#Planet zoo review full#

#Planet zoo review full#

Finally, there's sandbox, and this provides free rein to do whatever you please with infinite money and resources - for example, this reviewer spent hours building an east Asian town, with only one exhibit full of red pandas.įranchise mode is by far the most exciting addition, with a sandbox-like approach to zoo creation, but with limited funds, a need to research, and a driving set of small goals like guest numbers and happy animals.

It is aimed at building many successful zoos with a view to running a great franchise, and this is where the game utilises some unique online features. There are three main modes: Career, which presents you with challenges and structure, and unlike any other mode, it also houses the much-needed tutorials for the entire game's systems.įranchise mode, like career, offers players some challenges, but with a much more freeform structure. Beginning with character creation which is a bit light on details, players get a brief glimpse of the visual style of the game and the general UI feel. Thematically very similar to Planet Coaster, this uses a few of its assets such as guest models, UI elements, and building tools, but this time they are deployed with a slightly different function, creating a very, very different experience.

Jumping straight into sandbox mode is a sure-fire way to end up with ill animals, and to be completely lost in the UI - this is a game with a difficulty curb that makes it important to first try the tutorial, as this game is large and fantastically complex, even though it can be enjoyed in a quite simple manner. Omitted, probably in part to its reveal of all the in-game items, from the beta test, was the sandbox mode, which is now here to overwhelm new players who have an eye for creativity and don't want to be tied down by the shackles of a structured scenario mode, or the complex systems in franchise mode.