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Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet

This one is a must-buy for Key supporters, and visual novel lovers, just be prepared.
98%Game Brain Score
story, emotional
replayability, grinding
98% User Score Based on 2,722 reviews

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In Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet, you explore a post-apocalyptic world as a wounded soldier seeking shelter. You stumble upon a planetarium and its malfunctioning robot, who still carries out her programming to share the wonders of the cosmos. Together, you'll navigate the desolate world and uncover the story of the planetarium's past. This visual novel combines elements of drama, mystery, and narrative-driven gameplay to create a memorable experience.

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Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet screenshot
Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet screenshot
Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet screenshot
Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet screenshot
Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet screenshot
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98%
Audience ScoreBased on 2,722 reviews
story774 positive mentions
replayability4 negative mentions
  • story
    2,116 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of *Planetarian ~the reverie of a little planet~* is a poignant and emotional journey set in a post-apocalyptic world, focusing on the relationship between a scavenger and a robot named Yumemi. While the narrative unfolds linearly over approximately 3-5 hours, it captivates players with its rich themes of hope, humanity, and nostalgia, often evoking strong emotional responses. Despite its brevity and lack of gameplay choices, the storytelling, character development, and atmospheric elements create a memorable experience that resonates deeply with many players.

    • “Even in its shorter than usual runtime, Planetarian absolutely nails its atmosphere and setting to the point that it creates such a down-to-earth story in its post-apocalyptic setting, making it feel so interpersonal and connected to you.”
    • “This is a path well trodden in science fiction, but the heart with which it is expressed in Planetarian, with the story able to swing the reader's emotions between irritation and empathy, despair and hopefulness, is truly special.”
    • “Planetarian is a short story yet a great story on its own.”
    • “The story itself is alright, but the lack of any features besides reading makes it feel a bit lacking.”
    • “The ending felt appropriate, but I wish there was an 'after story' or epilogue.”
    • “Despite skipping out on the main character's backstory and the events that made him the way he is, we get multiple readings of what feels like user manuals for military equipment.”
  • emotional
    728 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional impact of "Planetarian: The Reverie of a Little Planet" is overwhelmingly positive, with many players reporting intense feelings of sadness and connection to the characters, particularly the robot Yumemi. Reviewers frequently mention crying during the game, highlighting its ability to evoke deep emotional responses despite its short length. The narrative, set in a post-apocalyptic world, is praised for its heartfelt storytelling and poignant themes, making it a recommended experience for fans of emotional visual novels.

    • “This game made me cry enough that I had to take a pause and wipe away my tears.”
    • “Planetarian presents a touching view in contrast to its bleak setting, all from a girl that isn’t human, but is the true idealism of humanity.”
    • “I cried so much and it was wonderful.”
  • music
    514 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in "Planetarian" is widely praised for its emotional depth and fittingness to the story, with standout tracks like "Gentle Jena" resonating strongly with players. While some reviewers noted a lack of variety and occasional repetitiveness, the overall soundtrack effectively enhances the narrative experience, contributing to the game's poignant atmosphere. Many players found the music to be a key element that elevates the storytelling, making it a memorable aspect of the visual novel.

    • “The music chosen was so fitting for the story and the game feels so right.”
    • “The music is great, the voice acting is great, and it is very, very sad.”
    • “The music, particularly 'gentle jena', does a fantastic job at tugging at the heartstrings and making one want to look to the night sky.”
    • “If you can get over a very aged UI, lack of a proper options menu, and overused repetitive music, this is an emotional visual novel you may enjoy.”
    • “The music, much like the art, is mostly mediocre. I believe that the music in visual novels should be more ambient than this, not exist for the sake of existing but as a way of highlighting the mood of the scene.”
    • “Although the concept was interesting, I'm afraid I found the story largely boring, the music annoying, and the text spacing was terrible.”
  • graphics
    192 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of "Planetarian" are generally considered dated, reflecting its 2004 release, but many players appreciate the art style and its ability to complement the emotional storytelling. While the visuals may lack vibrancy and variety, they effectively set the mood and enhance the narrative experience, making them enjoyable despite their simplicity. Overall, the combination of visuals, music, and writing creates a cohesive and engaging atmosphere, even if the graphics are not the game's strongest feature.

