So, I’ve played this for four hours and I’m still in tutorial mode. It’s kind of a LOT of tutorial if you’ve played Planet Coaster, and I have, extensively.

It’s a cute game so far, but if you loved Planet Coaster because of absurdity and rides, this isnt that. There is a lot of information about the animals, a lot of specific decorating, and a lot of personnel management. And, in tutorial two, a whole lot of mandrills escaping. I’m not sure how though. I’ve built a 7 meter tall fence and moved every tree, building, rock or other climbable away from the wall and they just keep getting out. could you not, I’m trying to build a spot for my cute little tapirs!

But I digress. The game seems harder then PC from the get-go. There aren’t really easy animals. I guess the ones in display boxes are a little simpler, but they still require a bit of fiddling. It’s not just poink-and-go like a ferris wheel. you cant just chuck some zebras in a pen either. You have to have the right kind of trees, the right kind of terrain, the right temperature, enrichment equipment, shelter, food, water, fence height tree coverage, and so on.

Certain animals can also be released into the wild, as part of an animal conservation program, and I love that aspect, because I believe that we need to be doing more of that in real life. I disagree with humans owning animals for fun, like Joe Exotic and his buddies. (I didn’t watch Tiger King because rednecks with tigers is just depressing to me.) You get special points for releasing animals into the wild, which can be used to buy certain animals that are “better quality” than other animals of the same type, which can also be part of a breed-and-release program.

I sense I will have trouble with the buying animals of a “better quality.” I understand it is a game mechanic, but as a person who wants to adopt all the old, scraggley, mangled cats and give them a happy home in their dying years, the concept of acquiring an animal based on how young and breedable and exciting it is feels wrong to me. I’d buy them all if I could, which is why I could never run something like this in real life.

From a technical standpoint, the graphics are pretty, the lighting is lovely , the creatures are cute AF, and the interface is decently easy to understand and navigate – especially if you’ve played PC. All in all, the game feels like it will be fun for me going forward. I do wish it was PART of Planet coaster instead of a sister game, but I can see how they might get really messy to play at the same time. I’ll review more later.

Part of a series in which I make lazy, half-assed reviews of games. Other Reviewishes:

Bastion
Citalis
Bunny Programming
Diablo III
Fallout 4 (old)
PlanetZoo
Sigils of Elohim
Torchlight
This War of Mine
The Witcher