Planet Explorers

Last updated
Planet Explorers
Planet Explorers cover art.jpg
Developer(s) Pathea Games
Publisher(s) Pathea Games
Engine Unity
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux
Release
  • WW: November 8, 2016
Genre(s) Adventure, sandbox, role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player, co-op, multiplayer

Planet Explorers is an adventure role-playing video game developed and published by Pathea Games. Development began in January 2014, existing as an early access game. The game was released on 8 November 2016 for Microsoft Windows, OS X and Linux on the Steam digital distribution platform.

Contents

The gameplay of Planet Explorers allows players to change the terrain, to build walls, bridges and ramps, up to complex structures and buildings with a lot of customization, to save and copy them. Players can create an unlimited number of objects, including weapons, armor and different vehicles in any form with stats depending on their ingredients/materials, and to do this anywhere. Other activities in the game include exploration, resource gathering and combat. As of June 2019, multiplayer is no longer available due to code being deleted from their servers. The game is now free to play on Steam. The source code to the game will be released in the near future.

Gameplay

Planet Explorers is a third- or first-person (F5-key toggles the view), sandbox adventure game. Players can build custom vehicles, weapons, VTOL and pretty much anything else and use it in game. There are two major gameplay areas in Planet Explorers, one being the Story mode, the other being Adventure mode. Story mode features a set map and multiple quests that progress throughout the game. Adventure mode is a random procedural map that contains random quests and events, which lets players select the type of planet and climate they want to visit, so that they can quickly buy goods in such established colony. [1] Further, the game play is a mixture of 3rd person action and adventure, with the player able to use multiple weapons and objects. There are around 70 kinds of creatures and more than 15 kinds of minerals that can be utilized by humans on planet Maria. Although some creatures are as tall as buildings and are fierce enough to kill humans, herbivores tend to be docile.

This sandbox game makes use of a new OpenCL system on the Unity engine, which enables players to alter the terrain and create objects. [2]

Story mode

This game mode involves following the main story quest arc, in addition to numerous side quests, to progress through the game. It features a 17x8 km world map with many unique characters, landscapes, locations and over 100 types of potential enemies. Players are free to choose how to play the story, they can fight or be peaceful, build a farm, make food, keep the colonists alive, negotiate with the sentient aliens or defend the perimeter from the local life forms. Story mode also features co-op with other players.

Adventure mode

Adventure mode was added to Planet Explorers in Alpha version 0.61. [3] In this mode, the game creates a random procedural map that contains random quests and events. However, the players can select the type of planet and climate. It allows the players to wander freely in an open world, buy templates, resources and equipment.

Builder mode

In builder mode, players have access to infinite resources, items and equipment in the game through the inventory menu, and can place or remove them instantly. This mode has no enemies and helps the players focus on building and creating large projects.

Plot

Planet Explorers takes place in the year 2287. One of the first colony ships sent out by Earth arrives at the planet Maria, an unknown planet in the Epsilon Indi Star System. During its landing sequence, as something goes wrong, the massive ship loses control and crashes into the planet. What originally was a first colony mission has now turned into a mission for mere survival on an unforgiving planet filled with creatures ready to outlast the visitors from Earth. In order to survive in this new world the survivors will have to explore, gather, build, create, fight or befriend the planet inhabitants, and ultimately, establish a lasting new home.

Development

Voice cast

The primary quest giver, Ataro Baatar is voiced by actor Vincent van Ommen. [4] Other voice talents include Ben Britton, Katabelle, Anthony Sardinha, and Omri Rose.

