Plan B: Terraform

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In "Plan B: Terraform," players manage a space colony on a desolate alien planet, utilizing terraforming devices to create a sustainable environment. Balance resources, research upgrades, and address the needs of your colonists to ensure the colony's survival and growth. The game offers a blend of strategy and simulation, challenging players to adapt to the evolving conditions of the extraterrestrial world.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,144 reviews

gameplay53 positive mentions

grinding27 negative mentions

Extremely satisfying gameplay with a focus on resource management and city growth.
Relaxing and charming graphics, making it a great game to unwind with.
The developer is enthusiastic and actively updates the game, showing promise for future improvements.

Resource nodes deplete too quickly, leading to constant micromanagement and frustration.
The logistics system can be cumbersome, with depots prioritizing balance over efficiency.
Water mechanics can flood cities unexpectedly, causing significant setbacks in progress.

gameplay
149 mentions
36 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally described as satisfying and addictive, featuring simple mechanics that are easy to learn but offer depth through resource management and logistics challenges. Players appreciate the unique mechanics, such as terraforming and water management, although some aspects feel underdeveloped or frustrating, particularly regarding city supply demands and the lack of automation. Overall, while the game has a solid foundation and enjoyable core mechanics, it is still in early access and could benefit from additional content and quality-of-life improvements.
- “The logistic mechanics work hand in hand with the narrative of restoring a planet to a lively state.”
- “Really enjoyable resource management game - intuitive, responsive UI with flexible gameplay that allows experimentation and rewards trial and error.”
- “The gameplay loop is nice and addictive.”
- “Some of the mechanics can be punishing (cities must be at 100% supply or the resources are completely wasted, and below 50% means your city shrinks which is no fun).”
- “At this point, I would prefer if the game weren't centered around terraformation at all because the lack of actual gameplay only makes it feel even shallower than it already is.”
- “Factory builders generally have mechanics to automate a lot of the chores in this process, this game doesn't and that makes it tiresome to play.”
graphics
72 mentions
43 % positive mentions
53 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their charming and cute art style, which is both visually appealing and easy on the eyes. While some players noted performance issues and a lack of advanced graphical settings, the overall aesthetic and ambiance, complemented by relaxing music, contribute to a satisfying gameplay experience. Despite being simple, the visuals effectively enhance the game's theme of creating a living world, making it enjoyable for both newcomers and veterans alike.
- “The graphics are cute and the music is relaxing.”
- “The artwork is stunning, and the mechanics are smooth and intuitive, making it easy for both newcomers and veterans to enjoy.”
- “Visuals and style are calming and pretty; honestly, the most relaxing game of this type I've ever played.”
- “Despite its lack of narrative and dated graphics, it had a certain allure that kept us hooked for countless hours with friends.”
- “I did start to have performance issues graphics-wise; I'm playing on a GTX 980 and was getting a lot of stuttering and screen tearing.”
- “There's not much graphical settings to disable to reach playable FPS, aside from the anti-aliasing.”
music
67 mentions
57 % positive mentions
39 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its charm and relaxing qualities, enhancing the overall vibe and ambiance. While many players find the soundtrack beautiful and soothing, some note that it can become repetitive over time, leading to a desire for more varied tracks. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's casual and enjoyable experience.
- “The music is amazing and enhances the overall vibe of the game.”
- “The soundtrack is relaxing as hell, 10/10 - I keep whistling to the background music for hours.”
- “The game mechanics are super polished, the artistic direction is lovely, and the music is beautiful.”
- “Music gets a bit repetitive, but if you're like me, you will eventually just turn the music off and throw YouTube or a movie on your second monitor and just chill.”
- “Needs more different music - the soundtrack becomes very repetitive after a few hours.”
- “I don't care how early access it is, you need more than one song on the playlist.”
optimization
44 mentions
18 % positive mentions
64 % neutral mentions
18 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while many players appreciate its performance in early stages and on lower-end systems, significant issues arise in late-game scenarios, particularly with high population counts and complex production chains. Users report stuttering, frame rate drops, and crashes, especially when scaling up operations, indicating a need for further optimization and performance improvements. Despite these challenges, the game is generally well-received for its art direction and gameplay mechanics, with hopes for enhancements in future updates.
- “I feel like there are more performance-friendly options.”
- “Game is well optimized given the amount of stuff going on, and the dev is active on Discord should you run into any issue.”
- “If you are a perfectionist on effectiveness and optimization like me, then you will love this game!”
- “There is a big problem with performance; even with the latest upgrade, the game feels like a slideshow when you try to speed up the time in late game.”
- “I did start to have performance issues graphics-wise; I'm playing on a GTX 980 and was getting a lot of stuttering and screen tearing.”
- “Bad optimization, GPU fryer.”
grinding
28 mentions
4 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
96 % negative mentions