    • “The art style I must say is incredible; it has a certain charm to it, and not just the characters—the backgrounds are very good also. The visual novel has a great use of color to contrast between various scenes and locations.”
    • “The visuals and artwork are beautifully crafted down to every last detail, from the character art to the backgrounds. Everything is perfectly defined, a masterpiece of modern Japanese anime art.”
    • “This game tells a heart-wrenching story which I believe just about anyone would appreciate, with amazing visuals and music to go along with it.”
    • “While I think the game does a decent job setting the mood, it's very visually drab, with the visual novel stingily doling out new visuals as required to show the location you're in.”
    • “The graphics seem a bit dated and there is not much to see at all; Planetarian is mostly story-driven with only a few depictions of landscapes and characters.”
    • “Everything about this, from visuals to options, just feels old.”
  • gameplay
    72 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in this visual novel is minimal, primarily consisting of clicking to advance the text, with no choices or interactive elements. While it lacks traditional gameplay mechanics, the game compensates with a compelling story and emotional depth, making it a worthwhile experience for those who appreciate narrative-driven content. Players should be aware that this title is focused entirely on storytelling rather than gameplay.

    • “This game made me bawl my eyes out; the voice acting and background music really immerse you into the gameplay.”
    • “There's not much in the way of gameplay; it's more of a picture book than a visual novel because there aren't any dialogue options, but what it lacks in player choice it more than makes up for in fantastic storytelling.”
    • “A short visual novel with no gameplay or choices, but it's exceedingly charming and expresses the hopes and despairs of a post-apocalyptic world beautifully.”
    • “If you're new to the visual novel genre, this one's pretty much a linear story where the only gameplay is progressing the text.”
    • “There is no gameplay, or even dialogue choices, to be found here, but the story contained within is absolutely beautiful.”
    • “There are no gameplay elements whatsoever.”
  • atmosphere
    56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of "planetarian" is widely praised for its ability to create a deeply immersive and emotional experience within a post-apocalyptic setting. Reviewers highlight the effective juxtaposition of desolation and cheerfulness, enhanced by a fitting art style and a soundtrack that complements the mood, making the storytelling impactful despite its short runtime. Overall, the game successfully evokes a nostalgic early 2000s anime vibe, drawing players into its melancholic yet beautiful world.

    • “Even in its shorter than usual runtime, planetarian absolutely nails its atmosphere and setting to the point that it creates such a down-to-earth story in its post-apocalyptic setting, making it feel so interpersonal and connected to you.”
    • “Yūichi Suzumoto constructs a looming, lonely atmosphere in an impressive feat of worldbuilding.”
    • “A melancholy 3 hours, atmospheric and moving in its storytelling.”
    • “The atmosphere built visually rarely ever attempts to be unnerving or post-apocalyptic, unless you consider the abundance of empty places a sign of the upcoming Armageddon.”
    • “It starts off rather slowly, but the juxtaposition of the dystopian future scenario with the cutesy, endearing planetarium atmosphere and its cheery employee will get to you.”
    • “Even knowing everything that's going to happen, the music and atmosphere that they created still hits hard at all the right points.”
  • character development
    28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is a mixed bag; while some reviews praise the emotional depth and growth of the protagonist and the heartwarming relationship with the robot girl, others criticize the lack of thematic buildup and the predictability of the ending. The short length of the story (3-5 hours) limits character exploration, but for those seeking a visual novel focused on character interactions rather than plot, it is considered a worthwhile experience. Overall, the character design is highlighted as a strong point, enhancing the development and interactions between the main characters.

    • “If you’re looking for a visual novel that focuses more on character development rather than plot, this is definitely a must-have!”
    • “Amazing short story which, despite its length, delivers superb character development.”
    • “Fantastic character development and interactions between the two unique characters - the junker guy and Yumemi the gentle robot.”
    • “It doesn't have enough thematic buildup or character development to warrant its (predictable) ending.”
    • “Likewise, the protagonist and the robot girl relationship can be summed up as 'robot girl acts like robot, man is annoyed at her repetitive antics,' so when the obligatory tragic event happens, even when they try to squeeze in some character development last second, it falls flat.”
    • “The story is a bit short, lasting about 3-5 hours, so there won't be too much character development, and the ending is a cliffhanger.”
  • humor
    26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is described as a well-balanced mix of funny, sad, and touching moments that enhance the emotional depth of the story. Players appreciate the character interactions that evoke laughter amidst a melancholic narrative, though some may find the humor predictable or overly sentimental. Overall, the game successfully blends humor with pathos, creating a memorable experience that resonates emotionally.

