There are three green cubes in Journey to the Savage Planet. Each of them contains one Alien Alloy, which you'll need to grab to unlock all of the game's upgrades and get The $600 Man trophy and achievement. Thing is, it isn't exactly clear how to kill a green cube. 

After several hours of trial and error — shooting it with my pistol, ground-pounding it, slapping it off cliffs, and peppering it with bombegranates — I finally figured it out. 

How do you kill/open/blow up a green osmotic cube in Journey to the Savage Planet? By making it eat too much. 

Slap the green cube to a location with a bunch of fauna. It doesn't matter what type, though killing Pufferbird is obviously easier than killing Kapyena. Once you kill the fauna around the green blob, it will eat the carbon and silicone the fauna drops. 

The green cube will sometimes try to slowly crawl back to where you originally found it. Just slap it toward the resources dropped by the fauna, and it will gobble them up. Do this a few times (three to four) and the green cube will explode, giving you the resources it consumed as well as any Alien Alloy. 

Green Cube Locations

There are three osmotic green cubes in Savage Planet. Below are the areas and biomes in which you can find them. 

Cliffs of Mt. Gazarfyn

Fast travel to The Cliffs of Mt. Gazarfyn in The Landing Zone biome. Go diagonal and right toward the edge of the cliff. You will pass through the herd(?) of Pufferbird and a few roaming Jellywaft. 

Go off the side of the mountain and land on a small cliff below. You won't likely see the cliff before you jump, but be ready to move backward once you start falling to catch it. 

Look down again to see the green cube on another cliff below. Slap the cube off the cliff to area below. 

Fungi of Si'ned VII

Fast travel to the Fungi of Si'ned VII in The Itching Fields. When you spawn, go straight ahead and through the rock archway. Drop down into the pit and land on the first platform (the one with the Vitality Plant). 

There is an opening in the cave wall opposite the Vitality Plant. Jump across the small gap and go inside. The green cube is in the back of the cave. 

Pillars of Xzorgana

Fast travel to the Pillars of Xzorgana in The Elevated Realm. At spawn turn right and go past the stone archway. Jump over to the island across from you; it's the one with the two Skipper on it. 

Once you land, stay to the right and pass a small cave opening on your left. Jump over the rocks to the right of the cave opening to find the green cube.

You can slap it down to the area below and hope enough Floopsnoot spawn, but you may have to push it down one more level to the area with Pufferbirf and Schonozo. 

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That's all you need to know about how to kill/open/blow up the green cubes in Journey to the Savage Planet. For more on the tongue-in-cheek exploration game from Typhoon Studios, be sure to read our official review. 

For more tips and tricks, head over to our Journey to the Savage Planet guides page. Here are a few to get you started: 

• How to Quickly Find Orange Goo
• How to Quickly Find Alien Alloy
• The Best Upgrades to Get First

Alien Alloy is an important part of Journey to the Savage Planet. You use it to upgrade your weapons and gear. Not every enhancement uses it, but almost all of them do, especially the more important ones. Some even require two. 

As with my Orange Goo locations walkthrough, I won't outline every Alien Alloy location. There are 32 to find and most are easy to find. Instead, I will tell you how to get the Alien Alloy Detector upgrade for your visor. Once you unlock it, you can scan the landscape for Alien Alloy locations yourself. 

How to Get the Alien Alloy Detector Visor Upgrade

To get the enhancement, you first have to achieve Science Rank 3 — Explorer. You will gain access to the challenges leading to this rank once you complete Science Rank 2. Just scan all of the flora and fauna you come across, and it will unlock quickly. 

The science experiments for Science Rank 3 — Explorer are: 

• Live Samples 2: Gather live samples from Kapyena, Jellywaft, and Infected Pufferbird. 
• Corrosive Rain: Hit 2 creatures with the acid burst from a single dying Prime Jellywaft
• Easy Target: Kill 4 creatures while they are stuck in a Binding Bile within 3 seconds. 
• Bomb Drop: Kill 3 amber-armored Pufferbirds with a single Bombegranate. 

Live Samples 2

To gather live samples, equip the Live Sampler. Go up to an animal or specimen and press "R1" on PS4, "RB on Xbox One, or "Q" on PC. If you did it correctly, a little green hand will flash on the X screen. If you did not, a red "X" will appear.

Kapyena Locations

Kapyena can be found in two place: Fungi of Si'ned VII in The Itching Fields and the Infernal Cauldron in The Elevated Realm. You can simply teleport to the Infernal Cauldron and quickly find the Kapyena since the area is so small. 

