Lifeless Planet Premier Edition

About

"Lifeless Planet Premier Edition" is a third-person action-adventure game set on a seemingly barren planet. The player, as an astronaut, discovers an abandoned Russian town and evidence of past human life, leading to questions about time travel and deception. The journey becomes more intriguing with the appearance of a Russian woman, Aelita, who adds a mysterious element to the narrative. The game is known for its old-school sci-fi story and spectacular environments.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Lifeless Planet Premier Edition screenshot

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,131 reviews

story851 positive mentions

stability58 negative mentions

The story is intriguing and keeps players engaged throughout the game.
The atmosphere and visuals create a sense of isolation and mystery, enhancing the overall experience.
The soundtrack is well-composed and fits the game's tone, adding to the immersion.

The gameplay is repetitive, with excessive walking and jumping that can become tedious.
Controls can be clunky and imprecise, leading to frustrating platforming sections.
The game lacks depth in its puzzles and exploration, often feeling linear and predictable.

story
2,116 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
56%
4%
The story of "Lifeless Planet" is a central focus, weaving a mysterious narrative that unfolds through exploration and the discovery of logs and recordings. While some players find the plot intriguing and atmospheric, others criticize it for being slow-paced, linear, and at times, lacking depth or coherence. Overall, the game is appreciated for its engaging story and immersive environment, though it may not satisfy those seeking more dynamic gameplay or complex storytelling.
- “The story is intriguing, and the atmosphere is captivating, making it a worthwhile experience for anyone who enjoys a good narrative.”
- “The story unfolds slowly as you wander through the world, and in between the moments of discovery, what it all means is left to your imagination.”
- “The story is the real point of playing this game, and it kept me engaged from start to finish.”
- “The backstory that you piece together through notes, recordings, and the main character talking to himself is actually good enough that it could have been developed into a good AAA game, but instead it's a 4-hour jogging simulator with PlayStation 2 graphics.”
- “The story is very anemic; most of it you have to read from a tablet that seemingly appears from nowhere.”
- “The story starts out very intriguing and leads to a sub-standard and clichéd ending.”
gameplay
586 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
66%
17%
The gameplay of "Lifeless Planet" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its simplicity and repetitiveness, primarily consisting of walking, jumping, and basic puzzle-solving. While some appreciate the atmospheric exploration and story-driven elements, others criticize the clunky mechanics, frustrating jumping controls, and lack of engaging gameplay variety, leading to a sense of monotony. Overall, the game is seen as more of a narrative experience than a challenging gameplay adventure, making it suitable for those who prioritize story over mechanics.
- “The gameplay difficulty increases as the game progresses to match up with the player's skills learned from playing the game.”
- “The gameplay is simple but works well, and I never had the same frustration with the platforming that others seem to have.”
- “The gameplay is atmospheric and exploration-focused, with some particularly unchallenging platforming that, if I'm honest, gets boring after a while.”
- “The gameplay is repetitive and dull; the scenery gets old after an hour of seeing just desert and rocks, there's four soundtracks and only one of them is decent, and the entire time, there's this hide-and-go-seek challenge to find minerals scattered around the world.”
- “The gameplay itself is where everything falls apart.”
- “The gameplay is extremely dull, however, because the only challenges, with the exception of three or four mini-puzzles, are 'don't jump too far' and 'splat!'”
atmosphere
551 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
31%
2%
The atmosphere of "Lifeless Planet" is widely praised for its immersive and haunting qualities, effectively conveying a sense of isolation and mystery through its visuals, sound design, and music. Many players appreciate the game's ability to evoke emotions and curiosity, although some note that the gameplay can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game's atmospheric elements are considered its strongest feature, making it a compelling choice for fans of exploration and narrative-driven experiences.
- “I love the atmosphere the game builds up.”
- “The atmosphere and the story go hand in hand.”
- “The atmosphere is great as is the soundtrack.”
- “The atmosphere is boring and has no character.”
- “There is no atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere wears paper-thin.”
graphics
498 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
51%
14%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they appear dated, often reminiscent of early 2000s titles. While some appreciate the atmospheric and immersive qualities of the visuals, others criticize them for lacking detail and polish, leading to a less engaging experience. Overall, the graphics are described as serviceable but not exceptional, with a few standout moments that contribute positively to the game's ambiance.
- “The graphics are amazing - if it were 1999.”