    • “With a pleasant companion by your side in the form of Yumemi, it's a story that has made me laugh, cry, and think a lot.”
    • “There were funny moments (I loved the interactions between the characters), and there were serious moments also; it's good when a story can do that to you.”
    • “Some funny moments illuminate the melancholic plot...”
  • replayability
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers limited replayability, primarily due to its linear narrative structure with no decision points, meaning players will experience the same story each time. While the game is relatively short (3-5 hours), many reviewers feel that the $10 price tag is steep given the minimal replay value, as the only incentive to replay is the enjoyment of reading the same story again.

    • “It costs next to nothing, and although it is short (3 hours maybe if you are a quick reader) and has limited replay value, it is still worth the money.”
    • “For a visual novel, while not extremely short, it does have a pretty limited duration; no alternatives for replay value, what you see for the first time is what you'll see every single time with no variation.”
    • “It costs next to nothing, and although it is short (3 hours maybe if you are a quick reader) and has limited replay value (you can't influence the story), it is still worth the money.”
    • “For a visual novel, while not extremely short, it does have a pretty limited duration, no alternatives for replay value; what you see for the first time is what you'll see every single time with no variation.”
    • “The art and music are serviceable, but not spectacular; as a visual novel with no decision points, there is no gameplay whatsoever, and the only replay value is whatever you'd get out of reading the same story twice.”
  • grinding
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some moments can feel tedious and disconnecting, particularly in the early stages, many agree that persevering leads to a rewarding emotional payoff. The narrative's pacing sometimes drags, but the eventual connection to the story makes the effort worthwhile for those who stick with it.

    • “Some of what was done at the finale could have been done earlier in the story, instead of dragging out an otherwise emotional moment that shouldn't have felt tedious.”
    • “Sometimes boring, sometimes disconnecting, sometimes tedious. This can get boring, but if you stick to it, it will be worth it in the end. I was kind of disconnected and bored, and it felt like a mistake to spend my time on this, then it hit me. I mean, it really did hit me; I found myself caring with tears in my eyes for this novel.”
    • “I will admit that the first hour or so (on auto) can be a bit tedious, but playing through is worth it more than I can explain.”
  • optimization
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization is notably poor, with issues such as overwhelming sound levels that make it difficult for headphone users to adjust settings without resorting to windowed mode. Additionally, players have reported encountering persistent and confusing option windows that hinder the overall experience. Despite these technical shortcomings, the game's story, artwork, and soundtrack receive praise.

    • “The performance is excellent, the music, the dubs, etc.”
    • “Atmospheric and wonderful soundtrack that sets the mood the moment you reach the menu.”
    • “The humanoid robot girl wouldn't let something as insignificant as the end of the world get in the way of delivering the best possible experience to her customers.”
    • “Very poorly optimized; it was blasting my ears off with sound like all games do because I'm a headphone user. I went to alt-tab to my sound mixer, and nothing could go over the game, so I had to alt-enter it into windowed mode, which worked so I could use the mixer. But then there was this weird option window that I've never seen in any other game that popped up that I didn't want to deal with. No matter how many times I clicked cancel, it wouldn't go away, so I had to click ok.”
    • “Very poorly optimized; it was blasting my ears off with sound like all games do because I'm a headphone user. I went to alt-tab to my sound mixer, and nothing could go over the game, so I had to alt-enter it into windowed mode, which worked so I could use the mixer. But then there was this weird option window that I've never seen in any other game that popped up that I didn't want to deal with. No matter how many times I clicked cancel, it wouldn't go away, so I had to click ok.”
  • monetization
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users expressing dissatisfaction over the presence of advertisements, loot boxes, and microtransactions, which they feel detract from the overall experience.

    • “I've seen some really poor monetization strategies, including those that feature loot boxes or microtransactions.”
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4h Median play time
9h Average play time
3-6h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 20 analyzed playthroughs
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