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Zoo tycoon vs planet zoo3/23/2023 It’s not a game for those looking to throw down a couple of giraffes and run a zoo, and the overcomplication can get confusing. Overall, Planet Zoo left me excited yet trepidatious. All you ever need to know about water buffalo. I’m very happy to see that combination return. It continues the tradition started in the 90s of games mixing in education with gameplay in a fun way, as well as teaching management and strategy skills. The fact that the game’s sole method of obtaining animals is through adoption is heartwarming, and there’s plenty to poke around and learn about your favorite species. It’s clear that a lot of research went into every animal, from basic facts and biology – did you know grizzly bears can hibernate for up to seven months of the year? – to what they need to survive in captivity. Whilst overcomplication bogs down Planet Zoo and dampens the fun, each animal’s unique details made me enjoy it more. Even after playing the tutorial through the first time, there’s just so many buttons and toolbars I kept forgetting where half of them were. But for those of us who just want to hang out with some elephants and try some challenges while running a park, it can quickly get very overwhelming. If you’re a lover of statistics or of long, thought out strategy, you’ll love Planet Zoo. This is without even getting into animal statistics, breeding programs and more. Bear butt!īeyond each animal having very specific needs, you also need to strategically set up the keeper’s huts – close to the animals but away from the visitors – add glass viewing windows, donation bins, and transformers. While I understand that these are very different creatures, a large part of me just wants to chuck food troughs and giant hamster water bottles in every enclosure and call it a day. For example, bears and ostriches have different requirements for habitat, stimulation, types of feeding stations, etc. Even just getting a habitat ready requires finding all the particular items that the specific animal needs. It’s very clear that the devs were trying for realism, which I think is a great goal, but there’s such a thing as being too realistic, or at least too realistic for the average player. While the tutorial does its job well, it also highlights the most glaring problem of Planet Zoo. If you’re running into difficulty, you can even pause the in-game clock. It’s well thought out and goes at a steady pace, allowing you to take your time as you follow along. There are on-screen prompts and a checklist that walks you through each step of the process. I learned how to adopt and take care of animals, build habitats and ensure the zookeepers are well-stocked with what they need to keep things running. After meeting zoo owner Bernie and his staff, they guided me through basic tasks. It wasn’t labeled as a tutorial level per se, but that’s what it played out as. I tackled the first scenario level, working at an already established zoo that needed a little TLC after their last keeper left. If you’re aiming for an authentic experience, Planet Zoo has got you covered. There are several different continents to choose from, everything from jungle to the plains, from Africa to Asia. One thing I will give the sandbox mode credit for is the variety of locations and biomes that you can choose for your zoo. I wasn’t thrilled about having to do a scenario, I wanted to go straight to sandbox, but I figured a tutorial level was better than my floundering about like a dying starfish. Begrudgingly, I began playing scenario levels so I could get my bearings. I tried jumping right into creating my own park, but I realized after 20 minutes that I had no clue what I was doing. Right from the get-go, Planet Zoo is a lot to unpack.
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