In this Planet Zoo 2 review, Frontier's sequel stands apart from the spectacles of Planet Coaster and Jurassic World Evolution by spotlighting real, often endangered species. Conservation takes an even bigger role this time, giving your park a clear purpose beyond entertainment.
Table Of Content
Daily tasks like building enclosures, hiring staff, and caring for animals feel like a gentle evolution of the first game, so returning players can settle in quickly. Meanwhile, an impressive roster of over 130 creatures fills out the park, though smaller terrarium species lack full features and only about half the lineup can eventually return to the wild.
Aviaries, Aquariums, and Deeper Customization
Aviaries and aquariums mark the biggest new gameplay additions, offering fine control over exhibit shape, appearance, and water depth instead of rigid modular snapping. You can even route glass tunnels straight through aquarium habitats to create immersive underwater walkways.
However, housing aquatic and semi-aquatic animals demands careful planning around species compatibility, water temperature, and salinity. Keeping both freshwater and saltwater habitats in one park requires two separate filtration networks, adding welcome realism.
Beyond habitats, nearly every building now features fully modeled interiors that guests and staff actively use, from staff break rooms and animal kitchens to modular gift shops and restaurants with functional seating and shelves. Even if you prefer not to detail every corner yourself, Steam Workshop support lets you download creations from other players.
A Challenging Economic Simulation
Unlike Frontier's coaster and dinosaur park sims, Planet Zoo 2 delivers a genuinely demanding economic challenge in its standard modes. Of course, sandbox settings still let you disable money, animal aging, or staff happiness whenever you want a relaxed build.
Managing six staff types, complex guest and animal needs, and price-sensitive visitors prevents easy cash exploits like overcharging for a single warthog exhibit. By contrast, the Sustainability rating feels underbaked because installing the right power generators and wastebins easily secures five stars before your gates even open.
Additionally, a campaign mode serves as an extended tutorial with a storyline about exposing a major corporation's environmental crimes. Although the characters still sound a bit like a children's television show, they are less goofy than before and offer solid inspiration for your own builds.
Wildlife Reserves and Conservation Credits in Planet Zoo 2
Wildlife reserves introduce separate maps where you paint biomes instead of fences, using versatile nature brushes to layer canopy and understory plants before re-wilding native species. Driving a cart through these preserves to visit your former zoo residents is a rewarding touch.
Even so, reserve management feels shallow because clearing invasive plants only requires clicking them with a bulldozer rather than hiring rangers or botanists. Similarly, water tools remain stuck at fixed heights inside troughs, making natural downhill rivers or dynamic waterfalls difficult to pull off.
Still, snapping photos of released animals or investing zoo funds into conservation projects earns Conservation Credits, the secondary currency needed to adopt higher-tier endangered species. Overall, this Planet Zoo 2 review finds a thoughtful sequel whose tough economy and flexible habitats outweigh its uneven side systems.
Source: Planet Zoo 2 Review
