If you’re just about to jump into Typhoon Studios’ Journey to the Savage Planet, you’ve got a lot to look forward to.
But getting dropped in a vast and unknown world can be a bit daunting. If you’re not sure where to take yourself as you first start playing the game, we’ve got some tips to help you on your way.
It’s not as Savage as it sounds (mostly)
Despite being called ‘the Savage Planet’, the planet you find yourself on isn’t that hostile. For the most part, anyway. So don’t be afraid to wander around and go off the beaten path. You don’t need to stick to your mission markers if you don’t want to – and not doing so can often be more rewarding. Just know your limits: if a jump looks too big to make, it probably is. Remember some areas can’t be accessed until you’ve got the right tools, so you’ll need to progress through the story a little first.
Return to your ship regularly
When you die in Journey to the Savage Planet, you lose any materials you were carrying on your person. Not all is lost, though: you can find your previous body and pick up the cargo you lost. But returning to your ship regularly cuts out that hassle; every time you go back to the Javelin (your home base), the materials you’ve found will be banked and safely stored. Anything returned to the Javelin can’t be lost.
Explore!
Journey to the Savage Planet isn’t a game about travelling from A to B. Well, it is – but it’s about the journey more than the destination. So don’t simply go from marker to marker, ignoring everything around you. In fact, you should turn off your mission markers from time to time and just… wander. Keep your wits about you and look out for any dangers, but so much great stuff is just waiting to be found on the planet. If you simply follow your mission markers, you’ll miss out on entire areas waiting to be uncovered. Finding Journey to the Savage Planet‘s secrets is one of the greatest joys of the game.
Upgrade your weapon as soon as you can
You’re given a gun pretty much as soon as the game starts, but it’s pretty weak. Thankfully, it can be upgraded once you’ve found enough materials. Those materials are common, and you’ll get them by killing enemies and mining rock sources that you come across on your adventures. The first thing you should upgrade is your weapon. It makes a huge difference: enemies that previously took three bullets to kill will now only take one. It’s a huge help.
Activate fast travel units
No self-respecting game world doesn’t allow you to fast travel, and so of course Journey to the Savage Planet is no different. Fast travel units need to be unlocked, though: you’ll find them dotted around the world – they’re glowing orbs located under stone structures. You can’t miss them. Most of them can be activated simply by interacting with them, but a few of them will require you to kill all enemies in the area before they can be interacted with. Being able to fast travel makes it much easier to get around, and more importantly, easier to go back to the Javelin to stash your materials and upgrade your equipment.
Hunt for orange goo
Early on in the game, you’ll be led to a weird lump of orange goo and forced to eat it. Don’t worry: it’s good for you. Probably. There are 100 of those orange goo pods growing around Journey to the Savage Planet, and consuming them will upgrade your health and stamina, making you much hardier. Some of them are hidden in plain sight, but some will need certain upgraded equipment before you can reach them. Poking around in hidden corners will often find them – you’ll find plenty hidden in tall grass, for instance. Keep a keen eye out for them wherever you go.
Watch the TV ads (just for fun!)
Whenever you visit the Javelin, a TV will be playing. Sometimes it will be playing a story-related update, but the rest of the time it’ll play TV commercials. Live-action and utterly bizzare TV commercials. Watching them serves no purpose within the game world, but they’re hilarious.
Take your time
While Journey to the Savage Planet has an achievement/trophy for completing the game in less than four hours, you’d have to be mad to try and achieve that the first time you play the game. Don’t do it! It’s a game that’s best enjoyed slowly. Don’t rush anywhere; take your time to see everything and explore as much as you can. Finding hidden upgrades, gathering more materials and uncovering the game’s secrets make it much more enjoyable. So sit back, relax, and have fun.
