It’s been a while since we’ve had a Planet Zoo DLC that’s focused on the tropics. With this brand-new Tropical Pack DLC, Planet Zoo will yet again bring us on another romp across Southeast Asia, complete with a slew of gorgeously-designed tropical animals from various tropical regions in the world. Let’s dive into the exciting details!

The Tropical Pack introduces 5 brand-new animals for your zoo, namely the Fossa, Lar Gibbon, Red River Hog, Asian Water Monitor, and the Brown-throated Sloth. The animal choices here are alright and it’s easy enough to quickly find a favorite among the lot, which in my case (and likely many players’ cases since it’s pretty high up on many people’s animal wishlists for Planet Zoo), is the three-toed sloth. It’s not a habitat animal, but that isn’t exactly a major issue considering that sloths typically hang around on branches.

The Fossa is also very well-received here, mostly because it’s one of the two (the other being the sloth) more unique animals in this pack that come with completely new models. However, unlike the sloth, it’s a habitat animal and can be housed as such in your zoo. The Red River Hog isn’t all too far behind in the popular animals list either, with some players being highly impressed at the meticulous design work that had went into the model.

To eager Planet Zoo fans, they may be wondering, is this the Southeast Asia Animal Pack part 2? Well, unlike the hard-hitting headliners in the previous SEA-linked pack, the animals here can be a bit underwhelming. As many have pointed out, the gibbon and the water monitor in this pack are reskins of other existing animal models, specifically the siamang from the Conservation Pack DLC and the Nile Monitor from the base game. Frankly speaking, this may not exactly a bad thing considering that some of these reskinned models still look fantastic and are incredibly detailed, and that these animals, despite being reskinned versions, are still pretty high up on some players’ animals-to-add lists.

Surprisingly enough, this time around, the scenery pieces and props are simply outstanding – and I’m not saying this just because I happen to be from Southeast Asia (SEA) and have been longing for pieces that can fit a SEA-themed zoo. Not only are they uniquely different from what we have before, the pieces are beautifully designed to really showcase the rich culture, traditions, and striking architecture of Bali in Indonesia, and they come in over 200 pieces in total! With these pieces, you could easily build various Balinese-styled temples and Tongkonan-themed villages in your zoo.

Of course, let’s not forget to include one of the parts that I’m most excited about the new scenery pieces – the range of new, exotic plant life that is endemic to the SEA! This includes familiar plants like the Rafflesia, Attenborough's Pitcher Plant, and Basket Fern. It’s very likely that the Planet Zoo team has heard our disappointment over the lack of aptly-themed scenery pieces for the Southeast Asia Animal Pack – though, to be fair, the animals are supposed to the highlight of the pack.

Keeping up with Frontier’s new (and very welcomed) trend of adding a new campaign scenario into their latest Planet Zoo DLC packs, as opposed a timed scenario, you’ll also get to help the rich socialite who yet again may have bitten off more than she can chew, Tiffany, with her new tropical zoo based in Bali, Indonesia. Here, you’ll take over the operations of a dilapidated zoo and try to develop it into a must-visit destination. There are lots of animals to adopt and manage here, and you’ll definitely be kept on your toes as more and more visitors pour in.

So, in a nutshell, although the Tropical Pack DLC probably wouldn’t be the first pick when it comes to must-have DLCs for Planet Zoo, the DLC itself offers a solid amount of value for the content it contains, especially if you’re a fan of tropical animals and would love to get your hands on those gorgeous scenery pieces to build a Balinese-themed tropical zoo of your own from scratch.