When developer Raccoon Logic first announcedRevenge of the Savage Planet,the follow-up to its previous titleJourney to the Savage Planet,they revealed that players would be able to explore four planets as well as a secret, fifth world hidden deep within the game. Now, the team has shared some tantalizing details about this mysterious fifth planet. With a neon-lit “1990s arcade” style and a focus on indoor locations,Revenge of the Savage Planet’sfifth planet might just be the most savage of them all.
Game Rant spoke toRevenge of the Savage Planetcreative director Alex Hutchinsonand audio director Cameron Jarvis about all things fifth planet. They couldn’t share much, as the team didn’t want to spoil the many surprises waiting for players at launch, but they did provide some fun hints about the inspiration behind the planet, its associated musical style, and the creatures players might encounter while exploring it. Truly, even those who playedJourney to the Savage Planetwill have plenty of exciting new surprises in store in this bizarre neon-lit world.This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
The Fifth Planet: An Internal World With ’90s Arcade' Theming
In aprevious interview with Game Rant, Alex Hutchinson described the world ofRevenge of the Savage Planetas an “optimistic dystopia.” The player has just been laid off from Alta Interglobal, giving them a chance to start a new life on the four planets they’ve been sent to. However, at the heart of their journey of exploration is just a hint of the sinister. Nowhere is that more prevalent than on the fifth planet, deep inside an unknown being’s lair and bombarded with messages of “Come play with me.”
Q: Where did the idea of a 90s/arcade-themed planet first originate?
Hutchinson:It’s hard to explain without spoilers, but players who explore each of thefour core planetscompletely will find ways to access a world that, unlike the others, seems to have been hand-built. What it means, though, and why that would be true… you’ll have to play it to find out.
Q: How was developing a mostly internal “lair-based” planet different from making the other planets in the game?Did it come with any unique challenges?
Hutchinson:Generally,Revengeis a game best played in your personal style. There is a core quest that you can see the location of, but you can change between many other things to do and wander off in your own direction. That means most of ourchallenges can be approached from many different directionsand tackled differently. We also liked the idea of challenging the player to do specific things occasionally. So these ‘shrines,' as we call them, are a great chance to spice up the game and ask for specific behavior from the player!
Q: The music of this planet is going to be very unique - what are some inspirations behind this planet’s cool 90s sound?
Jarvis:When we started looking at the music for the shrines, it felt like a natural decision to pivot away from the rest of the games’ music to give it a stark contrast. In theoutdoor maps, we tended to lead with acoustic guitar, banjo, and more organic-sounding instruments. If there were any electric guitar, it would be a warm clean tone or lush fuzz, but nothing too harsh.
In the shrines, we let our composer cut loose with his walls of synths and brought a lot of harsh, bright-sounding electric guitar sounds. This not only gave it a cool, unique vibe but also meshed well with our idea of the shrines being a completely artificial addition to this (mostly) untouched alien star system.
Players Will Encounter Many New Creatures And Other Secrets
Of course, noSavage Planetworld is complete withoutcritters to scan and identify, and the mysterious fifth one is no exception. This “den of fun” is filled with cyber-enhanced versions of critters players have already encountered, and, like on the previous planets, they will get the chance to interact with them in a variety of unique ways. Some of them can even fly - perhaps the player can use them to get a little verticality themselves?
Q: Is there anything you’re able to share with us about the creator of this “Den of Fun” players will be exploring? I especially love his voice. He sounds like a maniacal game show host!
Hutchinson:Who created the shrines and why they did it is a core mystery of the game! We liked the idea that in a world with so many real problems, you would eventually be undone by ‘entertainment.’
Q:Any hints you can give us about the creatures we might find on this fifth planet? Are they robotic in nature?
Hutchinson:All the creatures on the fifth world are cyber versions of their main game counterparts. Creatures who have been upgraded withstrange cybernetic enhancements: laser beam visors, gun turrets, plasma shields, and all kinds of weird tech. Oh, and a few can fly now! Imagine an airborne puffer with laser beam eyes.
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