![]() ![]() How this fares on its previous releases on the PC and the Xbox One can be left to other reviewers, but not only does this spoil one of the key strengths of the game, it does start to seem that the developers have cut corners rather than really invest their time for a PS4 release. Not only do these break up the flow of play, but when up close and personal, Lifeless Planet takes on the appearance of a PS2 instalment rather than a PS4 upgrade. In fact, what comes as a real shame is how the otherwise gorgeous art design is spoiled by the too frequent cutscenes. The main character also gets an upgraded makeover, but their animation still feels a bit stiff and clumsy, but these are easy things to forgive. That being said, the Premier Edition does benefit from the upgraded engine, shaders and lighting effects, which presents a beautiful world for the player to explore. The abandoned Soviet village and the underground labs in the catacombs serve as intriguing and sometimes spine-tingling arenas for the player, particularly when you have little more than your flashlight to guide the way, but towards the end, aside from a couple of alien structures, you can see where the developers ran out of thoughtful ideas. ![]() And while it does attempt to vary up the landscapes, it starts to feel that they have just thrown in as many environments as they can think of, rather than consider how they best serve and link to the core narrative. As you stumble towards a string of power lines in the middle of the seemingly uninhabited world, this surreal aspect of an otherwise intriguing storyline gives the game a strong opening jump-start to the player’s experience. Though the environments can be considered to be the key strength to Lifeless Planet, over the six-hour average run-time they can start to lose their appeal as you start to see the same rhythms and structures that border on the repetitive. It feels as though you can go as far as the eye can see, which for a game of this genre and indie origins, it’s an initially impressive feat. Given the chance, if you started walking off in any given direction, I’d be curious to see how long it takes before you can go no longer. From the very first moments you step into the main character’s shoes, you are engulfed by a gorgeous, seemingly endless environment that really brings the feeling of isolation. Lifeless Planet starts off strong but fails to sustain it across the duration of the game. But when things go south and the module crash lands, you must navigate this barren, inhospitable world to locate your missing crew members and learn why and how there is an abandoned, soviet base on an otherwise, deserted planet. Originally released on the PC in 2014 and again on Xbox One last year, Lifeless Planet finally crash lands on Sony’s home console with the Premier Edition, but has it been worth the wait? Independently developed by David Board and Alaska-based Stage 2 Studios, you play as a volunteer astronaut on a one-way mission to a supposedly uninhabited planet. ![]()
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