But if you haven't opened that area yet, teleport to Fungi of Si'ned VII. As soon as you teleport into the area, turn left and go under the rock archway. Follow the path straight. Go left when the path turns left. Go through the bigger arch that looks like it has teeth on the sides and enter the Kapyena area. 

Jellywaft Locations

Jellywaft are easy to find. They are in Jellywaft Basin at the beginning of the game, and they can be found in The Verdant Wilds of Zyl. You will most likely have to jump and press the corresponding input to gather a Jellywaft sample. 

Infected Pufferbird Location

So far, I've only come across Infected Pufferbird in one area: The Festering Chasm in The Itching Fields. When you first enter The Itching Fields at the Planetary Flotsam, your primary objective will take you to The Festering Chasm (it's the area where you first encounter the Blight Bomb plant). 

Follow the marker around to the right side of the Planetary Flotsam and up. When you reach the cliff overlooking The Festering Chasm, turn right. You will see mushrooms forming platforms to another cliff. Jump across. Go through the cave to the first drop. Look down to find the Infected Pufferbird milling around a stone obelisk. 

Corrosive Rain

Prime Jellywaft can be found in The Itching Fields, specifically The Planetary Flotsam and Fungi of Si'ned VII. Prime Jellwaft are pink, and they are more powerful than your average Jellywaft, requiring more shots to bring down.

When they die, they explode in an acid burst. The best place to finish this experiment is The Planetary Flotsam. From the teleporter there, go straight toward the Alien Tablet. Turn left and continue the tether point in front of you. When you land, it will say "secret nearby." Turn right to see large platform with several Jellywaft and Pufferbird. 

Attack the Prime Jellywaft here to kill 2 creatures with the acid burst.

Easy Target

The best place to get this is The Festering Chasm in The Itching Fields. Go to the teleporter. Put the swampy area with the Blight Bomb plants, mushrooms, Babushkas, Skippers (birds), and three Amber Pufferbird behind you.  

Go straight and take the first left. There will be a cliff face and your left and a group of purple Repulsive Trees on your right. In front of you, you will see several Pufferbird Alpha. There are also regular Purfferbird. 

Throw Grob on the ground. When the Purfferbird begin to eat, throw a Binding Bile on them. The throw a Bombegranate on them to complete the experiment. 

Bomb Drop

Again, the easiest place to get this is in The Festering Chasm in The Itching Fields. Fast travel to The Festering Chasm. In front of the teleporter is an open area with Blight Bomb plants, mushrooms, Babushkas, Skippers (birds), and three Amber Pufferbird. Kill the Skippers and drop a can of Grob near the three Amber Pufferbird. 

When the Pufferbird start eating the Grob, throw a Blight Bomb on them. Quickly switch to a Bombergranate and throw it at them. Easy peasy. 

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Once you achieve Science Rank 3 — Explorer, return to the Javelin Habitat and access the 3D printer. Craft the Alien Alloy Detector. Now you can locate every Alien Alloy location by pressing "R3" on PS4 and Xbox One and "Z" on PC.

It's worth noting that you'll need further upgrades to actually get some of the Alien Alloys, such as the Launch Booster, the triple-jump and the quadruple-jump, and the Advanced Proton Tether. It also helps to have the Smarter Visor, but it's not necessary. 

For more tips and tricks on this new exploration game from Typhoon Studios, be sure to check out our other Journey to the Savage Planet guides. Here are a few you might find useful: 

• How to Quickly Find Every Orange Goo
• How to Kill the Green Cube for Alien Alloy
• The Best Upgrades to Get Early

Be sure to check out our official review of the game, too, where we said, "Journey to the Savage Planet is a satirical and colorful metroidvania that survives its corny jokes thanks to fun traversal and worthwhile exploration."

Orange Goo is important in Journey to the Savage Planet. Gather enough of it, and it increases your health and stamina. Finding it is a priority, even if the Orange Goo locations are well hidden in the early-game. Luckily, that changes when you unlock the Orange Goo detector visor upgrade. 

The upgrade allows you to scan the environment and pinpoint the exact location of each Orange Goo. So instead of showing you where each of the 100 health and stamina collectibles is (an endeavor as daunting to write as it would be to read), I'm going to show you how to get the enhancement you need to pinpoint them yourself. 

How to Get the Orange Goo Detector Visor Upgrade

To get the Orange Goo visor upgrade, you first have to achieve Science Rank 2 — Field Explorer. You will gain access to the challenges leading to this rank once you document at least 25% of the planet's ecosystem. You will achieve this quickly by scanning the planet's flora and fauna. 

The science experiments for Science Rank 2 — Field Explorer are: 

• Live samples: Gather live samples from Pufferbird, Baboushka, and Pikemander
• Nuke it: Kill 4 creatures with a single Alpha Pufferbird detonation
• Safety First: Fall 50 meters and save yourself with the Jump thrusters
• Flight Risk: Kill 5 ground creatures while they are airborne

Below, we'll go over each challenge and the best place to get them done. 