- “The graphics are great and I liked the character design of the woman (keeping it vague as heck to avoid spoilers) even if I wish they leaned into making her look way less human.”
- “The graphics hold up well for its age.”
- “The backstory that you piece together through notes, recordings, and the main character talking to himself is actually good enough that it could have been developed into a good AAA game, but instead it's a 4-hour jogging simulator with PlayStation 2 graphics.”
- “The graphics look like they are from the late 1990s, but gameplay feels smooth and solid.”
- “The graphics are jarringly bad.”
music
447 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
38%
1%
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric quality, enhancing the overall experience and complementing the story and visuals effectively. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, describing it as beautiful, haunting, and well-suited to the game's themes of isolation and exploration. However, some players note that the music can be sparse or repetitive at times, with abrupt transitions that may disrupt immersion. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant strength of the game, contributing to its emotional depth and engaging atmosphere.
- “The music is amazing.”
- “The soundtrack is breathtaking and the visual style of the game keeps you engaged long after you've exited.”
- “The music and atmosphere are quite good.”
- “The ending was pretty interesting, though there is virtually no real music till certain points... everything seems so quiet... even at the ending it just seemed rather complex and drawn out.”
- “Game really lacks much of anything, environments are really quite unvaried, and music tends to get repetitive.”
- “The music cut out randomly with harsh transitions that broke the mood.”
stability
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
2%
92%
The game's stability is frequently criticized, with many players reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and technical issues that hinder gameplay. Common problems include buggy physics, graphical glitches, and unreliable controls, leading to frustrating experiences such as instant deaths from minor interactions. While some players found the game playable despite these issues, the overall consensus is that it feels unpolished and in need of significant improvements.
- “The game seems relatively bug free, which was nice and had super simple controls.”
- “It was bug free, it ran smoothly and the vistas were visually beautiful.”
- “No glitches, no bugs, no issues except my poor timing on really easy jumps.”
- “The game is very buggy and easy to break.”
- “It is buggy and nearly unplayable at parts.”
- “Beautiful visuals, good story, and okay gameplay are ruined by horrible bugs and technical glitches.”
grinding
63 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
97%
The reviews highlight a pervasive sense of tedium associated with grinding in the game, with many players describing the gameplay as repetitive, slow, and frustrating. While some appreciated the exploration and story elements, the overwhelming consensus is that the tedious platforming and walking mechanics detract significantly from the overall experience, making it feel longer and less engaging than it should be. Overall, the game suffers from a lack of variety and challenge, leading to a grinding experience that many found unenjoyable.
- “There's a lot of grinding involved, but it feels rewarding.”
- “You'll need a second life to keep up with the grinding!”
- “The grinding can be intense, but it adds depth to the gameplay.”
- “The other 2 hours are a tedious boring slog of a walking simulator with the platforming depth of an Atari 2600 game, literally.”
- “Unfortunately, a legitimately engaging story became overshadowed by endless walking/backtracking and tedious jumping puzzles that felt more like pointless grinding.”
- “The game is mostly tedious running, with some boring jumping puzzles in between.”
replayability
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
52%
35%
Overall, the game exhibits very low replayability, with many players noting that once the story is completed, there is little motivation to play again. While some achievement hunters may find value in replaying to collect all achievements or hidden items, the linear nature and short duration of the game limit its appeal for multiple playthroughs. Most reviews suggest that it is best enjoyed as a one-time experience rather than a game to revisit.
- “There is also replay value, especially if you're an achievement hunter.”
- “I'd say there's at least a little bit of replayability, not just for the achievements, but to make sure you hear the whole story due to the way it is told through finding research and journals.”
- “While it has limited replayability, other than to run through it again, this game will stick in my mind as fully worth my time and money.”
- “That said, Lifeless Planet's real problem is that it drags on far longer than it should. It’s a ~6 hour game, and while there are hidden collectibles, I would doubt there is significant replay value.”
- “Replayability - for me none, getting it over with was an achievement in itself - which ironically you don't get unless you complete it under 4 hours - and the only compulsion is to try to get the remaining achievements which I can never face playing it again.”
- “There is little replay value unless you're a achievement hunter, and even then, the game is too linear and short to warrant multiple playthroughs.”
emotional
