Planet Crafter

[Leisher]

TLDR: A very cool, relaxing game where you terraform planets by exploring, finding resources, crafting tools, and so on. There's no combat, which is a bit of a bummer, but it would throw off the game's vibes.

You're a prisoner and Sentinel Corp is offering you a chance at freedom if you terraform a planet they can then colonize.

This is very close to being a Subnautica clone. Has an extremely similar graphic style and mechanics. Like Subnautica, the story is lightand found through exploration and hitting certain milestones.

If I'm being honest, the story for Prime (the planet you're on) is also like Subnautica in that it leaves a lot to be desired.

However, you're not here for that. It's the gameplay that saves the day here. It looks good and it plays well. FPS.

It's fun to see the planet you're on go through the stages from a barren wasteland to actually supporting life.

There are additional planets, both free and DLC. I've just begun terraforming 3 of 5. The devs says there's more stuff coming this year too.

Oh, and I should add that there's a mechanic in the game to get unlimited resources. It's clever, but gets repetitive. Absolutely NOT needed, so I'm not dinging it.

I think the only "negatives" I'd give it are:
-Items in game need more interactivity. Great, I built a pool table. Now let me play it... There are other examples, but you get the idea.
-Stories could be far more solid, and like Subnautica, where are the bodies? I'm finding notes from years prior, so why am I not finding the bodies?
-Story needs to be tightened up.
-There's a small touch of "Item added for content, but you really don't use it" in the extra planets. However, I don't recall any recipes needing them. I just broke them into other resources. It's automated and easy, but that's really not making content. To fix this, if there's a sequel and I believe sales numbers warrant it, I'd like them to have a refining step. Let players collect their ores as usual (iron, cobalt, titanium, etc.), but then add a smelting step to put it into a usable form. It's a bit silly to grab two pieces of iron, and voila, here's an 8' tall locker or a small desk. Adding some refining would increase difficulty on the inventory management side.
-Slow down the evolution of the planet visually early on. I feel like my first rainfall came a bit too quick and was way too heavy. Meanwhile, add more visual indicators later. Are there different visuals if my planet's pressure isn't keeping up with Oxygen and heat? Be awesome if there were.
-Blueprints (actually microchips) need to be harder to find...a LOT harder. That would add to the importance of exploration, inventory management, and the rewarding feeling of opening up something new.

Subnautica clone (not sure it's fair to call it that) that is a pretty great concept. A great one if you don't want to talk to people, want to watch a movie/sports/YouTube at the same time, and/or don't want heavy dialogue/story.

Recommended.