DLC Impressions are reviews for DLC content.
Whilst Planet Zoo caters to various fans, letting builders, managers and animal lovers tackle the game with their unique playstyles, the stars of the show are still undoubtedly the animals.
The brand new North America Animal Pack keys in on that with a package entirely built around animals. This focus seems to have worked well, as the animals present in this pack have perhaps some of the most interesting attention to detail.
Planet Zoo: North America Animal Pack brings eight highly-requested animals from across North America to the game. This includes seven mesmerising habitat animals: The industrious American Beaver, with its long front teeth and paddle-shaped tail; the towering and majestic Moose; the sleek and smart California Sea Lion; the shy and solitary Cougar; the enormous American Alligator; the highly-sociable Black-tailed Prairie Dog; and the elusive yet adorable Arctic Fox.
The animals are accompanied by their relevant codex info, as well as some enrichment items that will help you give them the best care. What makes these additions really interesting is that these animals are perhaps some of the most iconic in the world. Say what you want about North America, but it has some of the most beautiful locations and wildlife.
The attention to detail mentioned before seems to be really present here, with each animal having believable animations that make them fit within their iconic context. In fact, I think the animations for these animals are probably the best yet, and generally feel refined and fitting.
What especially feels fun to look at is how the Beavers paddle along the water, and how the Cougars and Moose gracefully move around their environment. They mimic real-life behaviour such as how the low-temperature Arctic Fox adorably jumps into the snow.
Now, I am not sure if the game uses IK for foot solving (making sure the legs align to the verticality of the terrain), but it seems to work well with these animations, and I didn’t notice clipping that I did with some of the previous animals.
Not to mention, each animal looks stunning, an aspect further helped by the game’s gorgeous lighting that scatters through the rims of their furs, painting striking silhouettes. This especially helps if you love taking photo mode pics like me.
Now whilst the game does not come with brand new building pieces, they are not really needed here as the base pack already contains everything you’d need to build an Americana themed park. The new timed scenario, Jameson Wildlife Park is a good example of this, as it showcases various buildings made to fit the setting with existing pieces.
The new animals come with their own lifestyle and social habits, which have to be taken care of in order to improve their welfare. For those who are unaware, Planet Zoo is not only a fun management game but also a trove of knowledge that encourages the wellbeing of different animals. In fact, there are virtual protestors that will boycott your zoo if you don’t take good care of them.
Overall, the pack is worth it for any fans of Planet Zoo, as this may have the best looking animals with some of the most realistic animations yet, making it well worth the price for eight distinct and iconic animals.
The North America Animal Pack is now available on Steam for £7.99/$9.99.
As We Play 