Lifeless Planet: Premier Edition from developer Stage 2 Studios and publisher Serenity Forge is an improved and updated version of Lifeless Planet that gives PlayStation 4 owners the definitive version of the game. Do you have what it takes to complete this puzzle platfomer as you explore a planet where mankind once stood strong… but that currently shows nothing but desolation and despair? Oh and, for some reason, you volunteered for this trip from which you’d never be able to return. Intrigued? Then come read out Lifeless Planet: Premier Edition review!

 

The game begins on the landing site where your vessel has crash landed. This location will serve as a sort of tutorial area so that you can get the hang of things before things get serious. For example, as soon as you start running around, you’ll notice you have an oxygen leak in your suit, so you must quickly find a way to renew your oxygen reserve before you suffocate. The first area is pretty barren, so the game shows you how to find new stuff by following small flashing lights in the distance. You’ll then use your jump and your jetpack to quickly get to the next area before it’s too late.

So, if you’re going to learn the basics, you might as need to learn about the controls for the game, right? You can move with the left analog stick and look around with the right one. Jumps are triggered by the X button, and you can interact with things with the Square button. If you need to walk slowly, you’ll need to hold down the L1 button. You can activate your handy Tablet with the Circle button, and your flashlight is ready to aid you as soon as you press the R1 button. But wait, there’s more! You also have a robotic arm that will surely come in handy, and you can activate it with the Triangle button. Once activated, you’ll move it with the left analog stick, extend it with the R2 button, retract it with the L button and grab things with the Square button. Got all that? Great! It’s now time for an adventure!

As you go on with your adventure, you’ll unlock many logs in your tablet which give you extra information about what is going on and what you’re learning as you explore. Take for instance that moment when you find an oxygen supply vehicle. Doing so will unlock a new entry in the tablet which will outline how there are other similar vehicles around the planet to provide oxygen for the landing party.

I can’t go too much into the game’s story without spoiling things for you, but rest assured that you will get to experience what it would be like if you were all alone in a location you’re not familiar with. By the end of your journey you’ll certainly have enjoyed the game’s story!

Lifeless Planet: Premiere Edition brings to its PlayStation 4 release an improved main character model that shows more detail and twice the texture resolution when compared to the previous version on PC. The game has also benefited from a new game engine that give it physically based shaders and improved lighting.

On top of that, you can try your hand at getting the game’s Platinum trophy! That’s right, Lifeless Planet: Premiere Edition features a full trophy count for you to try and add to your collection. Be warned that getting this one will require that you play the game several times, and there’s a particularly tricky trophy that will probably take all of your might to unlock. Overall you’re looking at around 6-7 hours to get most of the trophies, leaving only a particular trophy for the end before your Platinum pop-sup.

My time with the game for my Lifeless Planet: Premiere Edition was very entertaining. I kept playing the game in short bursts of 20-30 minutes at a time, searching around each new location to try and find some mineral samples that could bring me closer to unlocking a new trophy or two. The platforming mechanics were also fun during most of the time… except for the one time I jumped up a hill and ended up going through the ground, plummeting to my death as the game glitched. Certainly not a deal-breaker, but something I did want to mention.

[review
pros=”Good updated visuals.
Interesting story.
Fun adventure” cons=”Might feel a bit dull for some” score=81]

Disclaimer
This Lifeless Planet: Premiere Edition review is based on a PS4 copy provided by Serenity Forge