The Planet Crafter

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Overwhelmingly Positive

Total: 25.8 ThousandPositive: 24.7 ThousandNegative: 1.07 Thousand
96%
4%
Steam review score: 9

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AI Review

The Planet Crafter scored 89.51 % rating
The Planet Crafter is a space survival adventure game where you transform a barren, hostile planet into a thriving paradise. Designed for 1 to 10 players, this open-world terraforming crafting game challenges you to survive, gather resources, and build a base while altering the planet's ecosystem. With an AI Community Rating of 89.46%, players praise its relaxing, rewarding gameplay, stunning visuals, and the joy of exploring with friends. However, some note repetitive mechanics, clunky building systems, and occasional bugs. If you enjoy chill, creative survival games with a focus on exploration and teamwork, The Planet Crafter offers a unique and immersive experience. Dive in and witness the planet evolve from lifeless to lush!
Adventure
Single-playerMulti-playerCo-opOnline Co-opSteam AchievementsFull controller supportFamily Sharing

What the community wishes

We analysed the 11 most impactful community reviews and collected 20 ideas and suggestions on how the game could be better.
Improve building mechanics
The building system is clunky and unintuitive. Players want more creative freedom, better grid alignment, and smoother placement/deconstruction of structures to enhance base-building experiences.
Fix graphical glitches and bugs
Graphical glitches, such as falling through walls or inaccessible ores, disrupt gameplay. Players suggest addressing these issues to improve stability and immersion.
Add more visual terraforming changes
Players desire more noticeable visual changes during terraforming stages to enhance satisfaction and immersion as the planet evolves.
Tweak asteroid shower RNG
Asteroid showers occurring back-to-back can disrupt gameplay. Adjusting the RNG to prevent frequent consecutive showers would improve pacing.
Add functional decor items
Decor items currently lack in-game utility. Adding temporary buffs (e.g., reduced hunger from sleeping in beds) would make them more meaningful.
Introduce a day counter
Players want a time-keeping system to track how many 'days' they’ve spent terraforming, adding a sense of progression and immersion.
Refine late-game mechanics
Late-game mechanics, such as genetics, are poorly explained. Better tutorials or hints would improve player understanding and engagement.
Add more animal variety
The animal stage lacks diversity. Adding more species, such as birds or dragons, would enhance the endgame experience.
Improve vehicle handling
The buggy's handling is subpar. Enhancing vehicle controls would improve exploration and reduce frustration.
Address clipping and pop-in issues
Frequent clipping through walls and pop-in of assets disrupt immersion. Optimizing the engine to reduce these issues is crucial.
Add procedural world generation
The static map feels repetitive. Introducing procedural generation for the world or resources would increase replayability.
Expand automation and storage
Players want more automation options and increased storage space to streamline resource management and reduce tedium.
Improve multiplayer pacing
While multiplayer is well-implemented, pacing adjustments could better accommodate both solo and co-op playstyles.
Add accessibility options
Procedural mazes cause discomfort for some players. Adding accessibility options to skip or modify these sections would improve inclusivity.
Enhance UI and inventory management
The UI is disorganized and clunky. Streamlining inventory management and improving the interface would enhance the user experience.
Fix late-game progression drag
Late-game progression feels slow and repetitive. Balancing resource requirements and adding more engaging tasks would maintain player interest.
Add more biomes and secrets
While the game has many biomes, players want more variety and hints to discover key areas like the rainbow caves.
Address drone bugs
Drones often malfunction, especially with complex setups. Fixing these bugs would improve automation and reduce frustration.
Expand endgame content
The endgame feels static and lacks replay value. Adding dynamic events or challenges would keep players engaged post-terraforming.
Improve procedural maze design
Procedural mazes are frustrating and nauseating for some players. Redesigning or offering alternatives would improve accessibility and enjoyment.

Reviews

Toxicity trend

N-Grams

Most relevant voices from the community
game is incrediblygraphically outdated veryengaging throughout evenfun building elementsgame is greatgame is addictivevery rewarding experiencemusic is supernot stressful orgame is specialvery not worthgame is moreoutstandingly polished adaptivelyloved it wasgame is fungame is excellentbuilding sucks pleasewant amphibians alreadyfun relaxing andgame is really

