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Here at Try Hard Guides , I get a lot of request to review new and voguish games , from highly foretell ternary - A titles to the next approaching indie darling ( I could n’t have predictedMouthwashing’sbreakout success , for model ) . However , when I have clip , I like to explore game we have n’t been call for to look back but that catch my interest . Planet Miners was one such rubric , and while it get my aid , I was disappointed and guess it needs more study .
If you have n’t heard of this obscure game yet , Planet Miners has a middling uncomplicated , albeit cool , pitch shot : As an independent excavation robot , you fly to different planets in the local solar system and mine for resources . Each satellite has a finite amount of each resource , with some get access to ore that others might not . The resources you involve to upgrade thing like your drills , inventory , jetpack , etc . , need progressively rare resourcefulness as your equipment improve .
Interesting conception though it may be , it ’s not exactly original . Some savvy gamers among you reader may have already realize Planet Miners is very exchangeable in conception to Starbound , a Chucklefish pilot that has maintain insane popularity since its 2016 dismission . Keep that comparison in mind .
While two games can be exchangeable , it does n’t kill my enjoyment of either . The massive genres of games inspired by Minecraft , Stardew Valley , and Dark Souls ( what a triumvirate , huh ? ) prove you’re able to do a familiar construct differently and still have histrion enjoy your game . It ’s all about whether you do something different than your inspirations , making a plot that , while familiar , still stand on its own merit .
The proceeds with Planet Miners is that it not only die to deviate from its inspirations , it does n’t even survive up to the bare bone of the convention it ’s emulating .
When you boot up a new Planet Miners plot , you ’re brought to a astronomical map with a choice of planets . Traveling to these planets gives you a novel biome and a 2D mat plane of block to dig down in . As you dig , you notice raw ore that you then mine , carry back to the surface via your jetpack , and either put into your ship or craft at once for basic upgrades . There are about four or five rising slope for each vista of the game ’s mechanics and a smattering of craftable token .
What I just described is the entireness of the Planet Miners experience . For a game all about labor , it ironically lacks depth . The repetitious gameplay loop-the-loop sees you digging , grabbing imagination , upgrading ( so you’re able to dig quicker and carry more ) , and then , once you run out of ore ( or get blase ) , traveling to a new planet to replicate the process . Once you ’re out of upgrades , the game has essentially ended .
There are no quest , building car-mechanic , shop , trade systems , or a greater end game . There ’s also no duologue , scarce any spiritedness or optic flair , and no memorable euphony . Even simple quality - of - lifetime features , such as quickly affect items between container , are missing , giving Planet Miners an unfinished smell .
This unfinished feeling is n’t helped by glitch , like infinitely placing blocks after craft one .
If Planet Miners were a destitute speech sound biz or something on Roblox , it would be decent . However , the kicker is that , at full cost , Planet Miners costs about $ 11.00 — hard to justify take the amount of content .
This is especially true liken to Starbound , a compare you ’ll no doubt make . Never mind Starbound ’s campaign , side pursuance , dungeon , immense array of block , building system ( that lets you build communities ) , and explorable surfaces ; it drastically dominate Planet Miners only with the profoundness of its mining grease monkey .
Considering this , it ’s hard to advocate Planet Miners at $ 11.00 when Starbound is often less than $ 5.00 .
Planet Miners could have been unique and play . By ignore the RPG and building mechanic of Starbound , it could have double down on mining . Instead , it feels like a tech demo — a shallow secret plan that , candidly , I do n’t recommend . I ’d like to see it pulled from Steam and given more development time .
The Final Word
Planet Miners reeled me in with a fun conception , but failed to wow with its underdeveloped nature and deficiency of depth . The game has potential , but needs more development time and a design shift .
taste Hard Guides received a PC review code for this secret plan . line up more elaborate looks at democratic and upcoming titles on ourGame Reviewspage ! Planet Miners is available onSteam .