Live Samples

To gather live samples, equip the Live Sampler. Go up to an animal or specimen and press "R1" on PS4, "RB on Xbox One, or "Q" on PC. If you did it correctly, a little green hand will flash on the X screen. If you did not, a red "X" will appear. 

Pufferbird Locations

You can find Pufferbirds basically everywhere in Journey to the Savage Planet. Two of the best places to find them in the early-game is Shangtar's Frigid Embrace or The Verdant Wilds of Zyl. They can also be found in the Landing Site biome in the Tranquil Valley of Tranquility and The Cliffs of Mt. Gzarfyn. 

Baboushka Location

The quickest way to find a Baboushka is to go to The Verdant Wilds of Zyl. Look in the grassy area by Jellywaft Basin. You can't miss them (or their incessant screaming). 

Pikemander Location

The Pikemander is a bit more elusive. You can quickly find one in Meteor Crater. With the fast travel point behind you (the alien structure with the floating ball in the center), go straight and slightly left. There is a piece of land that goes up to the left and into a small grotto. Jump over into the grotto to find the Pikemander and an Alien Alloy. 

Nuke It + Flight Risk

Go to The Cliffs of Mt. Gzarfyn. To get there, you'll need the Proton Tether to climb the cliffs near the fast-travel point in The Verdant Wilds of Zyl. Once you get there, you will find a large group of animals, including several Alpha Pufferbird.

Throw some Grob into the mass of fauna. Shoot the Alpha Pufferbird as quickly as you can. Unload on it, and it will explode, giving you the Nuke It challenge. 

When the Alpha Pufferbird explodes, it does two things. It sends animals flying into the sky, and it sends a handful of small explosives with them. These bombs explode a second time. Let these secondary explosives to kill the airborne animals, and you'll complete the Flight Risk experiment. 

Safety First

This experiment is super easy. You can get it when climbing up to The Cliffs of Mt. Gzarfyn. If you don't mind climbing back up again, simply jump off the edge of the cliff on Mt. Gzarfyn. Use your Jump Thrusters just as you get close to the ground. 

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Once you achieve Science Rank 2 — Field Explorer, return to the Javelin Habitat and access the 3D printer. Craft the Orange Goo Detector. Now you can locate every health and stamina upgrade by pressing "R3" on PS4 and Xbox One and "Z" on PC.

It's worth noting that you'll need further upgrades to actually get some of the Orange Goos, such as the Launch Booster, the triple-jump and the quadruple-jump, and the Advanced Proton Tether. It also helps to have the Smarter Visor, but it's not necessary. 

For more tips and tricks on this new exploration game from Typhoon Studios, be sure to check out our other Journey to the Savage Planet guides, where you can find the following: 

• Get Every Alien Alloy
• Best Skills to Get First
• Destroy the Green Cube

In our review of Journey to the Savage Planet, we said that the game from Typhoon Studios "is a satirical and colorful metroidvania that survives its corny jokes thanks to fun traversal and worthwhile exploration."

Journey to the Savage Planet has a big skill tree to climb. With plenty of things to upgrade, you'll want to make sure you go down the optimal branches. From the Advanced Battery to the Triple- and Quadruple-Jump Thrusters, these are the best upgrades to unlock early.

We put in over 20 hours with the game, and you can check out our comprehensive review of Journey to the Savage Planet here if you'd like. But if you're already sold and ready to launch into space with Kindred Industries — fourth-best in space, they'll have you know — lets set off and discover which are the best upgrades to unlock first.

The Best Upgrades in Journey to the Savage Planet

The upgrade and skill tree in Typhoon Studios' debut title is broken down into five categories, weapon, item, gear, backpack, and visor. Each section has a few upgrades to prioritize. There are even some to avoid or put on the backburner for a while.

We'll break down the best upgrades by these five categories, starting with visor because of its importance. We'll also include a sixth one to recommend some of the upgrades you can leave for much later in the game.

Visor Upgrades

• Orange Goo Detector

I consider this and the next upgrade the most important of any on this list. That's because Orange Goo is what gives you more health and stamina. Your hero's health bar is pitiful at the start of the game, but by the time you get to the boss, you may have increased its size fivefold or more, giving you a fighting chance against the latter levels' creatures. Do not wait to unlock this.

• Alien Alloy Detector

Like the Orange Goo, Alien Alloy is in short supply and high demand. Normally, it takes some kind of puzzle or combat to earn them, but just finding many of them is tricky by itself. After the first round of upgrades, they all seem to require Alien Alloys too, so having an early abundance is going to set you on the right path from the moment you have the ability. Do not wait to unlock this. 

