March 29, 2024

Planet Zoo is my most favorite tycoon game to come out in recent times. And even though the game doesn’t lack for in content, the folks at Frontier have added some more winter-themed content to the game. The arctic pack comes with its own missions, animals and new buildings to the game.

There are four new animals. The arctic wolf, the polar bear, the reindeer, and the Dall sheep. As with the overall theme of the DLC, these animals require colder environments and have special needs.

There’s also a whooping assortment of 200+ buildings and scenery items. Now I can finally build Santa’s very own zoo complete with Rudolph and ice sculptures.

The two new scenarios require you to manage Bernie’s Norwegian parks, as you face new challenges.

But not everything is locked behind the DLC, as there’s a free new update with the game.

UPDATE 1.1.0

  • Slow Animal Aging
  • Immediate Family on Animal Information Panels
  • Animal Pack Behaviour
  • New Heat Maps
  • Improved Social Behaviours
  • News Feed
  • Management Updates
  • A new crime management page
  • Refunds have now been modified
  • Aurora Borealis in the tundra biome
  • Ice Cream Costume

The free update brings a host of much-needed quality of life changes and improvements to the game. The animal aging controls were something I felt the game definitely needed and being able to see the family tree helped me to prevent inbreeding. The improved animal behavior added more immersion to what I consider the best AI behavior in a tycoon game.

Coupled with the DLC pack and this free update, Frontier has given players a lot to do this holiday season.

10/10

FINAL THOUGHTS

The DLC adds quite a lot of content to the game, and the variety is really appreciated. The only con I can think of is the price, and it’s something a lot of players have also been concerned with. But honestly, if you like the base game chances are you have already racked up hundreds of hours and this DLC is a perfect way to explore a brand new biome and add more variety to your park. But if you didn’t, unless you’re a really big fan of Rudolph the reindeer, the DLC is just more of what is already there.