Journey to the Savage Planet

Journey to the Savage Planet is a first-person exploration adventure that blends humor with combat, puzzles and gradual gear upgrades. You play an employee of Kindred Aerospace, tasked with finding out whether humans could live on the unknown planet ARY-26. The simple research assignment turns into a voyage of discovery through a world full of strange creatures and mysterious structures.

Journey to the Savage Planet was released on Jan 28, 2020 for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The Nintendo Switch version followed on May 21, 2020. Since Feb 14, 2023, the Employee of the Month Edition has offered standalone versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

On Steam, the PC version has been available since Jan 28, 2021. This later Store launch does not change the original 2020 PC release.

The adventure was originally released on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S have their own versions of the Employee of the Month Edition. The versions for the newer consoles are not just playable backward-compatible versions of the original.

The Switch version is a standalone console release from 2020. On PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, the Employee of the Month Edition includes the main game and the Hot Garbage expansion.

Exploration is central: new areas provide clues about the environment of ARY-26, unknown animals and plants are studied, and collected resources are invested in equipment. There are also battles with alien creatures and passages where jump and movement abilities are important.

Instead of a classic mission corridor, additional tools open up previously unreachable paths. Once you unlock a new ability, you can search already visited regions for hidden areas and research objects.

Hot Garbage expands Journey to the Savage Planet with the polluted beach planet DL-C1. There, the player character investigates toxic industrial waste, discovers new paths and uses additional movement options. The story remains tied to Kindred Aerospace's satirical style.

The expansion came out on April 15, 2020, first for PC on the Epic Games Store and Xbox One. The PS4 version followed on April 22, 2020. It later also came out on Nintendo Switch.

For the PC version, Steam lists at least an Intel Core i5-750 with 2.67 GHz, 4 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 660 or Radeon HD 7950. The historical reference to Windows 7 and 8 on the store page applies to the original release. The current Steam client no longer supports these Windows versions.

ARY-26 consists of several landscape areas with different wildlife and plant life. The player character scans creatures and examines traces of a former civilization. Between exploration trips, the Javelin spaceship serves as a starting point for new expeditions.

The unusual creatures and the satirical ads from Kindred Aerospace are part of the adventure's core character.

A 3D printer turns found materials into new tools and upgrades. Equipment includes a pistol, jump and jetpack aids, and devices for exploration. Some obstacles can only be overcome once the required ability has been unlocked.

This mix of collecting, crafting and exploring shapes game progress more than a fixed sequence of arena battles.

Journey to the Savage Planet can be played alone or in online co-op with one other person. Together, both can explore the alien regions and advance the research mission.

On Nintendo Switch, Nintendo lists both an online mode and local wireless play for two devices. This does not mean split-screen on a single console.

The Employee of the Month Edition contains the original adventure and Hot Garbage in a standalone game client for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. According to 505 Games, PS5 and Xbox Series X are set to deliver up to 4K at 60 frames per second. Xbox Series S reaches up to 1440p at 60 frames per second.

It adds more in-game commercials, new videos with Martin Tweed, and additional photo mode filters and frames. Save games from the original client cannot be transferred to this edition.

The original game and the Employee of the Month Edition are different downloads on current consoles. Anyone who wants the technically revised version must install its own client. The additional content and improvements are not simply activated in the old save game.

The later Steam launch in 2021 is not a standalone remaster either: it refers to the release of the same PC game generation in another store.

The PC version offers a German user interface and subtitles. Voice audio is listed on Steam for English, French and Italian. The Switch version also supports German on-screen text.