Remote Planets joins the growing list of puzzle games that are meant to “relax” players with a calming sense of music, simple visuals and design, yet be challenging enough to keep them interested in continuing their long list of puzzles without frustration. It has a style and direction aimed towards pleasing everyone, but the question is does it truly achieve that goal? Find out in our review below.
Remote Planets
Developer: Zuza
Publisher: Zuza
Platforms: PC (Reviewed)
Release Date: April 24, 2023
Players: 1
Price: $9.99 USD
Remote Planets doesn’t truly have a story. There appears to be one lightly placed in the background, as it opens with the first character you meet telling you that your ship crashed. Though there was no cutscene and when I loaded into the game at first, it plopped me right into the game.
The only motivation for solving these puzzles is that they are apparently tied to the power grid of the alien world your character crashed onto. So now it’s up to you to restore it to have a chance of fixing your ship to leave.
And that’s all there really is to the plot. Outside of that, you’ll met random characters who all have some quirky one liner that might get a chuckle out of you. Though most of it was mundane and the attempt of zaniness only barely scratched the surface of the definition of the word.
However, the plot otherwise doesn’t exist nor is it important compared to the majority of time spent in-game. Which will be heading into small self-contained levels that carry each puzzle within Remote Planets.
Remote Planets core mechanic is with their Sokoban-style puzzles by pushing certain blocks to specifically marked spots on each stage. Aiding you along the way are other special blocks that will move platforms in a manner to allow you to complete this task.
Each “world”, which are not separated into different planets despite what the game’s name might imply, will throw in a new mechanic or gimmick to mix things up. They aren’t overtly complex and any player will pick up on them instantly, but they do keep puzzles fresh.
As for the puzzles themselves, I found them to be challenging enough, some of which took much longer than others. At the same time, there were also a fair number of puzzles, excluding ones meant to teach mechanics, which were absurdly easy as well.
The thing about their difficulty is that it’s not in a fashion where it gets harder as you progress. There are levels were I spent 10+ minutes on, only for the next to take less than 30 seconds. But this could just be the nature of not truly knowing what will and won’t challenge someone’s mind.
Beyond that, every puzzle is tiny. Only being one screen in size with the actual playable space being much smaller than that. So if you know the solution to a given problem, it’ll take a mere minute at most to solve and be on your way.
With well over 100 puzzles, there are a fair number of brain teasers as you progress through the game. Some of which are optional, meaning that beating the game should only take a handful of hours to beat in proper fashion.
Though short, the small price tag makes the time it takes to beat much more acceptable. However there isn’t much replay value either as is common with most puzzle games since once you know the solution, there’s not much else to the gameplay.
The small budget also makes its way into the presentation of Remote Planets. Artwork is simple, with most characters looking like they were created in MS Paint. There are numerous reused assets with each stage with nothing done in an attempt to mix things up.
While the music isn’t bad on the ear, it’s also repetitive. There seems to be only one track that you’d hear on a lo-fi playlist in this game. Which only makes itself more apparent when you’re stuck on a single level trying to think as it keep repeating.
Remote Planets being a title created by a solo developer is clear here. And while other games have achieved much loftier heights with the same manpower, this game also knows exactly what it’s aiming for and goes just for that.
This puts into perspective that Remote Planets is mainly for those looking for a simple and relaxing experience. One that avoids skillful gameplay mechanics in favor for some brain teasers which give you a dopamine rush for solving.
At a budget price point, it does well for its target audience and can be a nice way to enjoy a quite evening by yourself. Just understand that it might be a bit too simplistic for some.
Remote Planets was reviewed on PC using a code provided by Zuza. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here. Remote Planets is available now for Windows PC (via Steam).
