Planet Explorers

About

Planet Explorers is a single player and multiplayer open world role playing game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Pathea Games and was released on November 8, 2016. It received neutral reviews from players.

Planet Explorers is an open-world sandbox adventure game set on a distant planet. Players can build and customize their own tools, vehicles, and structures, while also gathering resources, completing missions, and fighting alien creatures. The game features a dynamic story generation system, allowing for a unique experience with each playthrough.

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Play Modes

+26

Skip User Reviews

59%

Audience ScoreBased on 6,096 reviews

story576 positive mentions

stability432 negative mentions

Complex and amazing creation system that allows for extensive customization of vehicles, weapons, and buildings.
Engaging story mode with a decent narrative and interesting characters.
Large open world with a variety of environments to explore.

Game is unfinished and feels like it was abandoned by the developers, with many bugs and glitches present.
Poorly optimized, leading to performance issues even on high-end systems.
Awkward controls and user interface that detracts from the overall experience.

story
2,812 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
75%
5%
The story in "Planet Explorers" is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its engaging premise of survival and colonization on an alien planet, but also noting significant issues such as bugs, incomplete quests, and a lack of polish. While the narrative offers interesting lore and character interactions, it often suffers from repetitive fetch and escort missions, as well as glitches that can hinder progress. Overall, the story mode provides a decent framework for gameplay, but many players feel it needs further development and refinement to reach its full potential.
- “The story mode is fun (but is orientated towards gathering and crafting).”
- “The story is interesting, the world is immersive, and it's just plain cool.”
- “The story mode led me from hub to hub, but I'm still only scratching the surface of this because I was distracted by a looming mountain; 'I wonder if I can dig a tunnel through that mountain' *2 hours later* 'yeah!'.”
- “This game is little more than a sandbox with broken entities, half-baked towns, and a very short and broken story that doesn't make sense.”
- “The game was left in a janky state, with performance problems, lack of final polish, easily broken quests, a story that's left forever in a cliffhanger, and so on.”
- “The main story is a buggy mess and things will often go wrong or just not really make sense.”
graphics
788 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
58%
11%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players noting that they appear dated and lack polish, often comparing them unfavorably to more modern titles. While some appreciate the unique art style and find the visuals charming, others criticize the performance issues, graphical glitches, and overall lack of optimization, leading to a frustrating experience on lower-end systems. Despite these shortcomings, there are moments of beauty in the environments, and some players enjoy the aesthetic appeal, particularly in crafting and character design.
- “The graphics are beautiful and unique, the story flows well and I never seem to get tired of mining and crafting.”
- “I really enjoy this game; it has great atmosphere and the graphics on ultra are very pretty, and you will find yourself taking screenshots on a regular basis.”
- “The graphics are great, it is very well optimized (at least single-player), the combat isn't amazing but is still fun, there are a lot of creatures/aliens that all have different behavioral patterns that mesh very well together.”
- “This game feels very empty, the landscapes are very bare even on the highest settings, it is clunky to control the character and camera and the animations and graphics are very rough.”
- “Graphics are just so terrible that it hurts, it's so badly optimized I had to put everything to the lowest setting available to get 30fps (and I have a Xeon 6 core with a 750ti and 24gb of ram).”
- “The main reason for rating this game low is the graphics, poor beast designs, combat engine and no premade iso's to buy of the NPCs and the extreme lags is a deadbeat killer.”
gameplay
656 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
61%
10%
The gameplay of this title is a mixed bag, with many players noting its potential through creative mechanics like vehicle and weapon building, but marred by clunky controls, unpolished systems, and a lack of engaging content. While some enjoy the sandbox elements and crafting systems reminiscent of games like Minecraft, others find the overall experience tedious and frustrating due to bugs and slow mechanics. Overall, the game shows promise but requires significant improvements to reach its full potential.
- “The gameplay is enticing with a great work to reward ratio.”
- “Overall the gameplay is vast, rich and addicting.”
- “The gameplay is fun.. even the crafting isn't bad (I'm not a fan of minecraft/free form building).”
- “Unfortunately, I bought this game, got stuck within minutes, and had to deal with the worst music and gameplay I have ever seen to date. Just go mod Minecraft; you'll have more fun and have more updates than this game will.”
- “A fundamentally flawed game; everything you do feels painfully slow, its mechanics are uncreative and clunky, and it's outright just not a fun game to play.”
- “The gameplay is clunky and crafting/building is very time-consuming.”
stability
452 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
