Lifeless Planet Review

Lifeless Planet is a puzzle platformer that follows the story of an nameless astronaut who is sent off with his crew to survey a planet with a promising habitat; unfortunately, something goes wrong during the landing and their vessel crashes. Upon waking up, he finds out that the crew is missing and that the land that was supposed to be lush with green is actually a barren wasteland. Shortly after, he discovers his crew has been murdered, and the only other living being is a Russian woman named Aelita, who has strange powers. 

The premise itself is haunting, but rarely does a developer actually capture the essence of the empty loneliness in such stories. I'm a huge fan of survival and space-themed games, and despite all the ones I've tried, Lifeless Planet is the only one that's made me feel the hollowness of being stranded on a dead planet. The complete lack of HUD paired up with the sporadically-sounding soundtrack made the world seem so much bigger and emptier than any other title I have played; I was immediately sucked into the story. What happened to the crew? Why was the planet barren?

Although the complete lack of HUD is one of the most charming aspects for me, I think it might get annoying for some people. Without any sort of marker or indication of what I was supposed to be doing — aside from the notes the astronaut was making to detail his journey — it was very easy to get lost and confused. I spent a lot of time just wandering around, trying to figure out where I had to go because of it. Additionally, although at first I was excitedly exploring every nook and cranny I could find (as well as parkouring everywhere), my adventurous spirit soon withered because of the constant deaths. It's not just that it's difficult to tell where you can jump to and where you'll plummet to your death, it's also the fact that the game has checkpoints, so you'll be brought to the same spot over and over.

That being said, there isn't much to explore anyway. Although the game sells itself as an action-adventure puzzle platformer, it's really a walking simulator with platforming and light puzzles. I'm not even sure that any of them can even be called a puzzle anyway because it's always the same thing, and it's really mindless: all you do is grab the ball with the mechanical arm and drag it to the hole. Only towards the end did the puzzles actually take some thinking and planning, and even then, it was still extremely straightforward. That's not really a bad thing as long as you don't go into Lifeless Planet thinking you'll need any logic or thought — the game is awesome as a walking sim. 

I had ups and downs with this title. Sometimes, I was quite smitten by it, like when I would explore new areas of the planet or when there was a moment between the protagonist and Aelita. Unfortunately, sometimes I would get bored of just walking behind the green area she would leave behind to mark the trail — especially when all the recordings I found parroted similar things and there were no collectibles or hidden secrets to find. 

Speaking of recordings, let me elaborate a bit more on the story of Lifeless Planet. The astronaut finds out that the barren land really was a lush habitat at one point, but something had happened that ruined the entire planet, and his only clue is a small Russian town and many recordings detailing their story. By far, Lifeless Planet's most interesting aspect is the plot; although the tapes get a bit repetitive in their attitude towards the end, it picks up again and finishes on a great point. Unlike many games, Lifeless Planet doesn't rely on a vague conclusion or open-ended finales — you get your answer at the end, and it's a very satisfying one. Unique, even. Unfortunately, I do wish it had been less "Mother Russia", as the way the Soviets are represented felt a bit stereotypical and cartoony. 

Lastly, although the graphics aren't magnificent (especially Aelita's model), the game is quite pretty, particularly during certain areas where I found myself just admiring the scenery. Additionally, the developer did an excellent job at putting music in important moments, and the soundtracks themselves were really nice to listen to.

Overall, as long as you go into Lifeless Planet expecting what it'll be like — a lot of walking, a lot of parkouring, and a lot of focus on the story — I'm sure you'll find something to love.