Planet Zoo 2 Огляд (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, & PC)

It makes sense to want to be a fan of zoology to consider playing Planet Zoo 2. If not, Planet Coaster 2. Or Jurassic World Evolution 3. Or Two Point Hospital. There’s a simulation game for every interest, however niche. And yet, the level of creativity and innovation that Frontier Developments has managed to achieve has completely taken my breath away. It’s one thing for publishers to market a new game as “immersive.” Gosh, the number of times I hear that word to describe the “realistic environments” that will make a new entry transformative. And another word you also hear quite a bit is “photorealistic.” But you don’t want something that looks too polished and artificial. Hence, why I absolutely think that Planet Zoo 2 is a game worth playing, regardless of your particular interests or taste in video games.

What amazes me the most about it is how natural the animals look. It’s one thing for the guests walking into the zoo to move and behave like real humans. It’s easier, I think, to scan real people and simulate their behavior in video games. However, I imagine that animals are trickier. And forgive me if Frontier Developments actually took the time to scan real-world animals. But I’m inclined to think otherwise because the game has over 130 animal species, from aquatic life to birds and wildlife. The variety of animals you see prancing around your zoo’s aquarium and aviary is immense. And let me tell you, each one has natural movements and behavior. Chimps swing from branches, rather than just walk across them. Animals grow agitated when their needs aren’t met. They’re intelligent beings that can break out if you don’t fortify your zoo well enough. 

But let’s not get carried away. Planet Zoo 2 review coming up shortly.

Baby Steps

One thing that makes me lose interest in simulation games is when they have so many minute tools and activities you could do that it all feels so overwhelming. And I’m not particularly creative or keen on building the most intricate cities and systems. Often, I quickly look up blueprints or any pre-built options by the devs or other players. I know, I cheat. But hey, I also believe you shouldn’t feel any pressure to prove yourself. In fact, I believe simulation games are for relaxation. Rather than test your knowledge and abilities. Because let’s be honest, I don’t have a clue about being a zookeeper or running a natural reserve. Heck, I can’t remember the last time I went to the zoo or even went spelunking, which I’m taking a mental note of to slot my next outdoor activity as soon as possible. 

See, what I love about Planet Zoo 2 is that it understands my worries and concerns and addresses them. It doesn’t throw me into the deep end before I’ve learned how to float. And yes, it absolutely gives you training wheels to start from the very basics. This is in the Career mode, which lets you be an explorer first before you can jump into more complex roles. It lets you fall in love with zoos before it can ask you to build and manage one. And I actually love that the zoos it takes you to aren’t the most incredible ones. They aren’t intimidating to make you think that, damn, how the hell am I going to fool myself into building one of those? 

Easy Does It

You visit zoos that are barely surviving. Zoos that extend their hand to you, asking that you pull them out of the hole they’ve fallen into. And be a savior, which I have years of experience in, as a gamer, of course. And so, even at the earliest stages of playing Planet Zoo 2, I’m already identifying ways that I can be of use. I’m seeing that, hey, maybe I could add some fun props and swings for the animals to play with. But at the same time, I want to make them feel like they’re out in the wild. So, I could build structures covered with moss. I could toss some fallen leaves around. What would make these zoos fun and exciting for the animals? What would make them feel at their natural habitat, even when in the confines of an indoor aviary? 

I’m also thinking of the guests. And I can even draw from my own experience as a visitor. What would elevate the experience for me? Would bridges that go over the zoo give me a better view? Would it be safe? And I’m thinking, heck, I want to find out. I want to experiment, make mistakes, and learn from them. And the Career mode opens up its gates alongside your growing interest. It gives you more tasks to do. Think you can get more guests to come to this zoo that hasn’t been receiving as many people as it used to? Think you can get them to leave you glowing reviews? And once you cross over that hurdle, you graduate to managing several zoos at a time. The level of challenge and difficulty is nicely paced, allowing you to gradually grow from managing one zoo to multiple across the globe.

Home Sweet Home

Another feature I love about Planet Zoo 2 is that running and managing a zoo isn’t the end goal. The zoo isn’t the permanent home of the animals you bring in. It’s a temporary habitat before they can move them out to their natural habitat. And before, this process was only a few clicks away. However, the sequel expands it so that you’re actually transporting the animals to their new home. And before you can leave them to roam free, you again have the responsibility of ensuring that you aren’t dumping them in a crumbling ecosystem. 

So, you get down to giving the animals the best life they can have in their new home. And that includes aesthetics, but it’s way deeper than that. If there’s anything harmful out there, you can remove it. And then restructure the terrain. Influence the type of vegetation. And that’s a particularly interesting one because all it takes is using a brush to grow bushes. Remember how Planet Zoo 2 manages to make the animals mimic the behavior of real ones? It allows you to also pay attention to their behavior. You might catch interesting behavior, like where the animals like to graze or if they go for long distances to quench their thirst. And then you can set up additional water sources. This goes deeper into tweaking the water surface and colors. It’s really all as close to real-life as possible.

Sharing is Caring

When it feels overwhelming, you can try the Franchise mode. This lets you create and share blueprints with other players. And I think you’ll find some incredible inspirations for your own zoos and natural reserves. And the last game mode is the Sandbox. Here’s where you can decide how complex you want your simulation experience to be. If there are features you want to automate, you can simply turn them off. However, you can also go the route of tinkering around with every little, intricate detail of your zoos, staff skills, guest experiences, and so much more. You can influence the temperature and filtration systems of your aquariums, which, by the way, you might have seen how incredible some of the designs that other players have come up with are. I can just imagine how incredible it is to walk under gigantic aquariums, and a giant shark swimming over you.

Verdict

Your job is to ensure the animals live their best life and guests are satisfied. And that has so many nitty-gritty tasks you can choose to manually influence or leave automated. Planet Zoo 2 can essentially be as easy or tough as you want it to be. And that flexibility creates room for anyone curious to discover the beauty that nature can have. From the habitats to the aviaries and the aquariums, each of the features Frontier Developments offers has been carefully developed to look and feel as close to real-life as possible. It’s the goal that simulation games aim for. They mimic real-life, and for the visuals and gameplay to fulfil that, I think, earns this game the consideration of checking it out.

It has three modes you can choose from, depending on how complex you want your experience to be. Career mode is like the tutorial that takes you from the basics to giving you more challenging feats to pull off, including managing several zoos across the globe and moving animals to their final home in natural reserves. Franchise mode lets you explore what other players have come up with, and there certainly are some fascinating ideas out there that will inspire your own zoo structures and ideas. Finally, Sandbox mode lets you make your own rules and define what tasks you’d like to focus on, and those you’d prefer automated.