Lifeless Planet
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Rating Summary
Based on 37 critic reviews
OpenCritic Rating
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Score Distribution
Unscored Reviews
Top Critic
Top Critic
So, for those interested in a no-frills, story driven sci-fi adventure that doesn't overstay its welcome, Lifeless Planet is well worth a closer look.
Top Critic
Every tone it attempts is struck with confidence and talent, from creeping horror to outright terror to reflective serenity. Give it a moment and you'll be stuck with it until you're finished.
Scored Reviews
It was great to play Lifeless Planet: Premier Edition on PlayStation 4. The graphic upgrades for this version and optimization here and there make it the definitive version, and who doesn't like an indie release with a full trophy count? I definitely had fun writing this Lifeless Planet: Premier Edition review, and I hope you try out this game soon!
Top Critic
Lifeless Planet is an absolute gem. While there might not be much reason to replay the game other than to re-experience the adventure, it's one experience I won't soon forget.
My time with the game for my Lifeless Planet: Premiere Edition was very entertaining. I kept playing the game in short bursts of 20-30 minutes at a time, searching around each new location to try and find some mineral samples that could bring me closer to unlocking a new trophy or two. The platforming mechanics were also fun during most of the time… except for the one time I jumped up a hill and ended up going through the ground, plummeting to my death as the game glitched. Certainly not a deal-breaker, but something I did want to mention.
Top Critic
Despite the lack of more expansive exploration and getting stuck in walls, Lifeless Planet was great fun. The story was very strong and the soundtrack and background music really set the tone for it over all. If you haven't played Lifeless Planet in the past it is certainly worth your time.
Despite the game's shortcomings and flaws, it's not a bad game. It could use some more work here and there to improve some minor issues, but Lifeless Planet is what it is. This can be a short game to complete depending on how you fast you want to get through it, with a minimum game time of roughly four to five hours.
Top Critic
If you're looking for a enjoyable exploration game on a distant planet then you may want to check this one out. The story is very interesting and the planet is fun to explore even if the controls don't always do what you want them to. However the price tag is kind of high for something you can finish in a few hours and if you want something with more action than you better avoid this as action is not what Lifeless Planet: Premier Edition is about. If none of that bothers you than by all means come explore this Lifeless Planet.
Top Critic
Some technical limitations hold Lifeless Planet back from being a completely immersive adventure, but ultimately the experience is memorable
Top Critic
Lifeless Planet is an interesting mash-up of genres, blending a walking simulator and platform-puzzling with a mysterious and quite gripping premise. Its slow pace mightn't be for everyone, but if you enjoy action adventures, are partial to tricky third-person platforming, and like classic sci-fi yarns, it's worth checking out.
Top Critic
The expansive vistas of the alien world in Lifeless Planet add to the loneliness and the emptiness of being the sole living being on an entire planet (sort of).
Top Critic
Lifeless Planet is bold and memorable and oddly sweet in the earnestness of its message and its preoccupations. It's a truly efficient payload. Fire it up and be transported.
Top Critic
Lifeless Planet is all about exploration and atmosphere (groan).
While Lifeless Planet it lacking in gameplay and uniqueness, the story it showcases is worth the time to discover.
Top Critic
Lifeless Planet's stark simplicity belies its heartfelt message. Its environmental blandness countered by a compelling story
Top Critic
I found that I enjoyed Lifeless Planet quite a bit after I spent a time with it and got past the frustrating aspects of the game. This title is 100% made for the 'niche-gamer' and won't appeal to a broader audience. This is evident with the level design frustrations early on, which will no doubt scare away some gamers from even playing past a certain point. Get past some of the rough patches though and there is some good to be found in this title, especially when it comes to the story driven narrative that takes you through this grand adventure.
Top Critic
With No Man's Sky looming on the horizon, all other sci-fi games are about to lose a lot of relevancy. Lifeless Planet released at a time when the game has the biggest chance to make a name for itself. It's just a shame the end result feels more like a prototype than a fully fleshed-out game. There is fun to be had, however, and if you'd like to support an indie developer and are in the mood for a short sci-fi story you can finish in a sitting or two, then give Lifeless Planet a try.