Soundtrack

The Planet Explorers - Official Soundtrack is composed by Aakaash Rao and features woodwind players Sandro Friedrich and Lucian Nagy, cellist Deryn Cullen, and singers Zefora Alderman and Graham Foote. [4] The soundtrack contains 14 tracks and has been be made available on Valve's digital distribution platform, Steam, as downloadable content for the main game. [5]

No.TitleComposerLength
1."Planet Explorers"Aakaash Rao feat. Zefora Alderman, Graham Foote, lyrics by May Huang2:15
2."Redstone Canyons"Aakaash Rao feat. Sandro Friedrich, Deryn Cullen3:05
3."Rainforest"Aakaash Rao feat. Deryn Cullen, Lucian Nagy1:55
4."Grasslands"Aakaash Rao4:56
5."Dénouement"Aakaash Rao1:55
6."Swampland"Aakaash Rao feat. Sandro Friedrich3:30
7."Lost City Winter"Aakaash Rao2:36
8."Underground Caverns"Aakaash Rao3:36
9."Volcanic Area"Aakaash Rao3:48
10."Mountains"Aakaash Rao3:43
11."To the New World"Aakaash Rao2:20
12."Alien Camp"Aakaash Rao3:47
13."Voxel Editor"Aakaash Rao4:14
14."Life, in the Unlikeliest of Places"Aakaash Rao feat. Deryn Cullen and Sandro Friedrich3:40
Total length:1:06:10

Reception

The public alpha release was generally well received. Many publications and individual people have referred fondly to Planet Explorers and praised the game's creative aspects and unlimited options of customization, including PC Gamer, [10] Rock, Paper, Shotgun [1] and RatSplatGaming. [11] However, most reviewers refrained from giving an actual score based on the game's early access status.

PC Gamer's Emanuel Maiberg described an early iteration of the in-development game as "There are hundreds of hours of entertainment to be had with Planet Explorers if you want put in the time to extract them but it's too unattractive to bear for that long." and criticized user-interface elements and the technical issues with the game, though mentioning that Pathea Games updates the game regularly. [10]

Armed Gamer placed Planet Explorers in the top 5 of Steam Early Access Games to Keep on Your Radar saying "This is certainly the game to keep an eye on once it develops into beta and onward." [12] Planet Minecraft praised the unlimited possibilities the game has to offer, ultimately saying "Is it worth the money? I really believe it is. The vision of where the game will go in the future is really exciting." [13]

Related Research Articles

A video game with nonlinear gameplay presents players with challenges that can be completed in a number of different sequences. Each player may take on only some of the challenges possible, and the same challenges may be played in a different order. Conversely, a video game with linear gameplay will confront a player with a fixed sequence of challenges: every player faces every challenge and has to overcome them in the same order.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandbox game</span> Type of video game encouraging creativity

A sandbox game is a video game with a gameplay element that provides players a great degree of creativity to interact with, usually without any predetermined goal, or alternatively with a goal that the players set for themselves. Such games may lack any objective, and are sometimes referred to as non-games or software toys. More often, sandbox games result from these creative elements being incorporated into other genres and allowing for emergent gameplay. Sandbox games are often associated with an open world concept which gives the players freedom of movement and progression in the game's world. The term "sandbox" derives from the nature of a sandbox that lets children create nearly anything they want within it.

In video games, an open world is a virtual world in which the player can approach objectives freely, as opposed to a world with more linear and structured gameplay. Notable games in this category include The Legend of Zelda (1986), Grand Theft Auto III (2001) and Minecraft (2011).

<i>Minecraft</i> 2011 video game

Minecraft is a sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios and originally released in 2009. The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java programming language. Following several early private testing versions, it was first made public in May 2009 before being fully released in November 2011, with Notch stepping down and Jens "Jeb" Bergensten taking over development. Minecraft has become the best-selling video game in history, with over 300 million copies sold and nearly 140 million monthly active players as of 2023. It has been ported to several platforms.

<i>Fortnite: Save the World</i> Co-op sandbox survival game developed by Epic Games

Fortnite: Save the World is a cooperative hybrid-third-person looter shooter tower defense sandbox survival video game developed and published by Epic Games, part of the game Fortnite. The game was released as a paid-for early access title for macOS, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on July 25, 2017, with plans for a full free-to-play release announced in late 2018. Epic eventually opted to move the game to pay-to-play in June 2020. The retail versions of the game were published by Gearbox Software, while online distribution of the PC versions is handled by Epic's launcher.