Keywords

Top 15 keywords for sentiments
What the community loves
We collected 286 positive keywords.
fun
27
beautiful
10
great
9
rewarding
7
chill
6
relaxing
5
friends
5
exploring
5
recommend
4
potential
4
progress
4
progression
4
exploration
4
peaceful
4
enjoyable
3
Where the community is undecided
We collected 352 neutral keywords.
survival
12
resources
8
building
8
terraforming
7
crafting
6
graphics
6
exploration
5
content
4
solo
4
exploring
4
time
4
multiplayer
4
planet
4
concept
3
story
3
What the community dislikes
We collected 324 negative keywords.
unfinished
6
repetitive
5
frustrating
5
buggy
5
cheap
5
bugs
5
grind
4
slog
4
slow
4
recommend
4
boring
4
stuck
4
grinding
4
grindy
4
terrible
4

In-depth analysis of most impactful community reviews

Positive

Edit: Got my amphibians. Happy. Holy o2 levels, this game is fun. I've clocked just shy of 50 hours and have thoroughly enjoyed that time spent. I'm only now waiting for new content since I've played through what's currently available. Some thoughts: - The controls are simple, though sometimes targeted placing/deconstruction is a little wonky. - Sometimes there are graphical glitches. Only once have I died from it (I fell into a wall. RIP.). Usually it just results in an ore being inaccessible or some weird animation that goes away once repeated. - The music is super cool. - The small tidbits of lore/story are intriguing. I really want more. - I desperately want amphibians already. Please. I need some frogs in my base. - The asteroid showers RNG needs some tweaking. More than once I've had 2-3 showers back to back raining down on my base. On the one hand, it's more comical than anything, but on the other, it does slow me down as I wait for them to pass. - I would love to see a little more visual change in some stages of terraforming. I realize that may be in the works, especially for later stages, but it's such a satisfying feeling to see things change. - More decor items would be awesome, both for casual players and for those of us waiting between content updates to keep us entertained in "creating" new bases/ideas. - On that note, none of the decor items/furniture hold any real in-game value. Would be interesting if they could provide temporary buffs like sleeping in a bed makes your hunger reduce slower, etc. - A day counter or some kind of time-keeping system would be nice. I'd be interested to know how many "days" I've been terraforming my planet. Anyway, really happy to have purchased this game, and I look forward to seeing where it goes.

  • Sentiments

    • I find the game incredibly fun and have thoroughly enjoyed the 50 hours I've spent playing it. I'm eagerly waiting for new content since I've completed what's currently available.
    • The controls are simple, though I sometimes find targeted placing and deconstruction a bit wonky, which can be frustrating.
    • I occasionally encounter graphical glitches, which usually result in minor inconveniences like inaccessible ore or weird animations, but once I died from falling into a wall.
    • I absolutely love the music in the game; it adds a lot to the overall experience.
    • The small tidbits of lore and story are intriguing, and I really want more of it to dive deeper into the game's world.
    • I desperately want amphibians in the game, as I feel they would add a lot of charm and life to my base.
    • The asteroid showers RNG needs some tweaking, as I've experienced 2-3 showers back to back, which can be comical but also slows down progress.
    • I would love to see more visual changes in some stages of terraforming, as it would make the process even more satisfying.
    • I think more decor items would be awesome, both for casual players and for those waiting between content updates to keep the game engaging.
    • I find it interesting that none of the decor items or furniture hold any in-game value, and I think adding temporary buffs could enhance the gameplay experience.

Positive

Outstandingly polished, adaptively paced and engaging throughout.  Even if you don't like the genre, this one is special and worth a look. Due to its clever pacing, there's always something to do, no matter if you go fast or if you take your time. The game never overwhelms with too many new mechanics at once, while allowing experienced players to quickly make progress. Multiplayer pacing and coop is done very well, with an easy drop-in-drop-out system, people can visit your world and join you in building — keeping their inventory between sessions. The pacing beautifully adapts to multiplayer as well, and given the variety of tasks, folks will be able to work together in a very organic way. Be it going out on a big exploration adventure together, or someone designing and beautifying the base while others gather resources. The first impression the game gives might be is its weakest point. The world might look a tad random and cheap at first, with resource blobs scattered around. It thankfully rather quickly shows how well it was crafted by guiding the player, purely through its design, to the next objectives and opportunities in a very unintrusive manner. As the world is undergoing many terraforming iterations, in the mid-game it further shows how well put together it was. The unlocking mechanics are a combination of incremental games and exploration that allow each player to go at their pace without getting bored or overwhelmed. The system used here, and the math put it to make it work, is truly commendable and something I hope other devs learn from.

