Planetbase Reviews

Seeing a lot of poor reviews recently complaining they can't beat even the first world. The game is not that hard. Learning the mechanics is part of any game. Every time I have come back to this game I easily sink several hours into it. Can't wait to see improvements to a second game. While I haven't managed to 100% every challenge... I am probably at 90% completion. some of the last most difficult challenge modes are quite challenging. but that's kinda the point and I never cared enough to grind the last challenges to the point of 100% completion.

had to leave a review because of some hating on a not so good AI from 2015, yes its had updates but it is old. if you like sim and building games its a lot of fun with increasing challenge as you move from planet to planet. wait for a sale and it would be worth the money.

it has alot of potential but i hope the second game has less retarded AI, the priority system is more like a suggestion system. if everyone is hungry and theres a biodome to be built, if you have ANY decorations or interior stuff qued forget eating theyre going to build that bunkbed or TV first. I know its just a skill issue but weve evolved passed micromanaging here into something that is unrewarding and pisses me off more than it makes me want to dive into the systems and understand it more. everytime i think what if i do this different, it doesnt matter. once you run out of mats from your starter ship get ready to make 1 metal and 1 bio plastic a day even if you have 2 mines and 2 fully loaded production domes with the priority on high for all 4 structures, your ai will just wander around aimlessly while theres stuff to be done that would save the colony. i understand theres 3 or 4 different types of colonists you can have but it isnt made apparent, i had to figure out from reddit that certain units can only do certain things. Alot of good ideas but not so great execution. I can see how in playtesting, you knew the nuances of the system so it was probably brainless for you. But coming from other city builders, it feels eh. Like i want to get better at it but I dont feel like the games respecting my time as a player. Unless the goal is to make a single play through last 20 hours, and have it feel like youre never getting ahead, Id give it a 6/10. it has potential it just doesnt have a satisfying feedback loop

incredible game, I hope there were a danish version pack with kids audio, my kids love to watch me play and it is a fantastic way to introduce them to so many different topics in a very interactive way. A suggestion would be maybe make a small mod/new game more focus on kids interaction. I would definitively buy it. Great Great work so far. Amazing games, both Dawn of Man and Planet Base, and I am so excited to buy the Planet Base 2 :D

Good city builder with challenges... I hate those weaponized "Visitors" that regularly land, intent on raising havoc by murdering inhabitants. But when you figure out how to deal with them accordingly, base defense is somewhat routine (sorry, no spoilers here). Balancing food with population can go off the rails if aggressively growing the colony and can send you into a devastating spiral of starvation that can be difficult to recover from. I very much enjoy this game and recommend it.

This is a fairly clean sci-fi base-building sim with enough detail to satisfy much of what I want in it, and with enough challenge to keep me planning and thinking ahead a reasonable amount of time. This game is good enough that I would happily own and play both it AND the upcoming sequel

Nice game! I don't understand much of the critizism - this is a economy game with scarce ressources, so you have to be very careful when scaling up. Otherwise you run into deadly bottlenecks. It's the core challenge of the game, not bad design. Go slow and considerate and you will do just fine.

Planetbase is a sci-fi colony management game that challenges players to build and sustain a functioning outpost on a hostile alien world. Starting with a small crew and limited resources, you're tasked with establishing basic infrastructure—oxygen, power, food, and shelter—before gradually expanding into a fully automated colony. Early gameplay is tense and rewarding, with each decision carrying weight. You have to carefully manage your limited supply of materials, monitor your colonists’ needs, and build the right facilities in the right order to avoid catastrophe. Even something as simple as placing a solar panel too far from a power collector can lead to a deadly chain reaction if night falls and you’re unprepared. Where the game truly shines is in the early and mid-game. Every new structure—whether a biodome, mine, lab, or factory—feels like a hard-earned step toward independence. You unlock new technologies and recruit specialists through landing pads, allowing you to evolve from simple survival to a self-sustaining and even profitable operation. However, success is fragile. A poorly timed storm, power outage, or lack of spare parts can bring your colony to the brink. The dynamic weather systems, random disasters, and environmental hazards keep you on your toes and add a layer of unpredictability that fits well with the game's tone. As your colony expands, some of the cracks in the design begin to show. Colonist AI can behave erratically, ignoring vital tasks or taking inefficient paths, which can lead to preventable deaths. You might have enough medical supplies, but your medics are nowhere to be found when an injured worker collapses. Automation through bots helps alleviate this somewhat, but managing the human factor can be frustrating due to inconsistent behavior. This unpredictability isn't the result of complex emergent behavior—it often feels more like the AI simply isn't tuned properly for large-scale management, especially when things start to go wrong. Different planetary environments offer varying degrees of challenge. Each map introduces unique threats—sandstorms, meteor showers, blizzards, or intense solar radiation—forcing you to adjust your strategy. These changes add some replay value and force you to rethink your colony layout and resource priorities. Still, once you've developed a formula for success, the game can begin to feel repetitive. New buildings are often just larger versions of old ones, and technology progression doesn’t dramatically change the way you play. There’s a limited set of events and no real narrative, so once you’ve stabilized your colony, the challenge plateaus. Visually, the game is clean and functional. Structures and terrain are easy to read, with color-coded systems helping you keep track of colonists and power networks. The minimalist aesthetic works well in a management context, though it lacks the flair and personality seen in some other colony sims. The sound design is subtle, with ambient effects doing more to set the tone than the sparse music or basic audio cues. Performance is stable even during large colonies, which is impressive considering the number of moving parts on-screen during late-game operations. While the core gameplay loop is enjoyable, the lack of depth in the later stages and the AI limitations can hold it back. After a while, your colony runs itself, and challenges start to feel more like minor interruptions than real threats. There’s little incentive to keep playing beyond unlocking milestones, which serve mostly as a checklist rather than meaningful progression. A lack of mod support from the developers further limits the game's long-term potential, although some community-driven tools have emerged to extend its life. Ultimately, Planetbase is a focused and engaging base-building experience, particularly strong in its early hours. It offers a solid challenge, thoughtful pacing, and an appealing loop of expansion and risk management. However, its simplicity begins to wear thin with extended play, and its systems could benefit from more depth and polish. For fans of survival management games, it’s a worthwhile investment, especially if you enjoy micro-managing under pressure. Just be prepared for occasional frustration and diminishing returns as the novelty wears off. Rating: 7/10

The game still works. That's saying a lot! I also love Dawn of Man (which is also built well), and I can't wait for PlanetBase2! These Devs rock!

Though the game is fun, and genuinely challenging even at the lower levels. It's missing a lot of personality. Everything functions, but nothing excels. You'll find fairly quickly that once you understand the mechanics, the game is neither particular deep nor particularly wide in scope. Your buildings are soulless perfunctory bubbles where you need build only what is strictly necessary for survival. What few decorations exist are so minimal they ultimately highlight how little there is to design. Your colonists are soulless automatons, performing basic functions without personality or desire, their deaths go unmourned, and they're forgotten as soon as their little models sink below the terrain. This game is fine, but it has been done better.