Exploration is one of the things that video games simulate best. With the possibility of spitting out an infinite variety of alien worlds, the sci-fi genre has always thrived in the games industry, challenging players to confront new species, scavenge for strange artifacts, and do whatever it takes to survive on strange and mesmerizing worlds.
Journey to the Savage Planet keeps exploration at the center of its gameplay. The thrill of the unknown, the threat posed by aliens just around the corner, and the exhilaration of discovering exactly the right item or resource needed to progress are all captured by this gorgeously cartoony game. With plenty of upgrades to unlock and a whole world to explore, many players will find themselves wondering what upgrades are the best for the early game. Here's everything the player needs to know about what to upgrade first.
7 Jump Thrusters I
Jump Thrusters I is a backpack upgrade that allows the player to make an additional jump while in the air, propelling themselves higher than they would have otherwise. With further upgrades the player can eventually get Quadruple Thrusters, allowing for a truly ridiculous number of air jumps.
Given how much Journey to the Savage Planet likes to hide its goodies in hard-to-reach spots, having Jump Thrusters I is invaluable. Much more than a simple convenience and safety measure, this upgrade allows the player to reach areas that would otherwise be inaccessible, opening up whole new worlds of exploration, whether playing co-op or solo.
6 Fast Reload I
There is a variety of possible weapon upgrades in Journey to the Savage Planet, giving the player some choices in terms of how they deal with enemies. Increased ammunition and stopping power may be the more obvious options, but there's nothing wrong with cutting the downtime between volleys with Fast Reload I.
While it isn't strictly speaking necessary the way that some other early upgrades are, Fast Reload I makes regular fights easier and is a huge help when it comes to boss battles, especially later in the game. Reloading faster also just makes combat feel better, as having to wait out a reload animation while an angry alien barrels towards the player is always stressful.
5 Improved Damage I
Space is full of hungry critters that would like to make a snack of whatever they find, be it planets, spaceships, or whatever tasty morsel they can pry from the inside of a space suit. Having something to keep these monsters at bay is good. Having something to kill them off once and for all on one's way to the true ending is better.
Improved Damage I is a straightforward upgrade, improving the damage-dealing ability of the player's gun. Though the player can wait until they're deeper into the game before upgrading their weapon all the way, especially since the early and mid-game enemies don't really warrant that kind of firepower, having at least a level or two of this upgrade makes winning fights much easier.
4 Advanced Battery I
Sci-fi games are all over the place when it comes to weaponry, from conventional guns with a sprinkle of chrome and RGB to outrageous alien gadgets that bare almost no resemblance to conventional arms. Whether it's gunpowder, troll blood, or pure muscle, every weapon needs something to power it. In Journey to the Savage Planet, that something is a battery.
Running low on batteries is bad in everyday life, but it's terrible when that battery is all that's keeping one's gun firing. Advanced Battery I is only the first of the game's battery improvements, and it's a modest one, but anything is better than the gun's default 8-round capacity. Winning fights is much easier when the player doesn't have to reload every 10 seconds, so the Advanced Battery I more than earns its keep.
3 Better Utility Belt
RPG and survival game players will be more than familiar with the dicey juggling act that is inventory management. The Better Utility Belt increases the character's storage capacity from its measly three-item stack starting point to 5, and opens the path to get the Best Utility Belt and a whopping 10-item carrying capacity in the future.
More than tripling the character's carrying capacity isn't just a matter of convenience for loot goblins, however: Journey to the Savage Planet is about exploration and experimentation, and having plenty of extra items makes it much easier to access every nook and cranny of the world, making sure that players don't miss out. With many of the game's most precious resources just out of reach, the Better Utility Belt keeps the player from wasting time backtracking in search of a missing item.
2 Alien Alloy Detector
Detection upgrades aren't as flashy and exciting as weapon upgrades, but they are absolutely vital. The setting of Journey to the Savage Planet is true to its name: a hostile environment that doesn't hold the player's hand when it comes to dishing out supplies. Alien Alloy is a critically important resource, but because of that the player typically has to win a battle or complete a puzzle in order to get it.
Alien Alloys matters because it's necessary for unlocking later upgrades. It may seem like a waste to choose an upgrade that mostly just exists to speed up the acquisition of other upgrades, but it is absolutely worth doing so. Neglecting to pick up Alien Alloy Detector is a waste of time. Grab it early and move on to other things. It's worth it.
1 Orange Goo Detector
The Orange Goo Detector upgrade is very similar to the Alien Alloy Detector: both make it easy for the player to acquire resources that are vital for improving their character, thus making everything else in the game easier and more efficient. Unlike Alien Alloy, which is used for unlocking other upgrades, Orange Goo is used to increase the character's health and stamina.
The player is vulnerable in Journey to the Savage Planet, especially early in the game, and speeding up the process of buffing one's health is mandatory for anyone not attempting a challenge run. There's no reason to make combat or exploration more difficult than they need to be, which is why the Orange Goo Detector should be at the top of every player's upgrade list.
Journey to the Savage Planet is available now for PC, Xbox One, and PS4.