REVIEW: ‘Planet Zoo: Aquatic Pack’ (PC)

Frontier Developments added another Planet Zoo DLC that brings a brand new set of challenges to players. The Aquatic Pack adds five water-dwelling animals to go with over 170 new scenery pieces and one new timed challenge. The five new animals in the Planet Zoo: Aquatic Pack are the Diamondback Terrapin, Giant Otter, Cuvier’s Dwarf Caiman, Grey Seal, and the King Penguin. Following suit with the last few DLCs there is one exhibit animal and four full habitat animals. The Diamondback Terrapin is the new exhibit animal added to the game. Of course, each addition follows the water-based theme of the Aquatic Pack.

To be honest, I have been waiting for the introduction to more water-based species since Planet Zoo‘s release. The Grey Seal and King Penguin are fantastic additions to the list of animals for Planet Zoo. Seals and penguins are staples at many zoos which makes it a little surprising to take this long for them to be added to the game but is still exciting nonetheless.

The Giant Otter is another addition that players should enjoy given it’s a cute addition that most people are familiar with through memes or from their own trips to the zoo. These three animals are unique because they give more animal diversity to Planet Zoo that is honestly needed. Additionally, they each have their own swimming “personalities.”  While the other animal additions are great, but the Grey Seal, Giant Otter, and King Penguin really make this pack for what it is.

The scenery for the Planet Zoo: Aquatic Pack really gives players the ability to recreate the feeling of being in the water. Players get to choose from the icy tundra or wild jungle scenery themes in the Aquatic Pack as this fits both the seals and penguins along with the otters and herps. Since this pack deals with water, there is plenty of glass and/or reflective materials to fully take advantage of the water-dwelling animals.

The best part of the Planet Zoo: Aquatic Pack is that players are finally given materials to make their own waterfalls. I know before this addition it was possible to make a create-your-own-waterfall looking piece with the “water sprinklers,” but you had to get really creative. Now, with the building blocks for waterfalls already built into them, it’s easier for less creatively driven players to make a natural-looking area, which is definitely an upside. There are three different shaped and sized cascading waterfall pieces for players to choose from. This alone makes this pack worth the purchase.

I am not a fan of the timed challenges in general so this new timed one wasn’t one of my favorites. However, I think this new “Red Barn River Zoo” challenge does offer plenty of difficulty to the game. The challenge of fitting all of the animal requirements in such a tiny area and without the ability to terraform makes it quite compelling. The main issue with the timed scenario is that prior Planet Zoo DLC are required to be able to save the game. This means players without all of the DLC must complete the scenario in one sitting, which is very doable. Players just need to know that when attempting the scenario that it is an all or nothing attempt without prior DLC.

Overall, the Planet Zoo: Aquatic Pack expands on the lacking water dimension of the game. The addition of the seals and penguins along with finally pre-made waterfalls are the shining parts of this DLC. The time-challenge will be good for players that are already a fan of them but can lead to issues if they are missing prior DLC.

The Planet Zoo: Aquatic Pack was also released with a free content update (Update 1.4) that is available to all players. This brought some new features that really help players and additional content along with some improvements.

Planet Zoo: Aquatic Pack is available now.