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game can become excessively tedious, particularly in the mid to late game, where repetitive tasks and micromanagement detract from the overall enjoyment. Players express frustration with the need for constant adjustments and the lack of quality-of-life features, such as blueprints for building setups, which could alleviate some of the monotony. While the game has potential and offers a fun start, many feel that the grind quickly overshadows the initial enjoyment.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “There are some issues with grinding, particularly in mid-game when it's just more of the same at a bigger scale, not so much progression per se.”
- “It starts out fun, but becomes extraordinarily tedious as you grow.”
- “The game very quickly becomes very tedious and repetitive.”
atmosphere
23 mentions
43 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere effectively captures the essence of colonizing a new planet, drawing comparisons to titles like "Banished." Players appreciate the immersive experience of terraforming, with engaging mechanics that involve manipulating greenhouse gases and creating a livable environment, although some desire more depth in terraforming options. The overall ambiance is enhanced by pleasant music and a satisfying progression system, making it an addictive and enjoyable experience.
- “It also captures the atmosphere of colonizing a different planet in space quite well.”
- “The music is nice and atmospheric - it is satisfying to watch your cities sprawl when you fulfill their needs.”
- “A lovely little game, nice atmosphere, really addictive, pacing is good (not too chill, not too hectic), difficulty curve is good, some slight early access glitches but nothing serious, already well worth the asking price.”
- “Interestingly, one of the game objectives is to deliberately release as many greenhouse gases as possible into the atmosphere, to bring the temperature up to tolerable levels.”
- “Terraforming-wise, it's pretty bare bones at this point, as you can't add algae to the lakes and seas to oxygenate the atmosphere or kick off soil production via terrestrial lichen, mosses, and lithic algae.”
- “The terraforming aspects involve putting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere with dedicated buildings — buildings that have other purposes don’t create greenhouse gases, which keeps the greenhouse gas level simple to control.”
story
13 mentions
15 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
23 % negative mentions
The game lacks a substantial story, with only a brief introduction provided before players dive into gameplay. Reviewers note that the absence of a narrative or overarching threat diminishes engagement, and the game feels more like a series of tasks rather than a cohesive experience. As it is still in early access, players hope for future updates to enhance the story and overall depth of the game.
- “It starts out really smoothly as you solve various problems to achieve your missions.”
- “I would also like to see more in-game effects of terraforming progress; as of early access warmer temperatures and trees only affect ocean rise mechanics and move the mission progression bar with few real positive impacts, which seems a little counter-intuitive when the aim is to make the planet more hospitable and let its citizens be free from their air-locked cities.”
- “Unlike similar automation games, there is no story or looming threat that drives you to actually play the game.”
- “The entire background story is introduced literally in 3 sentences, and then you get straight to the game.”
- “Also, there is no real story yet.”
stability
11 mentions
27 % positive mentions
9 % neutral mentions
64 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while some players report it as polished and largely bug-free, others note occasional glitches and performance issues, particularly in early access. Many users appreciate the game's smooth performance, especially on platforms like Steam Deck, but express hope for continued development to address the remaining bugs. Despite these concerns, the game is generally considered playable and enjoyable.
- “Very clean, polished, and bug-free. I was pleasantly surprised with how playable this game is despite just coming to early access.”
- “Bug-free and stable for a brand new early access release.”
- “Dayuuuuum, this game is smooth! Well done, devs! The game is very polished already, with no bugs or glitches (except very minor clipping).”
- “It can occasionally be a bit buggy, so I'm really hoping the development carries on.”
- “This has the makings of a beautiful contemplative chill resource management planet sim, but right now it's still a bit too buggy to play.”
- “I think this is normal, but I expected more of a graceful degradation by lowering game speed instead of stuttering and freezes.”
replayability
6 mentions
33 % positive mentions
17 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has limited replayability due to its narrow scope and lack of late-game content, though it offers a solid experience for a few dozen hours. While some players appreciate the addition of infinite resources and the potential for varied sessions through multiple seeds, the consensus leans towards a need for more depth to enhance long-term engagement.
- “Love this game and the fact they added infinite resources. I'm glad the dev team is actively making this game more playable and better for the community.”
- “Simple, stripped down to the fundamentals, with good replayability in the same session and across multiple seeds.”
- “The scope of the game isn't very broad and it's not very replayable, but what is there is very well done, so it's a good few dozen hours of fun at least depending on how good you are at this genre of games.”
- “My only complaint is the lack of replayability.”
- “At the moment, the game doesn't have much in the late game and has almost 0 replayability.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its amusing graphical glitches that occur when switching windows, adding a lighthearted touch to the experience. Players also appreciate the overall comedic tone and the substantial content available in its early access phase.
- “Most notably, if I tab over to another window while waiting for factories to produce, when I tab back, the game's graphics become hilariously garbled.”
- “Funny game with a large amount of content for an early access.”