<i>Starbound</i> 2016 video game

Starbound is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Chucklefish. Starbound takes place in a two-dimensional, procedurally generated universe which the player is able to explore in order to obtain new weapons, armor, and items, and to visit towns and villages inhabited by various intelligent lifeforms. Starbound was released out of early access in July 2016 for Windows, OS X, and Linux, and for Windows via Xbox Game Pass in December 2020.

<i>Dont Starve</i> 2013 video game developed by Klei Entertainment

Don't Starve is a survival video game developed by the Canadian indie video game developer Klei Entertainment. The game was initially released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux on April 23, 2013. A PlayStation 4 port, renamed Don't Starve: Giant Edition, became available the following year. Don't Starve for iOS, renamed Don't Starve: Pocket Edition was released on July 9, 2015. An Android version was released on October 20, 2016. Downloadable content titled Reign of Giants was released on April 30, 2014, and a multiplayer standalone expansion called Don't Starve Together became free for existing users on June 3, 2015. On Steam, this game is able to be purchased with a free copy for a friend. A Nintendo Switch port came out on April 12, 2018.

<i>7 Days to Die</i> 2013 video game

7 Days to Die is a survival horror video game set in an open world developed by The Fun Pimps. It was released through Early Access on Steam for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X on December 13, 2013, and for Linux on November 22, 2014. Versions for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were released in 2016 through Telltale Publishing, but are no longer being developed. In late 2022, The Fun Pimps announced that the game will be re-released on consoles targeting Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. It is also available on Xbox One via Game Pass, but still unknown if it will return on PlayStation 4.

<i>King Arthurs Gold</i> 2013 free-to-play action video game

King Arthur's Gold is a free online action game developed and published by Transhuman Design for Windows, Mac and Linux.

<i>StarMade</i> 2012 video game

StarMade is an effectively infinite open-universe space simulation sandbox game in development by Schine for Windows, macOS, and Linux. StarMade is currently in alpha and is free to play, during alpha.

<i>Starpoint Gemini 2</i> 2010 space trading and combat video game

Starpoint Gemini 2 is a space trading and combat simulator developed by the Croatian-based Little Green Men Games development studio. It is a direct sequel to Starpoint Gemini, which was released in 2010.

<i>StarForge</i> 2014 video game

StarForge is a video game developed by CodeHatch for Microsoft Windows. It is a Voxel-based Sandbox game that allows for customization of guns and building of bases. It is a game about gathering resources, building bases, crafting and surviving on an alien planet. The game was released 18 September 2014. On January 27, 2017, after numerous allegations of the game being abandoned and being an outright scam, StarForge was made free to download and removed from sale on Steam.

<i>Planet Coaster</i> 2016 video game published by Frontier Developments

Planet Coaster is a construction and management simulation video game developed and published by Frontier Developments for Windows. It was released worldwide on 17 November 2016. Frontier had previously worked in the amusement park construction and management genre with RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, Thrillville, Thrillville: Off the Rails, and Zoo Tycoon. A version for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, known as Planet Coaster: Console Edition, was released worldwide on 10 November 2020. The PlayStation 5 version was released in North America and Australia on 12 November 2020 and in Europe on 19 November 2020. A macOS version, developed by Aspyr, was later released on 17 November 2020 on both Steam and Mac App Store.

<i>Hand of Fate</i> (video game) 2015 video game

Hand of Fate is an action role-playing video game developed and published by Australian studio Defiant Development for Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, released via early access on 7 July 2014, and then in the full release on 17 February 2015. A PlayStation Vita version was announced but ultimately cancelled due to development issues.

