Zoo management game Planet Zoo was praised by critics when it first launched for its realistic interpretation of animals and emphasis on wildlife conservation. Like many simulator games, Planet Zoo sought to prioritize realism over all else for animal lovers that wanted to create their very own zoos. The famous Zoo Tycoon franchise had allowed players to do this before, though a new Zoo Tycoon game hasn't been released in years, leading Frontier Developments to create Planet Zoo as a spiritual successor to the Zoo Tycoon franchise.
A small complaint some fans had on the game's release, though, was that Planet Zoo didn't have the animals that they were looking forward to seeing. Post-launch, though, fan reception to Planet Zoo has been positive as Frontier Developments continues to release new animals through updates and DLC packs, such as the Australia pack which brought kangaroos, koalas, and dingos to the game. Most recently, the Europe pack brought some famous animals from the continent into Planet Zoo, and now an upcoming Wetlands pack seeks to bring animals that thrive both on land and in water to the game.
The Wetlands pack is the ninth DLC installment for Planet Zoo and brings eight new animals for players to manage. These animals are the capybara, platypus, wild water buffalo, red-crowed crane, Danube crested newt, Nile lechwe, and Asian small-clawed otter. As the Wetlands pack is listed as an Animal pack, it won't contain any extra items for players to customize the scenery in their zoos. However, it does also contain a new scenario which tasks players with building and maintaining an animal sanctuary in the Brazilian Pantanal.
The Wetlands pack will cost $9.99 when it launches, which is in line with the pricing of the other Planet Zoo DLCs. As well as the Animal pack itself, Planet Zoo players can look forward to a free update for the game that launches alongside the DLC on April 12. The free update will include new burrowing behaviors for smaller animals, new bathing behaviors, a new terrain brush, eductors that roam around the zoo sharing animal knowledge with guests, and more. Any Planet Zoo player that doesn't want to buy the latest DLC will still have plenty of content on the way.
With the release of the capybara, some fans will be excited to try new multispecies enclosures in Planet Zoo containing the new additions. In real-life zoos, capybaras are known as incredibly friendly animals and have been seen co-existing with anything from dogs to crocodiles. For any player wanting to create a neat multispecies enclosure in Planet Zoo, the Wetlands pack is likely a DLC to look out for.
Planet Zoo is available now on PC and the Wetlands pack launches April 12.