“There’s only so much I can do with my hands.”
Raccoon Logic’s creative director, Alex Hutchinson, credits this humorous remark to their animation director, Mike Menillo. While it is indeed amusing, it serves as a succinct pitch for one of the most significant transformations in Revenge Of The Savage Planet, the sequel to 2020’s Run To The Savage Planet.
This sequel shifts players from a first-person view to a third-person perspective, moving players from inside their characters’ heads to see the world over their shoulders. For fans of the original game, this is a considerable shift, but for the team at Raccoon Logic, it offered a great opportunity to expand their creative horizons as they strive to improve upon the previous installment.
GameSpot experienced a hands-off demonstration during a recent online press event, and while the change in perspective may be striking, the team’s response suggests it could result in substantial rewards when it comes time to embark on new adventures among the stars.
Changing Viewpoints
The transition from a first-person to a third-person view is not an indication of either mode’s quality, according to the team; it is purely a matter of preference. “First-person feels more immersive, but third-person appeals more to a wider audience,” Hutchinson stated. “It’s a balance. Neither is superior or inferior—just different.”
From the outset, the move to a third-person perspective opened up a fresh realm of possibilities from a development standpoint. This viewpoint allows the team to concentrate on elements such as physical humor, environmental effects, and even emotional depth. The player-character seen in the demonstration moves around the environment with unique flair, showcasing abilities in a manner that only this perspective can highlight.
“Third-person is genuinely thrilling because it permits us to infuse much more personality into the player’s avatar,” Hutchinson explains. “We can enhance their walk and runs with character, and every action can radiate charm.” Platforming also becomes easier, as players can actually see the platform they are jumping onto—or, as Hutchinson put it, “you can see your feet!”
Player autonomy receives a boost from this perspective change, with outfits now being available for a bit of intergalactic style. These costumes might seem familiar, but Hutchinson reassures us they are “legally distinct,” featuring playful names such as “Temu Star Trek,” “Temu Power Ranger,” and “Temu Han Solo” among others.
Two-Player Cooperative Play and the “Sweet Spot”
Revenge Of The Savage Planet will include cooperative gameplay, allowing two players to journey through wild worlds simultaneously. The team emphasizes that this decision is not due to any technical limitations; rather, they are intentionally choosing to restrict co-op play to just two participants in one session.
Hutchinson notes that, in his experience, cooperative games with two players reach what he calls the “sweet spot.” With just two players teaming up, they can interact with each other more deeply through friendly banter and light-hearted jokes. It’s not solely about completing objectives; pairs tend to be more inclined to explore, create chaos, and laugh about real-time events. Any additional players, however, lead to a focus on tasks rather than cherishing the moment, which Hutchinson defines as a “shared space.”
“I’ve directed several two-player co-op games, from Army of Two: the 40th Day, to Far Cry 4, to Savage Planet, and I cherish the concept of you and your best friend, or child, or partner, taking on the world together,” Hutchinson reveals. “I want people to relive the experience I had while growing up; chilling on the couch with a pizza, next to your best friend, sharing laughs.”
“Toilet Humor and Corporate Satire”
A key element making a return from Run To The Savage Planet is its humor: The original game was inherently whimsical, featuring exaggerated fictional advertisements playing on televisions and radios within the game world. These will return alongside some new ones to experience, but the game will also deliver a sharper critique of the current state of the world, particularly in corporate settings. As Hutchinson describes, this is “a game for audiences of all ages.”
One aspect of the absurdity does…