Lifeless Planet Review

"Amazing Open World Exploration"

Campaign

Lifeless Planet is amazing, that's the simplest way to put it. It's a game bent on exploration and wandering which to some may be boring, but in my opinion it tells a great story. This planet is not at all what you think it is, but what you do discover in this haunting world is a mystery that just keeps you playing until right through until the very end. I originally played Lifeless Planet during early access from which only a portion of the game was available and it ended at such a cliff hanger that I was ecstatic to finally get to play it again. The overall finished game was really stunning, whether it be the vast open areas or the really eerie feel I got while exploring it. Onto the game and a bit of what's going on, you're a astronaut sent into a spacecraft from which you will never see Earth again and are sent on a mission of exploration to this apparently lush planet. Things go horribly wrong and you crash, then you must go out to explore the world around you. You must discover where your crew is, solve a number of mysteries and continue on a path to get to the bottom of what happened to this world as it isn't the lush paradise you were expecting. Instead you face this harsh landscape that is very arid and deprived of life, that's until you come across this Soviet woman out there in the wild. That really is the large majority of what happens is going on this path of discovery and trying to survive a harsh environment that's literally trying to kill you in a bunch of differing ways. It was just crazy seeing this place of ruins, that was creepy and so deprived with only a woman to chase about. I'd say the majority of the story is also told through audio logs and written logs that give back story of the events that shaped this landscape. There's a whole level of Sci Fi to it that so many fans of the genre will just love. I don't want to spoil any details of the actual story and just set forth an idea. Though I will comment that the lava area was a frustrating part of the game with it being too dark to see despite it being surrounded by lava! Felt like an outcast Mustafar area to be honest. A final mention is that I loved the whole mix of what was happening and exploration of its secrets that were mixed into the main characters actual life before this mission.

Gameplay

Lifeless Planet provides a solid and very simple control system from which you play the game. It requires little use of keys and can also be played with a controller if that's your fancy. Mechanics are relatively simple from using the jetpack to clear gaps, hopping over things and solving very logical puzzles. My only real issue with it, is that some of the dark areas were too dark and there was a large focus on wandering as the differing areas are quite vast in scale. The planet was quite brilliant in terms of atmosphere and was chilly, but some of the textures could've been a little better. Though that really is looking into it at a quality level and real strength was the amazing story.

The Conclusion

You should really experience Lifeless Planet and it's amazing world of exploration. The Sci Fi aspects are both intriguing and chilling right until the very end of it all. I was really captured by the game and actually went through everything in one straight play with it all being really rewarding with what I discovered in this vast area. It's one of linear path, though your own need of exploration will send you off all over the place to check out the beauty of the landscapes. So once more, Lifeless Planet is amazing with a path of calm exploration. There's no enemies expect for the very environment that you're trying to traverse through.

Lifeless Planet for PC
Review code provided by Lace Games

Rating Overall: 9.0