  • Sentiments

    • I find the game to be outstandingly polished, with adaptive pacing that keeps it engaging throughout, making it special and worth playing even for those who don't typically enjoy the genre.
    • I appreciate the clever pacing of the game, which ensures there's always something to do, whether I choose to progress quickly or take my time, without overwhelming me with too many mechanics at once.
    • I am impressed by the well-executed multiplayer pacing and cooperative gameplay, featuring an easy drop-in-drop-out system that allows seamless collaboration and inventory retention between sessions.
    • I enjoy how the game's pacing adapts beautifully to multiplayer, enabling organic teamwork through a variety of tasks like exploration, base-building, and resource gathering.
    • I initially found the game's world to look a bit random and cheap, with resource blobs scattered around, but this impression quickly improved as the game's well-crafted design guided me to objectives in an unintrusive manner.
    • I am pleased with how the game's world evolves through terraforming iterations, showcasing its well-put-together design, especially in the mid-game.
    • I find the unlocking mechanics to be a commendable blend of incremental progression and exploration, allowing players to progress at their own pace without feeling bored or overwhelmed.
    • I admire the math and system design behind the unlocking mechanics, which I hope other developers will learn from and incorporate into their games.

Positive

I started playing when the game was still early access and had no ending. I was able to see this go from a well-assembled idea to a full-fledged game, and loved every moment of it. The gameplay is addicting, even though it can be a bit grindy, but not in an annoying way. 10/10 will play again.

  • Sentiments

    • I started playing the game during its early access phase when it had no ending, and I enjoyed witnessing its evolution into a full-fledged game.
    • I loved every moment of the game's development and final release.
    • The gameplay is highly addicting, which kept me engaged throughout.
    • The game can feel a bit grindy at times, but it wasn't annoying or frustrating to me.
    • I would rate the game 10/10 and would definitely play it again.

Positive

Really enjoyable game. Playing with my son, it's a game for all ages. No shooting required :-) You crash land on a planet, and then slowly work on exploring the planet, seeking resources, building bases, enhancing your tools. Gradually the planet becomes a liveable world. Good tip is to build your base higher up; eventually, big lakes will form, flooding anything lower down. Surprisingly good fun, and engrossing. Highly recommended.

  • Sentiments

    • I find the game really enjoyable, especially because it allows me to play with my son, making it a game suitable for all ages.
    • I appreciate that the game does not require shooting, which makes it more accessible and family-friendly.
    • I like the concept of crash-landing on a planet and gradually exploring it, seeking resources, and building bases.
    • I find it satisfying to enhance my tools and gradually transform the planet into a livable world.
    • I think the tip about building the base higher up to avoid flooding from big lakes is very useful and adds to the gameplay experience.
    • I am pleasantly surprised by how fun and engrossing the game is, which makes it highly recommended.

Positive

The sense of progression, pacing and gameplay loop are good enough for this game to have such good reviews despite being SUCH AN UNPOLISHED MESS. The amount of dopamine you get when you get to the next big upgrade is just enough for you to want to keep going, making it endlessly addicting. HOWEVER I hope the devs start to shift their focus from new content to refining existing content because this game is 1) very graphically outdated 2) very buggy 3) very clunky 4) very tedious 5) very un-intuitive the building sucks. the building sucks. i want a cool base. i want to be creative. please fix the base building. please tweak the foundation grid size. please...

  • Sentiments

    • I feel the sense of progression, pacing, and gameplay loop are good enough to justify the game's positive reviews.
    • I find the game to be an unpolished mess, which detracts from the overall experience.
    • I experience a strong sense of dopamine when reaching the next big upgrade, making the game endlessly addicting.
    • I hope the developers shift their focus from new content to refining existing content, as the game feels outdated and unpolished.
    • I think the game is very graphically outdated, which negatively impacts my enjoyment.
    • I find the game to be very buggy, which disrupts the gameplay experience.
    • I feel the game is very clunky, making it less enjoyable to play.
    • I find the game to be very tedious, which reduces my overall satisfaction.
    • I think the game is very unintuitive, which makes it harder to engage with.
    • I am frustrated with the base building mechanics, as they are poorly designed and limit my creativity.

Negative

This is incredibly boring. The only thing that drove me forward was completionism and desire to see endings, and it was very not worth it. LOD is poorly tuned, there's enormous amount of pop-in and pop-out. The last stage of the game is unnecessarily drawn out. The entire second half of the game I had this nagging feeling that i should be doing something else.

  • Sentiments

    • I found the game incredibly boring, with no engaging elements to keep me interested.
    • The only motivation I had to continue playing was my completionist mindset and the desire to see the endings.
    • I felt that completing the game was not worth the effort or time I invested.
    • The level of detail (LOD) in the game was poorly tuned, which negatively impacted my experience.
    • I noticed an enormous amount of pop-in and pop-out, which was distracting and immersion-breaking.
    • The last stage of the game felt unnecessarily drawn out, making it tedious to finish.
    • During the entire second half of the game, I had a nagging feeling that I should be doing something else instead of playing.

