It’s been a huge year for fans of the life-simulation genre, with the likes of Pokémon Pokopia and Tamadochi Life: Living the Dream making waves, but Petit Planet, with a free-to-play model, could potentially be the biggest of them all.
HoYoverse has established itself as a master in the free-to-play, anime-style market, with the likes of Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, and Zenless Zone Zero having a big impact, but after an extensive period with Petit Planet during the limited-time Stardrift test period, we could be about to see a hit of unprecedented scale.
I dabbled in everything from interior design to fishing, cooking to crafting, and everything in between, all while meeting eye-catching characters that are sure to become instant fan-favourites, and the biggest takeaway I had was that I couldn’t wait until the full game releases, and I can kick everything off all over again.
Stars in Your Eyes
The premise of Petit Planet will be familiar to fans of the genre, but rather than helping to develop a new island or taking over a family farm, you’re put in control of helping to nurture and grow an entire planet. It may seem like a pretty daunting task, but Petit Planet makes sure not to overwhelm you with too much in one go.
Instead, new opportunities are uncovered piece by piece as you nurture the growth of your new home. From gathering plants to catching bugs, the content of Petit Planet was slowly revealed piece by piece, and it soon became clear that there’s something for everyone here.
Personally, I’m a big collector of games like this, and one of my favourite things to do in Animal Crossing: New Horizons was to catch fish, bugs, and fossils to display in Blather’s museum, so I’m delighted that there’s a similar concept to churn through in Petit Planet.
Like Animal Crossing, different fish and creatures appear in different seasons, and with no clear way to time switch like you can do on Nintendo Switch, completionists will be playing a long game with Petit Planet before they can boast a full collection.
Characters For an Instant Impact
Comparisons to Animal Crossing will certainly be made, and like the Nintendo franchise, the neighbours and characters you meet have great designs, often themed around animals, and you can invite your favourites to live alongside you on your planet. What’s even better, however, is that each character has a chain of friendship missions to complete to tighten your bond.
Yunguo, a cultivator with the style of a red panda, was an instant hit for me, while Elsasani, a pink-rabbit styled neighbour, is certain to be popular in the community.
Usually, I’m quite content with finding a few favourites and sticking with them, but in Petit Planet, I was eager to continue meeting as many characters as I could, with the added incentive that their roles drop major hints about other content that is going to be there to enjoy.
Honestly, I cannot wait to play Petit Planet again, and the prospect of the game evolving with more content, following the sort of model HoYoverse has hinted at with their previous hints, is extremely exciting.
While the full release date is yet to be revealed, I’ll certainly be keeping my ear to the ground on the hunt for any updates I can find.
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For your next read, take a look at the rumors around the next Nintendo Direct, and check out the reveal details of Modern Warfare 4.
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