Lifeless Planet comes to Switch four years later with the same proposal, a proposal that can catch you or leave you mildly indifferent. Trying to cover several things, and it does not quite do it well, but at some point it succeeds, and together with a typical but effective mystery plot, it may have you glued to the screen for the five hours that the game can last, because the exploration is not awarded, and the development is more linear than it seems. However if this does not stop us and we know how to see its virtues, the game will be enjoyable.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Top Critic
Although Lifeless Planet has its fair share of faults, it's not a bad game.
Top Critic
The previews looked fantastic, but the final release of Lifeless Planet fails to build that potential into a worthy game.
Top Critic
Lifeless Planet seems to have a ton of potential beneath its lackluster surface, always seeming like a better game is lurking in there, just beyond your grasp.
Top Critic
Lifeless Planet isn't a bad game, far from it, in fact, but it seems to slightly miss the mark in everything it tries to do. Whether this was due to the title being overly ambitious, or just needing a little more time to bake in the oven, we'll never know. That being said, the game offers a lot of memorable moments throughout its several hour journey. Even if it may be flawed, Lifeless Planet is a game that wanted to do something different and that desire should be celebrated.
Lifeless Planet makes a great attempt to bring an original concept to life but fails to deliver in key areas.
Top Critic
The question is whether that is enough for you to invest here. Otherwise, platformer fans should look elsewhere to satiate their genre needs.
Top Critic
Even with all problems we mentioned, Lifeless Planet is a great achievement for its one-person-team, which, despite its technical problems and being monotony, should not be missed by the fans of the science fiction genre.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Top Critic
Lifeless Planet could've been so much more had key decisions been made with less limited breathing, more intricate puzzles, environmental expansion and better gameplay. Instead, it feels more like a second rate space adventure rather than the equivalent of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Oh, what could've been in the stars.
Top Critic
Lifeless Planet delivers a brief adventure just about worth taking, but it doesn't offer enough technically or say enough thematically, despite the odd flourish on both counts.
Top Critic
'Lifeless Planet' seems to have the necessary ingredients for a successful indie exploration and discovery game, but ultimately falls short of its potential.
Top Critic
While its crude looks and disparate gameplay elements can make for a spartan experience, there's still something bizarrely compelling about Lifeless Planet: Premiere Edition. There's nothing particularly remarkable about its occasional platforming and simple environmental puzzle solving - and its story never truly offers the payoff its mysteries set in place - but you'll still enjoy the short time you spend with it. An ambitious little curio, even four years after its original release, but one that sets its sights a little too high for its own good.
Top Critic
Unfortunately, doing so often feels more like a chore than a joy. The platforming here feels ancient The planet itself, while absolutely capturing the essence of it decaying, comes off as uninteresting to explore. Add in some monotonous puzzles, and what you're left with is a rather forgettable experience.
Top Critic
[Lifeless Planet] ultimately feels padded out and by the end of the game I couldn't wait for it to be over
Top Critic
Over ambition has killed what is a great premise for a story driven 3rd person game, regardless of it's humble beginnings.
Top Critic
The intriguing world of Lifeless Planet can't quite make up for the shoddy gameplay and frustrating glitches that accompany it.
Lifeless Planet: Premiere Edition may very well gain a few new fans based solely on its narrative. Unfortunately, the tedious ordeal of having to traipse around the planet for half a dozen hours like a clumsy jelly baby just doesn’t make the plot strong enough to be worth the hassle. While it may not sound like it, I do appreciate the hard work and effort it takes to independently craft an environment of such scale. However, it really doesn’t excuse the fact that this is an incredibly poorly made game, regardless of how interesting its premise may be.
Lifeless Planet: Premier Edition doesn't fix its issues on PlayStation 4, and instead adds new ones.
Top Critic
The great pity is that Lifeless Planet is not entirely without merit—Board has a good eye and ear for aesthetics. He'll make you trudge through a Mars-like landscape for five minutes and then have you turn a corner to find a 1970s-era Brutalist Soviet apartment block. Board loves this Duchamp readymade approach to level decoration, where mundane objects become striking by being dropped into an alien context. The Rich Douglas-composed soundtrack is majestic and mysterious, and Board uses it sparingly to preserve its power to move you. It is genuinely impressive to arrive at a Lifeless Planet vista, received by a stirring musical crescendo. It's a place that deserves a more compelling reason for you to visit it.
