Planet Zoo 2 Preview: Get Ready to Walk on the Wild Side

A first hands-on with Planet Zoo 2 reveals 49 species and gorgeous visuals, with animals you can release into a nature reserve. Here's what we learned.

Ever dreamed of ditching the zoo fence and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with a giraffe? That's exactly the vibe Planet Zoo 2 is going for, based on a new IGN preview of the upcoming management sim.

The outlet got some early hands-on time with the game, and while the session was short, the first impressions are pretty promising. The preview notes that it wasn't realistic to get a full picture of Planet Zoo 2 from such a brief look, especially the business tycoon side of things, but the overall feeling coming away was optimism.

So what did they actually see? The encyclopedia in the build counted 49 species, ranging from tiny jellyfish all the way up to towering giraffes. That lineup spans a variety of environments and biomes, so you can expect plenty of diversity in the animals you'll be caring for.

And the creatures that showed up in the flesh? They were marvelously rendered and a genuine joy to watch, according to the preview. That's a big deal for a zoo game, where the animals are the whole point. If they look great and feel alive, the rest of the sim has a strong foundation to build on.

Perhaps the most exciting detail: the preview highlights releasing animals into the open environment of a nature reserve. That's a shift from the traditional enclosure setup, putting you right down into the wild with your animals rather than just managing them from a distance. It sounds like a fresh way to connect with the creatures you're raising.

Of course, there are still plenty of unknowns. The business tycoon side of Planet Zoo 2 didn't get a proper workout in this first hands-on, so we'll have to wait for more details on how the management systems hold up over the long haul. But the early signs, from the species count to the visuals to the nature reserve concept, are encouraging.

With 49 species already spotted and more likely to come, plus a more immersive approach to animal interaction, Planet Zoo 2 is shaping up to be one to watch for fans of the original. Will you be picking this up when it launches? And what animal are you most excited to release into the wild?