The Planet Crafter

Another game I got when it came out on steam because gog didn't sell it. It's been a few weeks or so for it to come to gog. The initial part of the game is pretty standard for this type of survival game. Gather, build, gather some more. At first the game gives you mini-tasks to complete, which shows the kind of things you'll be doing. Some of the things you'll build are things like a base, storage for materials, machines to process those things. After the first few mini-tasks, the goals become a bit less obvious, but reasonably clear to fathom. There's no enemy, unless one counts dwindling oxygen, the need for food and water. Your overall goal is to raise air pressure, adding oxygen and flora.. As you reach certain levels in these goals, you obtain access to more items, new machines and better versions of the ones you've been using and access to items for aesthetics. In the mean time, meteors fall bringing some more items to gather. One odd thing is that the meteors don't damage equipment you've built. At first, the goals are reasonably obtainable and about the start of mid-game, one can see definite effects, like the sky turning blue, rain falling, which fills depressions in the ground, etc. After a certain point around the latter mid-game, the goals stretch way out there. There's not much in the way of automation like many other games of this type. So expect to be running around moving stuff into machines and gathering materials to feed the machines. There are a few ship wrecks where one can find some materials, a few bases from previous, unsuccessful planet crafters. Overall, I've had fun, at least up to the latter mid-game. After that, the goals appear to be so far off that they feel unreachable. As an early access game, sometimes updates mean a new game. Unfortunate, but expected for early access. I'm thinking of buying another copy from gog, to support gog (although I'm not always happy with them) and for that DRM-less prize.

I'm now about 130 hours into this game, at 0.03% mammals stage, having all but 2 blueprints unlocked. So I think it's time I put my opinions in writing. "The Planet Crafter" appears to have taken inspiration from both "Subnautica" and "Osiris: New Dawn" (nobody try to tell me that the Mushroom River cavern wasn't inspired by Subnautica's Jellyshroom Caves), but rather than being stranded and trying to escape you're a convict tasked with terraforming a planet in exchange. Pros: - The premise works well, and seeing the planet become more and more habitable over time is quite satisfying. - Early progression is great. - Beautiful locations, and the explanation why some are initially locked off (and why they become accessible later on) works well. - Quite a few things to explore and discover. - Automatic collection and crafting is possible. - No hostile NPCs. Cons: - Late game progression is terrible (about half of my time in game was spent AFK waiting for blueprints to unlock). - Automation is required (late game feels like it's making a left turn towards Factorio or Satisfactory). However, drone management (a requirement) unlocks way too late in the game. - Trading also unlocks way too late, considering the huge discrepancy between buying and selling prices. - Plotlines feel a bit underdeveloped (the Wardens storyline is kinda bland and also has some plotholes; the prior terraforming attempts plotline shows some promise, but depends greatly on whether the developers go anywhere with it or not). - No hostile NPCs. If you enjoy survival games and aren't completely opposed to factory building sims I'd suggest to give this one a try. But if you do, make sure to automate resource gathering and crafting as soon as possible (because you will need to deploy substantial amounts of machinery, and replace it as soon as new tiers unlock, in order to maintain an at least halfway reasonable terraformation progress), otherwise the grind will become unbearable.

I absolutely love this game and would recommend it for anyone just looking to chill. I know a lot of people compare it to Subnautica on Mars. I've never played Subnautica so I can't compare, but it's so fun to explore the planet, see what's going on, build cooler bases, try to progress. The only real complaint at the moment is that it's an unfinished game, but I always get so excited for the updates to expore some more and see what's new that the devs have aded.

After 77 hours I can say: The game does so much right, it's really fun! I'm busy all the time. There's always something to do: procuring resources for a new heater, finally growing the first beans myself, or taking a closer look at the wreck over there ... It's worth taking a look at the prologue - and getting hooked! Of course, all beginnings are difficult. But soon I learned to deal with the adversities of terraforming: Never leave an escape pod or base without enough water and oxygen. And as soon as there is some more space in the backpack, it is always worth to have enough resources for a small shelter. Then I don't need to look anxiously into the sky, if no meteor shower is approaching! The initial tasks teach you the most important things: Where is oxygen? Where is water? How do I get better equipment? After that I had to manage on my own - but because of the information screens it works quite well. On the way, I also found some food. And seeds - which meant for me: There must be a way to grow food myself. So I attentively looked at the screen with the blueprints (1x iron, 1x silicon) and studied the different blueprints - and discovered that there are food growers. But it was a long way until then! But one that is worthwhile! How beautiful the first raindrops are - and how proud I feel when the sky gradually turns blue ... Now, after a total of 77 hours of play (and 3 restarts – 1x easy, 2x standard), I'm very happy with what I've accomplished. The only blueprint I can't do yet is ore extractor T3. In terraforming, I have just reached the "Breathable Atmosphere" level. On the way to "Fish" I am at 0.017% currently. But since they don't exist yet, I'm just wondering if I should just wait or start again with a higher difficulty level....