I have fond memories of Zoo simulation games. When I was younger, I had an old,old,PC in my bedroom. It had no access to the internet, but what it did have was Microsoft Paint, Solitaire, Pinball, and, for some reason, Zoo Tycoon.
I was around 12 at the time and had just started high school. I named all of the animals after my new friends, and I distinctly remember naming two penguins after myself and my crush. Despite having, and loving, aNintendo GameCubeat the time, I kept finding myself drawn back to the allure of zookeeping. This sparked an early interest in simulation games for me as a young lad, and while my GameCube eventually became king, I spent a lot of time playing this, alongside the likes of Theme Park, Theme Hospital and The Sims, including, of course, Urbz on console.
As I grew older, though, I played fewer and fewer games within the genre, dabbling inCities Skylinesand putting in some considerable hours with Frontier Developments’Jurassic World Evolutionas my only two notable time sinks since my early years. Recently, I’ve had a hankering to find a way back into the genre, and I couldn’t have timed it better, as Frontier kindly invited me to their studio to check outWarhammer: 40,000 Chaos Gate — Daemonhunters on consoleand the newly revealedPlanet Zoo: Console Edition.
Planet Zoo
WHERE TO PLAY
Having not played the PC version, the first thing that became apparent to me was just how much love had gone into the creation of Planet Zoo. Not only had each of the animals' physical forms been faithfully, and meticulously, recreated, but they had a strict set of requirements, likes and dislikes governed by their real-world behaviours. It was clear that hours and hours of research had been done on each of the game’s many, many species.
What I really enjoyed though, as an animal lover myself, is that it was clear that the development team felt the same. Sitting in the room amongst the developers, playing the console version of the game for the first time, there was a real passion for animals and conservation. This is evidenced further byseveral charity events that the studio has run.
This meticulous level of detail about the animals' needs makes Planet Zoo an exceptionally deep sim. Although I only went hands-on for a couple of hours, there was a wholly unexpected level of depth to the game. I created an enclosure for a pair of red pandas (the best animal), which I’d purchased from another in-game zoo, and I not only had to get their environment correct but had to build the right type of shelter, insert the correct feeder, satisfy them with the toys they liked, create a nice wee climbing frame for them, add the right type of fencing and more.
I could then involve myself in the game’s conservation program, which involved breeding endangered animals to release into the wild, or to send to other zoos to help their efforts. While this felt like a lot, I got an inkling that I’d barely scratched the surface of what Planet Zoo had in store for me.
Not only was there an abundance of options when choosing my animals and their living environments, but also a huge,huge,range of different parks to build in and even more shops, decorations and ammenities to satisfy my guests. While it all sounds like fairly standard fare for this type of game, the choices felt endless.
Typically, there’s always an air of trepidation when it comes to playing extensive simulation games, like Planet Zoo, on consoles, and it usually comes down to how well the mouse and keyboard controls translate to a traditional controller. A mouse is a perfect tool for making precise selections when it comes to menial tasks, such as placing fences, and it’s not always a simple one-to-one translition onto a controller that relies on a stick which is often less accurate. The PC controls also allow for a much easier experience when zipping through the many different menus and options simulation games tend to possess.
Thankfully, at least from what I played, this doesn’t seem to be an issue with Planet Zoo: Console Edition. The menus and build options, after a short adjustment period, are easy to navigate and placing objects which require you to be methodical is generally a doddle. The UI is designed to be slick and innovative, with the vast majority of tools you need can be selected by toggling the bumpers. Aside from a couple of slightly confusing menu options, it was smooth sailing. There was also the odd occasion where a fence didn’t quite line up as I’d have liked it to, and the climbing frame for my red pandas was a little bit of a mess, but generally, it worked, and it worked pretty well. I don’t think I had any doubts that Frontier could pull it off after how well Jurassic World Evolution’s console version controls were, but there is always the possibility things can get a little awkward.
My 2024 bingo card didn’t contain Planet Zoo becoming one of my most-anticipated titles of H1, but there we are. The game’s been out on PC for four years now, so it’s received a bunch of updates, new content, animals and modes that make for an exciting prospect on console, and, backlog dependant, might be just a day one purchase for me.