96%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous users reporting it as "buggy," "unfinished," and "abandonware." Many players experience frequent glitches, crashes, and game-breaking issues, particularly in multiplayer and questing, leading to frustration and disappointment. While some users note that the main story mode is relatively stable, the overall consensus is that the game remains in a poor state, lacking sufficient content and polish.
- “Runs great, immersive, great quality, and entertaining.”
- “With that said, the one 'campaign' that ships with the game, while not 100% bug free (and how many games are 100% bug free these days?), is pretty well done. The terrain is well made, the progression is steady, and it doesn't take long to learn how to play and to reach your goals.”
- “Unlike a lot of Steam early access games, this isn't too buggy.”
- “This game is an unfinished buggy mess and abandoned; I do feel I was ripped off by this company now since they made it free to play.”
- “Game was never finished; no self-respecting developer should release an unfinished, buggy, unpolished mess like this.”
- “It's incomplete, it's buggy, it's boring, and the optimization for this game is just horrendous.”
music
330 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
55%
13%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its beauty and atmospheric qualities, particularly in the title screen and biome-specific tracks. However, many criticize the repetitiveness and lack of variety, leading to a desire for more diverse soundscapes. Overall, while the soundtrack has its highlights, it often becomes monotonous and detracts from the gaming experience for some players.
- “The title screen song is one of my favorites of any game.”
- “The soundtrack is well-composed, the gameplay is smooth and fun, and the missions in story don't get too boring because multiple characters get introduced.”
- “The music is beautifully amazing full orchestra.”
- “Unfortunately, I bought this game, got stuck within minutes, and had to deal with the worst music and gameplay I have ever seen to date. Just go mod Minecraft; you'll have more fun and have more updates than this game will.”
- “The music is extremely loud and drowns out everything else, even if you turn it down.”
- “The music is repetitive, and I hope it's a placeholder - but the choice of music, even if it's sparse, at least was a good one.”
optimization
208 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
52%
36%
The game's optimization is widely criticized, with many users reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering, low frame rates, and overheating on various systems. Despite some players managing to run it smoothly on lower settings, the overall consensus is that the game remains poorly optimized, lacking polish and stability, which detracts from the overall experience. While there are unique features and enjoyable gameplay elements, the optimization problems are a major hurdle for many players.
- “With a fair bit more polish, optimization, content and general improvements, this game really shows a lot of promise, rocketing past its slow period.”
- “If you're looking for a game where you can explore, gather, craft, design & build at your own pace without worrying about frantic optimization and balance, this game is for you.”
- “The graphics are great, it is very well optimized (at least single-player, again have not tried online at all), the combat isn't amazing but is still fun, there are a lot of creatures/aliens that all have different behavioral patterns that mesh very well together.”
- “Very poorly optimized and dropped by devs.”
- “Horrible stuttering, on good PC with graphics set to minimum, fps go from 90 to '30' - which is a lie, everything stutters, that's not 30 fps that's zero for a second.”
- “If there is one criticism I can make of this game, it is hideously unoptimized.”
grinding
164 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
99%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with many players finding resource gathering and crafting to be tedious and time-consuming, often detracting from the overall enjoyment. While some appreciate the balance in resource acquisition and the streamlined crafting system, others criticize the repetitive nature of tasks and the lack of engaging content, leading to a grindy experience that can feel overwhelming. Overall, the game offers potential for creativity and exploration, but the grinding mechanics may frustrate players seeking a more fluid gameplay experience.
- “The grinding is annoyingly long and boring but somewhat fun at the same time.”
- “There is way too much grinding, too far distance between objectives, and way too much micromanaging.”
- “Some aspects such as mining are really tedious as there is no technologically advanced way to mass mine.”
atmosphere
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
61%
33%
6%
The game's atmosphere is frequently praised for its enchanting and immersive qualities, with vivid graphics and a captivating soundtrack that enhance the experience. However, some players note inconsistencies, such as moments where sound effects and ambient music drop out, leading to a less engaging environment. Overall, while many find the atmosphere beautiful and evocative, there are calls for further polish and detail to fully realize its potential.
- “I really enjoy this game; it has great atmosphere and the graphics on ultra are very pretty, and you will find yourself taking screenshots on a regular basis.”
- “For all its alpha-stage clunkiness, the game regularly pulls off moments of sheer wonder (the art design does triumph over the so-so graphics) and somehow manages to throw survivalist challenges at the player while still maintaining a serene, natural atmosphere that tugs at your curiosity.”
- “With gorgeous visuals, solid gameplay, and an eerie, engrossing atmosphere, Planet Explorers is an adventure I urge you to undertake!”
- “World has no atmosphere, as in no life, nothing happening.”
- “Nothing really happening in the atmosphere.”
- “I've enjoyed the game so far, the atmosphere is right, the graphics are not super detailed but are atmospheric and the music, whilst would not win the eurovision sound contest, is good (not overly annoying).”
