The Planet Crafter

The Planet Crafter is an open-world survival game made by Miju Games for Windows. The game was first available on March 24, 2022, and fully released on April 10, 2024.

The Planet Crafter started as a project by two people and later grew to a team of six. It was made by Miju Games, an independent studio from southern France, founded in 2019. The game became available in early access on March 24, 2022, with the team working fully from home.

 Gameplay 
In The Planet Crafter, players start on a rocky, empty planet and work to change its environment. Later, they can terraform other planets and moons, adjusting air, temperature, and life while managing resources. The goal is to raise the Terraformation Index (TI) by building machines for oxygen, heat, and pressure, and later adding plants, animals, and insects.

To use terraformation machines, players first need to build generators for power. Generators can be placed anywhere on a planet or moon and add to the total energy. If machines need more power than is available, they stop working until there is enough energy.

After terraforming their first planet, players can visit two new moons. Each moon can be terraformed, and players keep all blueprints, knowledge, and equipment. Resources can also be moved between planets and moons.

 Plot 
Players play as a convict sent by Sentinel Corp to Planet Prime in the 3000s. Their task is to terraform the planet and make it Earth-like in exchange for having their charges dropped. 

The player gets occasional messages from Riley, who knows about Planet Prime and has met the player before. Riley arranges a secret escape with smugglers, but it costs money.

The game has three endings: Subjection, Subservience, and Subversion. In Subjection, the player leaves the planet under Sentinel Corp’s control. Subservience happens when the player escapes with the smugglers. Subversion occurs if the player leaves through the Warden’s portal.

 Reception 

The Planet Crafter got mostly positive reviews. Critics liked the terraforming, progression, and relaxed sandbox gameplay, but said the early game had limited content. The PC version has a Metacritic score of 81/100.

Reviewers praised The Planet Crafter for its terraforming systems, gradual progression, and relaxing sandbox gameplay. IGN France liked its rewarding systems, though they suggested more balancing and content. GameStar and Hardcore Gamer highlighted the satisfying transformation from a barren planet to a fully terraformed world, while noting it may not suit players wanting action or detailed visuals. Screen Rant, GamingBolt, and CGMagazine all gave it 8/10, commending its exploration, crafting, and environments, but mentioning a sparse early game and limited endgame content.

Players received the game very positively, with an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating on Steam. Before full release, it had a 96% “Very Positive” rating. By June 2024, the developers reported that over one million copies had been sold.

 References 

Category:2024 video games