from a robot friend. As Hutchinson explains,

It's about making them feel like they always did the right thing. Whichever path they choose is right; It's just their taste of choice. If someone is very vigilant and scans everything, we accept it. Or, if someone is in a hurry, we celebrate that too – wow, no time to lose!

Meanwhile, Hutchinson notes that it also helps inform players of other possibilities. When feedback from the game suggests to players that they have done something unusual, it can prompt them to think of new ways to solve problems. This should be done back and forth between the game and the player Revenge of the Savage Planet As a uniquely replayable Metroidvania players come back to explore each alternate outcome. As Hutchinson says,

It's all about accepting the player's decision. I think, especially when we're trying to be a little bit systemic — although it's obviously not a fully systemic game — we want to have enough systemic breadth so that you can solve the problem in different ways. We want to celebrate that for the players.

If they realize, “Oh, I could have done it another way,” that encourages them to think differently about the environment. It's a lot more fun than just going from point A to point B and pressing X when you're told to press it. X.