planetarian ~the reverie of a little planet~

[b]My Playtime:[/b] 8.5h (100% achievement, finished the game) [b]Grindy Achievement(s):[/b] No. [b]Optional Achievement(s):[/b] Yes (2 achievements). [b]Difficult Achievement(s):[/b] No. [h1]Intro[/h1] [b]planetarian ~the reverie of a little planet~[/b] is a visual novel about a man who comes to a deserted planetarium and his experience with a robot in the same place. It is a short story containing 16 chapters. [b]Pros:[/b] - Chapter select - A lot of configurable settings [b]Cons:[/b] - Takes a while to set properly on Steam Deck - No fast-forward option [b]Specs[/b] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/steamdeck]Steam Deck[/url]: AMD Zen 2 4c/8t 2.4-3.5GHz, 16 GB RAM, 8 AMD RDNA 2 CUs [h1]Should you buy this game?[/h1] [b]Yes.[/b] [i]Well, the game is not for sale now, but it's worth it if you can get it cheap.[/i] [hr][/hr] [h1]In-Depth Review[/h1] [h3]Visuals[/h3] Just like other visual novels, there are a lot of recycled scenes, especially since the game only happens in one location. It does a good job of making them different by showing the location from various angles, though. Plus, the character was also given variations from the color of her ribbon as you progress. [h3]Story[/h3] The story is alright. It was very slow at first, with the main character talking to the robot and doing his daily job. The dialogue that comes mostly comes from idle chatter between the talkative robot and the man who hates the same idle talk. As someone who doesn't enjoy slice-of-life stories, I found this boring - there wasn't anything worthwhile to read apart from the worldbuilding and how the planetarium comes into place. Moreover, you'll see the robot repeat the same dialogue, especially when she's doing her practice. That being said, the game is short, so it's still bearable for me. The story doesn't get interesting until it reaches the last few chapters. The suspense was there, with the genre change from the slice of life to that of an action. There are crises, and life is at stake. The ending might be predictable to some extent, but it still delivers. It was quite disheartening, and in the end, I ended up wanting more. The game does a good job with climax. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=313090855 [h3]The Game[/h3] [b]Gameplay[/b] As a visual novel, you'll mostly be reading texts. The background will change based on the story, sometimes with a whole cutscene to make the scene impactful. This works well, especially during the projection—you can see what the game wants to convey and how brilliant the star is. The settings can be hard to apply on [i]Steam Deck[/i], though. I spent about an hour tweaking it to make sure it fit, not to mention the several force closes when the game becomes uncontrollable during that time. However, despite the numerous setting options, it lacks a fast-forward button. The achievement for chapter 4 didn't grant on my playthrough so I had to replay it again without fast-forward. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1498006570 [b]Length and Replayability[/b] I finished the game in 8.5h, but I spent like an hour or so to make the game work before I could start playing. Plus, I replayed chapter 4 because I didn't get the achievement after finishing it for the first time. The game has a linear story. It means that there are no multiple endings, and you have no choices. You will have to read texts until the game finishes—there isn't any interaction that you can do at all. [h1]Conclusion[/h1] [i]planetarian ~the reverie of a little planet~[/i]'s story can be boring at first, but it manages to come through due to its short playtime. The ending was executed well, and I was left wanting more to see of what happened afterward. I could recommend it, but only if you manage to get it on a sale.