Negative

I don't really understand the positive reviews, especially being 'Overwhelmingly Positive.' The environment is very rough, frequent holes in landscape you can see through. Assets are just spammed everywhere like an autofill feature has been used. Rapidly monotonous gameplay, no sense of connection to the landscape when moving/floatwalking, very simple and disorganised UI. This feels like an early Early Access title, something with a twinge of hopeful possibility for what it could be. Definitely try the demo to see if this is what you expect from a full release game in 2024.

  • Sentiments

    • I don't understand the overwhelmingly positive reviews for this game, as I find the environment and gameplay lacking.
    • The environment feels rough, with frequent holes in the landscape that you can see through, which breaks immersion.
    • Assets seem spammed everywhere, as if an autofill feature was used, making the world feel unpolished and repetitive.
    • The gameplay becomes rapidly monotonous, offering little variety or engagement over time.
    • There is no sense of connection to the landscape when moving or floatwalking, making the experience feel detached.
    • The UI is very simple and disorganized, which detracts from the overall user experience.
    • The game feels like an early Early Access title, with only a twinge of hopeful possibility for what it could become.
    • I recommend trying the demo to see if the game meets expectations for a full release in 2024.

Negative

Game is great. Only recommending against it because there is a very nasty bug - sometimes, your truck will not let you enter. If you are playing hardcore, this will kill you and end your run. Bugs like this should not still exist this long after release.

  • Sentiments

    • I think the game is great overall, which reflects a positive sentiment about the core experience.
    • I am recommending against the game due to a very nasty bug, which shows a strong negative sentiment about the issue.
    • I find it frustrating that sometimes the truck does not let you enter, which is a significant negative sentiment about the gameplay experience.
    • I believe that in hardcore mode, this bug can kill you and end your run, which is a negative sentiment about the impact of the bug on gameplay.
    • I feel that bugs like this should not still exist this long after release, which is a negative sentiment about the game's maintenance and quality control.

Negative

i want to recommend this game it is fun with friends but the bugs are so frustrating getting glitched out and stuck in the cars,walls and ceilings gets old fast then there is the items that if lost soft-lock your whole game i shouldn't have to edit save files because an item i shouldn't be able to lose gets deleted along with 2 cars still needs time to cook has potential

  • Sentiments

    • I want to recommend this game because it is fun to play with friends, which makes the experience enjoyable and engaging.
    • The bugs in the game are extremely frustrating, especially when I get glitched out and stuck in cars, walls, or ceilings, which ruins the fun.
    • Losing important items in the game can soft-lock the entire progress, forcing me to edit save files, which feels unfair and poorly designed.
    • The game has potential and could be great, but it still needs more time to be polished and fixed.

Negative

I actually really love this game but I am giving it a negative review because the procedural mazes are the worst gameplay mechanic I've ever been forced into -- and it's not like I can avoid them. Some items are exclusively inside of them. They make me physically nauseous to the point I have to turn the game off. Is that what you were trying to achieve with this? Well done, then, you've made your game unplayable. At least add an accessibility option? Who in their right mind wants something like this? Turn the procedural maze off, thanks, bye.

  • Sentiments

    • I actually really love this game, which shows a strong positive sentiment towards the overall experience.
    • I am giving it a negative review because the procedural mazes are the worst gameplay mechanic I've ever been forced into, which expresses a strong negative sentiment towards this specific feature.
    • It's not like I can avoid the procedural mazes, which adds frustration and reinforces the negative sentiment about the lack of choice.
    • Some items are exclusively inside the procedural mazes, which makes me feel forced to engage with a mechanic I dislike, furthering the negative sentiment.
    • The procedural mazes make me physically nauseous to the point I have to turn the game off, which is a very strong negative sentiment about the physical discomfort caused by this feature.
    • Is that what you were trying to achieve with this? Well done, then, you've made your game unplayable, which sarcastically expresses a negative sentiment about the game's design choices.
    • At least add an accessibility option, which shows a neutral sentiment suggesting a potential solution to the problem.
    • Who in their right mind wants something like this? This rhetorical question expresses a negative sentiment about the perceived lack of appeal for the procedural mazes.
    • Turn the procedural maze off, thanks, bye, which is a direct and negative sentiment demanding the removal or optionality of the disliked feature.

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