14 DAY TRIAL // The pair of dromedary camels are adjusting well, happy with the desert-themed habitat I have created for them. They are also attracting plenty of visitors, who do not seem to mind that the animals might spit from time to time. I’m unclear on whether that’s the result of stress or simply normal behavior.
But the gazelle is not doing great and I have some work to do in its habitat. I need to change the terrain type to better suit her needs and also find better ways to add items that can boost her well-being. A big part of managing the zoo is finding ways to care for the animals while making it easy for visitors to watch them.
Finally, I need to do some extensive cosmetic redesign. Generators need to be hidden in out-of-the-way spots, the center of the park requires more verticality, and we need to provide more amenities to justify our ticket price.
Planet Zoo: Arid Animal Pack is developed and published by Frontier Developments. I played on the PC using Steam. This is the most recent downloadable content for the zoo simulation, which will introduce many new animals and one scenario centered around them.
Following the setup of the core game, players get a new mission from Tiffany Summers to help put together a new zoo in the Middle East, on the edge of the Arabian Desert. It’s a mess when the player takes over and it might prove a challenge to attract visitors and create space for all the new featured animals.
Arid Animal Pack puts the following new species in play: the dromedary camel, addax, black rhino, Somali wild ass, African crested porcupine, sand cat, dama gazelle, and desert horned viper. It’s a good variety of creatures with different habitat expectations and it will take some work to make them feel at home in a zoo.
The new scenario focuses on getting as many of them in a zoo that has plenty of pre-made structures but needs a ton of care to become financially viable. As always, it’s very important to pay attention to the needs of each species and have enough staff to keep them as happy as possible.
Planet Zoo is also receiving a new major patch alongside the DLC. It delivers options to change staff clothes colors, watch as some animals attempt to spit at visitors and create complex videos of their zoos.
The basic task of putting together a working zoo is fun to engage with. Players should start off in sandbox mode, working with the species that they like, getting comfortable with their needs, and finding the best layouts for habitats and visitor areas. Then jump into the campaign and try to get Gold medals for all missions.
The Arid Animal Pack doesn’t tweak the game’s presentation too much other than adding animations for the featured creatures. Planet Zoo remains a good-looking title, especially when players zoom in on animals and their habitats. The interface works well to organize the many things players can build or place in their zoos, while the soundtrack enhances the experience of taking care of both animals and visitors.
Conclusion
But the DLC feels a little limited, in the same way, that other packs for the game have been recently. It’s good to get more animals for the zoo and improvements in the free update, but Frontier Developments needs to find interesting ways to tweak the core concepts to keep long-time fans engaged with Planet Zoo.
A review key was provided by the publisher