Weapon Upgrades

• Advanced Battery 1 and 2

The battery in your pistol directly affects your ammo capacity, so while the game starts at a lowly 8 rounds per charge, you can eventually double that if you go all the way down the skill tree. We'd recommend you lend some resources to at least the first two levels of this skill as that will bring you to 12 rounds per shot, increasing your ammo capacity by 50% and making some of the game's challenging bosses that much easier.

• Improved Damage 1 and 2

Like the battery, you'll want to consider enhancing your gun's damage, as it starts out feeling a bit like a peashooter. By the end of this four-level branch, you can blow away most anything with a single round or two, but some of that is more power than you need. Still, we'd recommend at least upgrading this twice, with the bare minimum being once if you want to outduel the game's predators.

• Fast Reload 1 and 2

This one is also pretty obvious, but you'd be surprised just how much of a difference it makes. No spoilers, but you'll not want to be caught with your chamber empty during the final boss. Upgrading this at least once feels crucial and twice will really give you a leg up against some of the game's toughest baddies.

Item Upgrades

• Bombegranate Booster

A bit like a more colorful and comedic BioShock, your adventures on the titular savage planet demand you always have a secondary item in your left hand. Sometimes it's a gassy grenade, or a big syringe (for science!), or, most enjoyably, it's a cleverly named bombegranate. Though they do good damage at the base level, you'll definitely want to upgrade them to bring a bigger boom to the biggest foes.

• Better and Best Utility Belts

Early in the game, you'll only be able to carry three of each item like those mentioned above. Three is pretty restricting. Five is better, and 10 is best. Upgrade your belt with those named improvements and really reap the benefit of a more expansive inventory. It makes different completing experiments and finding secrets much easier.

Gear Upgrades

• Precious Stuff Magnet

This bluntly titled vacuum-like upgrade literally sucks up elements "dropped" by the creatures of the savage planet, so you don't have to run around scooping them up before they disappear. They do remain on the ground longer than you may expect, but this is still a great time saver, even if it's on the lower tier among these other necessary upgrades.

Backpack Upgrades

• Triple- and Quadruple-Jump Thrusters

Every Metroidvania game has that awesome moment when you unlock the game-changing new platforming ability. Maybe it's a grappling hook or a ground pound. Often, as it is in Savage Planet, it's double-jump. And what's better than double-jump? Triple-jump. But don't stop there. Typhoon even lets you unlock a "level design-breaking" fourth jump. If you're planning on 100%-ing the game, you'll need these anyway, but they're just so handy no matter what.

This upgrade cluster makes finding all of the game's Orange Goo and Alien Alloy locations that much easier. 

• Advanced Launch Boosters

You'll get the base level launch boosters from the story, but take them all the way, and you'll find you can reach a lot of important hiding spots, usually hiding that precious Orange Goo or other secrets. You can even use this one in conjunction with your extra jumping, which gives you awesome aerial reach. 

Upgrades You Can Wait On

The upgrade tree is often a difficult decision on wants versus needs. It asks you to balance your play style as best you can with limited resources. For that reason, don't spend crucial resources on items that won't do much for you. While you prioritize the above unlockables, you can put these three on the backburner.

1. Landing Impact Nullifier
2. Fuel Detector
3. Faster Refuel

In the case of the Nullifier, it removes fall damage, which is nice but far from necessary since even a basic well-timed double-jump will spare you that pain if you engage thrusters shortly before you hit the ground.

The Fuel Detector is nice too, but a completionist run won't need the fuel until the very end. I found four out of five fuel tanks without this upgrade anyway, and I don't want the fifth until it's the last thing on my checklist.

As for Faster Refueling, it allows you to jump more often, but I didn't see any issue with the speed of that recharge anyway, not even once I unlocked quadruple-jumping. It's pretty fast by default. How often do you actually plan on jumping? It's not a K-Pop concert.

With all of this before you, you're now fit with the insight to take on those massive monsters, clear that vast gap, locate those crucial collectibles, and endure another silly commercial — okay, maybe we can't help with those. Good luck! 

For more on Typhoons Studios' action-adventure exploration game, be sure to check out our other Journey to the Savage Planet guides. Here are a few you might find useful: 

• Orange Goo Locations
• Alien Alloy Locations
• How to Kill the Green Cube

Be sure to check out our official review of the game, too, where we said, "With an intriguing world and creature design, the right amount of retro principles, and a surprisingly long post-credits tail worth chasing, Journey to the Savage Planet is a light-hearted, charming debut from a promising new studio.