Planet Zoo 2 review

Planet Zoo 2 takes everything good about Planet Zoo and Jurassic World Evolution 3, combines them, and the end result is the best zoo management game on the market. Not only has the park building itself been improved, but each animal was remade from the ground up, and you can tell. The animations for just about every activity look like they popped out of a Nat Geo Wild documentary.

Conservation

Owning your own zoo has seen multiple improvements, but the biggest one is the attention to detail in the way of animal conservation. Now you’ll be able to release your animals into a completely interactive conservation area. These landscapes can house multiple animals at once; it’s supposed to be a recreation of an animal's natural habitat. There is something very special about taking a jeep through an area that you helped shape and populate. You’ll have to change and adjust the environments for some animals so that their territory fits all of their needs, which I really love. 

Conservation gameplay will see you changing and adjusting the terrain, taking photos, and doing research. To do this, you’ll either be driving a jeep, which feels like a slightly more improved version of the Jurassic World Evolution 3 driving system, or you can get out and walk. Oftentimes you’ll be able to accomplish your tasks by simply driving around and using your camera. But some animals get scared of the jeep, so you’ll have to get out and go look at them on foot. The controls are just fine when walking around; nothing to write home about but nothing awful. The fun part of this, though, is getting as close as possible to an animal to take a picture. Because of the way the animations are done, this creates special moments, such as making direct eye contact with an elephant. 

The conservation gameplay is a lot of fun; not only does it add a new layer of management to what you’re already doing with your zoo, but it also lets you see your efforts playing out in real time. This was an extremely smart decision that I think elevates Planet Zoo 2 to the next level because the interactivity has been pulled up a notch.

Zoo Building 

Planet Zoo 2 features a mostly diverse set of animals. I’ll warn you all now that most of the DLC animals from Planet Zoo, as well as some animals that should’ve been here at launch, are not here. However, the roster is bigger than it was in Planet Zoo at launch. The biggest changes here are the addition of aquariums and flying birds, which make use of aviaries. 

Aquariums, like normal enclosures and aviaries, can be built using presets or by hand. You can also put a tunnel right through them and have people walk through the aquarium, which is awesome. Simply put, aquariums are gorgeous. I have to call attention to the fish and other aquatic life; their animations are superb. I’ll be bringing animations up a lot for this review, but there is a certain ebb and flow to the aquatic animals that makes them mesmerizing to watch. 

As for gameplay, aquariums need to be managed just like anything else. You’ll notice that Keepers (the zoo staff that tends to animals) will suddenly be wearing a wetsuit and associated gear to take care of aquariums. You’ll need to make sure you have all of the correct water management set up before your aquarium can be running properly. Speaking of water, placing water and managing water filters feels a lot better in this game. All of the buildings that make water function also look so much better in general. 

As for aviaries, I’ll admit when they were first revealed I wasn’t as excited as I was for aquariums. That was until I got to play with the long-eared owl, and now I can’t get enough. Seriously, the work that went into these animals is something that I still find hard to fathom. Everything from their flight to their nesting looks so natural. Tending to aviaries is also simple from a gameplay perspective, which I appreciate. Once again, your Keepers will keep the aviary up and running. Something that was also surprisingly easy was how roofing works. You essentially set up roof supports, click a button, and done. 

As for the other animals, they also look fantastic and are equally as fun to interact with during the game. Fur is something you should be paying attention to when you play because the game does a very good job at fur movement and sleekness. Take a look at the beavers the first time you play; you’ll see what I mean. Sound design on every animal also got upgraded to the point where the game is just nice to zone out and listen to. 

Putting your park together is easier than it’s ever been too. The pathing system has been completely overhauled, and everything feels a lot less fickle. You can do nice designs with paths without having to learn 101 different tricks to get things to look the way you want. I especially appreciate the stamp tool. But raising and lowering paths also feels a lot better and much more fluid. One big gripe that I have is that when you’re placing down a barrier, for example, it doesn’t tell you what the object is supposed to do. It’s obnoxious, especially when placing TVs and such. A little information box off to the side with a toggle would’ve gone a long way here. 

Either multiple animals have clipping issues, or multiple structures have clipping issues. This is primarily seen with the primates, but anything that can climb clips through multiple climbable trees, which is extremely obnoxious. 

Final Thoughts

Planet Zoo 2 blew me away. Not just with the additions of aquariums and aviaries but with all of the improvements and enhancements made to make this sequel feel like a worthy successor to Planet Zoo. The animals are brought to life in a way that I’ve never seen before. Everything from the way that they move to how they eat and even hunt…feels extremely natural. 

But not everything is as it should be. Either multiple animals have clipping issues, or multiple structures have clipping issues. This is primarily seen with the primates, but anything that can climb clips through multiple climbable trees, which is extremely obnoxious. 

There is also a bit of a responsiveness issue when changing the texture of an enclosure wall or adding a window. In general, the game has bad responsiveness for certain menus. For example, you can set up a habitat to be ready for a specific animal before you buy that animal. You choose from a dropdown menu, and it will tell you what the animal needs. Most of the time, the sliders will move as you add things, but more often than not, you have to purchase the animal and let them walk around for about 3 minutes before the sliders catch up properly. 

Bugs aside, I had a lot of fun with this game. Planet Zoo 2 feels like a real labor of love, and I can’t wait to see where the game goes in the future.