Petit Planet doesn't quite capture my heart but it's the game life sim fans have been waiting for

• Petit Planet took centre stage at Gamescom this year with an Opening Night Live trailer
• And I even got the chance to go hands-on with its latest demo!
• It didn't quite capture my heart, but dedicated life-social sim fans will find plenty to adore here

Well, with Gamescom now firmly in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to piece together what happened like Hercule Poirot or your famous detective of choice. Already I’ve written about my experience playing the upcoming Honkai: Nexus Anima, and my dark horse pick of the event with Silver Palace. But I also got the chance to go hands-on with another upcoming MiHoYo release in the form of cosy stellar life sim Petit Planet.

Yet while I did enjoy my time with it, Petit Planet just didn’t hit the same mark that either of the games above did. But why is that? Well, a combination of stuff we’ve seen before, and a drastically different format to what we’ve seen from MiHoYo in the past, for one.

What's the story on Petit Planet

The setup for Petit Planet is a pretty simple one, as you’re offered the position of Planet Tender by the folks at an enigmatic space-based company called Loomix Co. Don’t expect any twists and turns, however, as this is very much just the setup for why your character is taking care of one small planetoid in a stylised galaxy.

Accompanied by your various eclectic neighbours, it’s your job to fish, farm and cultivate the planet, causing it to grow and develop more life. Along the way you’ll build up the planet as you see fit, whether that’s as a small town or a scattering of miniature homesteads, spread across a well-cultivated world all of your own.

Ultimately, if you’ve played anything like Animal Crossing, you know what to expect. And Petit Planet does well not to mess with the formula, even if I can see the accusations of inspiration becoming plagiarism coming a mile away. But rest assured this isn’t just AC with the serial numbers filed off; Petit Planet has its own distinct identity.

Keeping things colourful and pleasant

In terms of graphics, this is easily the most ‘mobile-ready’ game I played at Gamescom. Both Silver Palace and Honkai: Nexus Anima were played via PC as that was the only build available. But Petit Planet offers a cosy, stylised set of visuals that I think will fit perfectly onto mobile without any strain on lower-end devices.

The music is your standard cutesy, fantasy ish medley. And while it doesn’t really stand out like Silver Palace’s classical-inspired soundtrack did, it definitely does the job in immersing you into a world of wonder and comfiness.

I also liked the fact that, while this is obviously cribbing a lot from games such as Animal Crossing, there’s a recognisable element of MiHoYo’s signature animesque style in Petit Planet. Characters are distinctive and really stand out in terms of design and model, even if they have the occasional annoying quirk (the dog-like Mobai’s habit of saying ‘mo worries’ is cute only about the third time it happens).

Petit Planet also has some really gorgeous visuals tied to the stellar theme of the whole game. And this makes it well worth checking in on even if you’re a complete sceptic of the genre, if only you get to take a look at how well the galaxies and stars are rendered.

But how does it actually play?

Well, look back at all the Animal Crossing comparisons, and you’ll get the picture. You gather up materials, capture bugs, fish, plant crops and so on and so forth. As you grow your little slice of paradise, you’ll gradually attract new inhabitants, all with their own level of bonding and various rewards attached as you gain their trust.

It’s a relatively simple format, but one with plenty of depth, and MiHoYo’s signature addition of various missions and smaller tasks for you to complete means that you’ll have dailies to complete galore. That may not quite be the style that cosy game fans looking for a less demanding experience are looking for, but I bet it’ll hit the mark with some of you.

But this demo wasn’t just the regular beta we’re all familiar with from Catherine’s overview of Petit Planet's first playtest. I also had the chance to try out some of the newest features and tweaks that you’ll be enjoying next time Petit Planet is in public access!

What’s new on Petit Planet?

The most major changes are in Starsea Voyages, which were already present but have had a major rework here. Sending you out into a literal sea of stars aboard your small motorboat, the Starsea Voyages let you explore various ‘islets’ or smaller planets with various themed areas and exclusive goodies to recover and even neighbours to encounter!

The newest version of Starsea Voyages sees the original cost of in-game battery life removed, letting you explore at your own pace. You’ll also be able to explore other galaxies (biomes, essentially) by using Wandering Stars, letting you nab even more items you can’t get anywhere else.

Habitats are another interesting new feature. These are basically templates for specific locations you can place and gradually build onto. I saw a variety, including stuff such as a seaside cafe, and was told that placing these will attract hidden creatures, allow for new NPC interactions and even increase bond depending on the neighbours you have.

Finally, food will offer actual stat-specific buffs rather than simply increasing stamina. A relatively small change, but it does make it worthwhile collecting new recipes and chefing up something different to serve up on your Petit Planet. It also shows MiHoYo really are sweating the small details here, which is crucial for building up a really deep, cosy experience for lovers of the genre.

Cosily concluding

I think overall, while Petit Planet is undoubtedly competently put together, it didn’t quite grab me. I think many cosy games live and die on both how approachable they are and the sense of authenticity they have. Big companies such as MiHoYo chasing the trend risk forgetting that life sim players want a real, complete package, with no additional extras.

However, I think that Petit Planet may just be the definitive cosy life sim on mobile. Especially with competitors such as Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp abandoning the mobile platform. Is it likely to sway cosy sceptics? Not a chance, but for fans of the genre it seems as if it’ll be well worth a look, especially with MiHoYo taking player feedback on board and improving it with each iteration.

If you’re a complete newcomer to the cosy genre though, why not take a look at our list of the best mobile games like Stardew Valley and see what we think are worth playing?