humor
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
96%
7%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with some characters and scenarios eliciting genuine laughter, while others fall flat due to cheesy voice acting and poor writing. Players find amusement in the game's absurdities, such as ridiculous character animations and clunky mechanics, which often lead to unintentionally funny moments. Overall, the humor is described as both entertaining and frustrating, appealing to those who appreciate a blend of hilariously awful elements.
- “After laughing to the point that I nearly died, I had to end the stream.”
- “The game is just ridiculously funny.”
- “I find it interesting, different, and quite funny that you begin the game with meat as the currency until your colony is built.”
- “The humor in the game often feels forced and falls flat.”
- “I expected a lot of laughs, but the jokes were mostly stale and unoriginal.”
- “The attempts at humor are overshadowed by the frustrating gameplay.”
replayability
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
84%
9%
The game offers significant replayability through its world generator and adventure mode, which create unique experiences and randomized maps. While the story mode has improved and provides a decent narrative, some players feel that the current quest structure lacks sustainability for long-term engagement. Overall, the game shows potential for replayability, especially with the inclusion of mods and multiplayer features, but it still requires further development to fully realize its capabilities.
- “It's just an extension of the main story mechanism, without the constraints of the story beats, and infinitely replayable thanks to the world generator.”
- “The creatures are amazing and story mode actually provides a good story while adventure mode generates unique maps for replayability.”
- “15 hours and I've only scratched the surface of this game... I see a lot of replay value here, especially with mods... I'm very excited to see the finished product!”
- “The replay value, however, still needs quite a bit of work.”
- “This solitary player presence affected the replayability of this mode since it gets boring to play around as the only living creature in these huge worlds.”
- “The quests are typical 'do my laundry then find 800 copper,' which actually isn't so bad at the start but clearly it's not a sustainable model of replayability.”
monetization
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
10%
86%
The monetization aspect of the game has been heavily criticized, with many users labeling it a "cash grab" due to its unfinished state and the developers' focus on creating sequels rather than improving the current game. Players express concerns about potential future microtransactions and the transition to a free-to-play model, which they perceive as a tactic to drive sales for the upcoming sequel. Overall, there is a strong sentiment that the game was released prematurely, prioritizing profit over quality and player satisfaction.
- “No wrap-around, and no microtransactions needed; anyone can quite literally build (or download) for themselves anything they can imagine while in game.”
- “Another cash grab game, abandoned so they can make a PE2 and sell that instead, which will obviously be in early access for 3 years and then abandoned to make PE3.”
- “To add insult to injury, in their statement about the lack of interest in fixing the lobby-based multiplayer, they even announced they will soon start work on PE2... ('Hey, we killed multiplayer for this game... but make sure to buy the next part!') and as 'compensation' for their previous players, switched the game to free-to-play, which sounds more like an advertisement to newer players to play PE1 so they buy PE2 when it comes out rather than anything else.”
- “I personally feel like this game was a cash grab and it shouldn't have been released until much later.”
emotional
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
14%
Players express a mixed emotional connection to the game, highlighting its vibrant visuals and beautiful environments that evoke nostalgia and excitement. However, frustrations with gameplay mechanics and a lack of content detract from the overall experience, leaving some feeling emotionally unfulfilled despite their initial enthusiasm. The emotional highs are contrasted with the lows of clunky mechanics and a limited narrative, creating a complex relationship with the game.
- “Made me feel like Tony Stark... sans the drinking problem.”
- “Points given back because of the emotional connection I have with the game, with its vibrant colors and beautiful sights.”
- “This left my character emotionally and physically unbalanced, which forced me to build him a hospital to recover in.”
character development
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
30%
Overall, the game is praised for its strong character development, engaging voice acting, and appealing character design, which contribute to a compelling narrative experience. However, some players feel that the story mode lacks depth and immersion due to bland dialogue and insufficient character exploration, suggesting that more focus on storytelling is needed to enhance the overall experience.
- “Great story and character development not normally found in a sandbox... the storyline in many ways is even better than Firefall's.”
- “The character design and graphics are great, enhancing the overall experience.”
- “The game features nice character development and interesting voice acting.”
- “The 'story' mode needs more story and character development; I cannot stress enough that there needs to be more story in story mode.”
- “The character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “I expected more growth and evolution from the characters, but they remain static throughout the game.”