<i>Lego Worlds</i> 2017 Lego-themed sandbox game

Lego Worlds is a Lego-themed sandbox game developed by Traveller's Tales and published by Warner Bros. Games. The game allows players to build constructions in a 3D procedurally generated world. A beta version of the game was released on 1 June 2015 on Steam Early Access. It was released on 7 March 2017 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. A version for Nintendo Switch was released on 5 September 2017 in North America and 8 September 2017 in Europe.

<i>Cube Life: Island Survival</i> 2015 indie sandbox video game

Cube Life: Island Survival is an indie open world sandbox survival video game developed and published by Cypronia. It was released for Wii U in June 2015. An HD remake was released for Steam in April 2018, for Android and iOS in August 2018, and for Nintendo Switch in December 2020.

<i>Boundless</i> (video game) 2018 massively multiplayer online sandbox game

Boundless is a massively multiplayer online sandbox game, developed by Guildford-based studio Wonderstruck Games. It was released through Early access on Steam for Microsoft Windows and OS X on November 13, 2014. It was fully released on September 11, 2018, and features online cross-play across all regions with PlayStation 4.

<i>Medieval Engineers</i> 2020 video game

Medieval Engineers is a voxel-based sandbox computer game set on an unnamed Earth-like planetoid without water that can be explored, mined, manipulated, and deformed. It was developed and published by Czech developer Keen Software House. On February 19, 2015, Medieval Engineers was released as an early access game on the Steam platform, and the full version was released on March 17, 2020.

<i>Survivalcraft</i> Sandbox video game

Survivalcraft is a 2011 open sandbox video game developed by Marcin Igor Kalicinski under the brand Candy Rufus Games. Following early test versions, it was released on 16 November 2011 for the Windows Phone, and is also available for Android, iOS, and Microsoft Windows. The game is set on a deserted island in an open world, where the player collects resources and items that can be made into survival tools. The game has six different game modes: Survival, Challenging, Cruel, Harmless, Adventure, and Creative. of which the first four involve the player gathering necessary resources to stay alive. The Creative mode gives the player unlimited items and health, and the Adventure mode is used for quest maps and parkours.

<i>Scrap Mechanic</i> 2016 video game

Scrap Mechanic is a sandbox video game developed for Windows by Swedish game studio and publisher Axolot Games, in which players can build machines, vehicles, and buildings, and share their creations online. The initial version of the game, released on January 20, 2016, was a creative mode with unlimited access to all available parts for building. On the day of its release, it was the top-selling game on Steam and is estimated to have 1–2 million sales. The survival mode update for the game, with new game mechanics including wildlife, scavenging, farming, and cooking, as well as an underwater biome, was released on May 7, 2020. It was the third-best-selling game on Steam the week after the update.

References

  1. 1 2 "Planet Explorers". Rock Paper Shotgun. Christopher Livingston - rockpapershotgun.com. 24 March 2014. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  2. ↑ "Planet Explorers - paragraph 1". Pathea Games. Retrieved October 16, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Planet Explorers version Alpha 0.61 released". Gamepedia . Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  4. 1 2 "Planet Explorers - Voice Cast". IMDb . 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Planet Explorers Final 1.0 Released on Steam". gamasutra.com. 8 November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "Planet Explorers Alpha Review". Gameslikefinder.com. 16 April 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  7. ↑ "Planet Explorers Alpha Review". SirusGaming. 5 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "Planet Explorers Review". gamegrin.com. 9 November 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  9. ↑ "Planet Explorers Alpha Review". GameInformer.com. 25 March 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Planet Explorers Early Access Review". PCGamer.com. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  11. ↑ "Planet Explorers: Alpha Preview - Ratsplat Gaming". Archived from the original on 2016-09-16. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
  12. ↑ "Planet Explorers Top 5 Early Access Games on Steam". ArmedGamer.com. 21 June 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  13. ↑ "Planet Explorers Early Access Review". PlanetMinecraft. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.