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
91%
9%
The emotional aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with some players finding it to be a captivating and heart-wrenching journey, enhanced by a powerful soundtrack that evokes strong feelings. However, others criticize the storytelling as confusing or lacking coherence, leading to a disconnect that diminishes the emotional impact. Overall, while the game has the potential for an emotional experience, its execution varies significantly among players.
- “There is a story and it was a little confusing at first, but it did start to make sense at one point and it became such an emotional journey.”
- “The story they tell is very interesting and pretty heart-wrenching.”
- “The music was great, the planet was beautiful, the story was touching.”
- “A walking simulator that boxes you into dull areas, with a boring story (thankfully it's short).”
- “If you like 100% linear platform games, endless pressing of the W key, challenges a child could do, and a boring story that leaves you feeling indifferent, then go for it.”
- “The game features a tedious narrative that fails to engage, making the emotional experience feel flat and uninteresting.”
optimization
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
50%
40%
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players experiencing severe frame rate drops, stuttering, and performance issues even on high-end systems. While some users managed to achieve smooth gameplay under specific conditions, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized, particularly for older hardware, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- “The game world is expansive and loading screens are rare, so it makes sense that the game would have to sacrifice some performance to try and give a sense of immersion, but for players with older computers, it can get a little choppy during certain scenes.”
- “The technical aspects of the game are robust for such a small team, reasonable performance, hardly any bugs, no crashes for me.”
- “Optimization issues, awkward controls, and unnecessary narration aside, [i]Lifeless Planet[/i] is an otherwise respectable space survival adventure, one drawing an obvious inspiration from Soviet-era science fiction.”
- “I have a pretty high-end PC and there were sections that were so poorly optimized that it froze for 3-5 seconds for every 2 seconds I could move.”
- “Optimization issues, awkward controls, and unnecessary narration aside, Lifeless Planet is an otherwise respectable space survival adventure, one drawing an obvious inspiration from Soviet-era science fiction.”
- “Except for the countless times you'll die because you'll be stuck on rocks and the horrible performance drops (seriously, on my high-end enthusiast machine, this game runs at an average of 25 fps when there are any objects, walls, anything nearby).”
character development
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
50%
29%
Overall, reviews indicate a significant lack of character development in the game, with many players expressing disappointment over the shallow portrayal of characters and minimal interaction. While some appreciated the initial backstory and character design, they felt it ultimately failed to create meaningful connections or impact the story, leading to a sense of anticlimax. Many reviewers suggested that deeper character development could have enhanced immersion and overall enjoyment of the game.
- “I really enjoy the story and the lore, especially the character development of the colonizers.”
- “Character development is crucial for the player to become immersed in the reality of this game.”
- “I thought the textures were really well done, and I liked where the story was going, although I feel like there could have been a lot more character development.”
- “There is no character development at all and consequently the fate of the woman has no impact.”
- “No character development, almost no plot to speak of, and the storytelling itself is atrocious.”
- “Your character is given a little bit of backstory at the beginning of the game, which is enough to get things in motion, but any sort of character development is pretty much ignored until the very end, making the whole experience feel shallow and anticlimactic.”
humor
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity and slapstick elements, particularly evident in the ragdoll death animations and quirky achievements that elicit laughter despite the game's frustrations. While some players find the humor to be a highlight, others note that it doesn't fully compensate for the game's mediocrity in gameplay. Overall, the comedic aspects provide a lighthearted contrast to the more serious themes of the game.
- “So the developers certainly have a sense of humor.”
- “Beautiful music :) The controls are a bit funny sometimes, but I found myself laughing every time I died in some stupid way, so all in all, a very good time!”
- “The death animations are pretty funny with the ragdoll-like death rolls.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of "lifeless planet" is perceived as fair, with no misleading advertisements; however, players feel that the game lacks depth and fails to deliver on the expectations set by its promotional materials. Overall, while not a bad game, it leaves players wanting more in terms of content and engagement.
- “This game is like a movie whose ads draw you in, but ultimately disappoints.”
- “The description and advertisements aren't misleading and 'Lifeless Planet' is not a bad game by any means, but the overall game feels quite shallow.”