planetarian HD

planetarian HD
N/A
Metacritic
98
Steam
90.704
xDR
Our rating is calculated based on the reviews and popularity of the game.
Price
$3.99
Release date
8 May 2017
Developers
Publishers
Steam reviews score
Total
98 (2 390 votes)
Recent
97 (48 votes)

planetarian HD is an engaging and emotional visual novel from legendary game studio, Key. A sub-brand of VisualArts, Key are also famed for creating Kanon, AIR, CLANNAD, Little Busters!, Rewrite, Angel Beats!, and Summer Pockets.

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planetarian HD system requirements

Minimum:

  • OS: Microsoft Windows® 10/8/7
  • Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo or higher
  • Memory: 1 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 256MB Video Memory (with Pixel Shader 2.0)
  • DirectX: Version 9.0
  • Storage: 500 MB available space
  • Sound Card: Required
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Panzerfuchs
Panzerfuchs

Back in the day Philip K. Dick asked 'Does Androids dream of electric sheep?'
We all know it better as 'Blade Runner', where the Android Roy Batty hold his >Tears in Rain< monologue.
Studio Key ask us here 'Does Androids dream of robot heaven?'
Yumemi made it into our hearts.
Show us the stars, little robot girl!

kittyxscratch
kittyxscratch

I didn't like Visual Novel... I didn't like it one bit... At least not at first, and then it grew to be something I found Profoundly Beautiful.... Let me Explain Through a Review:

First, I would like to say that I can NOT recommend this Visual Novel UNLESS you also accompany with it the 5 Episodes Anime and the Sequel Movie (You can watch it on CrunchyRoll in English for FREE if you take advantage of their FREE Trial OR Already have a PAID Version...The Sequel also concludes the story and I will write it in a spoiler below.)

So Here is my honest opinion on the:

CONS

(This is why I was initially turned off):

Game Format: I wasn't able to Full Screen the Game. I can't feel as immersed with small screen and my computer background.

Text Format: I appreciate when Text isn't grouped together so much, so to me it seemed kind of cluttered, and when you save and load it is in Japanese.

Not English Spoken: As an English speaker it was somewhat annoying reading English while the Character is speaking Japanese.

CG Mode: After completing "Planetarian" you are able to view photos and content. Some of the images of Yumemi were kind of revealing and I didn't really like that, just because of her inspiring and sweet self it felt kind of off.

Intro: At the start I felt our Character (ME/Mr.Customer) was just some jerk who yelled a lot, also I didn't understand the beginning when I started playing.

HONESTLY I seriously thought about refunding the game at first because of these and the following CON:

NO CHOICES: We don't have any choices or options.. IT's just a story with Images and also Japanese Voice... I have played many Visual Novels but I haven't played one where you have no choices yet, and it did turn me off...

PROS:

BUT.. Here is where the PROS come in...

ADORABLE Yumemi: In the Visual Novel she really made the story. She is cute, kind, nice, sincere, and an all around nice character.... and at the end is where I really got interested in her. She is so sweet, both to humans and robots regardless of their actions she sees good in them... and her wish is such a good one it really made me feel, and is the reason I looked up the anime as well.

Cute Images and Story with Planetarium: I liked the stories and the images for the planetarium, and at the end I really loved the dialogue despite what happens...

Feelings For The Characters: Predominately Yumemi especially later in the story, but also "Mr. Customer" as well.. (Although this is establish IMO much better in the Anime and I felt for both the Characters so much while watching the anime, perhaps because I knew what would happen because of the Visual Novel)

Music: The music was especially good, I think it's what made my eyes water in addition to what happened throughout the series...

CONCLUSION:

For me personally I would NOT recommend this unless it is companion to the 5 episodes and the movie (Each episode is about 20 minutes long and the Movie is 2 hours BUT only contains about 40 minutes of new content and an ending - the rest of the movie shows glimpses of the 5 episodes.)...

Because I was interested in the Visual Novel Characters and ESPECIALLY what happened and what was said at the end I looked up and found the Visual Novel has an Anime and so I watched it and....

IT really loved it.. MY eyes were so watery and I just found it so beautiful... The 5 episodes were pretty much the same plus or minus a few tiny sentences, but at the end of the 5 episodes after he takes Yumemi's SD Card with him he collapses and apparently is rescued by some people. When they ask if he is a "Junker" he replies "No." and tells them he is a "Story Teller Of The Stars"

In the movie sequel Many years have passed and we see "Mr. Customer"/"The Storyteller Of The Stars" and he is traveling in the snow with some Planetarium Stuff and Yumemi's SD Card... He comes to a village and makes friends with some children... They make a little Planetarium and he teaches them about the stars... Later The Village Elder's tell him he must leave. He gives the children Yumemi's SD Card and entrust them with the books and knowledge of the Planetarium as he is getting old and sickly.... Just before leaving he comes to see the children one last time as they are preying to their "Goddess".... He looks up to see it is a robot and checks to see if it has a SD Card Slot, but as he does he has a heartattack and falls to the floor dying... That night as he is resting in his deathbed that robot comes up to him and prays next to him and he tells her he doesn't want to go to heaven unless it's for both humans and robots and then... he passes... He wakes up in Heaven and starts walking, he becomes his young self comes to a Gate Door... He opens it and seeing Yumemi... She is in the Planetarium with all of her old coworkers... He and she reunite and -Here is where it gets all WaterWorksie... "Mr. Customer" says that for years all he wanted to say was "Thank You" ... Yumemi gives him a Real Bouquet... and "Mr. Customer" says he is sorry it took him so long to get there and still grateful to her after all these years and Yumemi tells him she is grateful for sharing the stars with so many for all these years and that she was happy to finally see him and give him his bouquet in person and see him again at least after all the years... Then he breaks down and cries and it's really emotional... he says "Just hearing those words makes it all worth it"... It ends with them Starting the Planetarium Projection

It's really more than I can explain or say... So in conclusion: This Visual Novel is definitely a companion to the 5 episodes Anime and the Movie Sequel... It's Heartbreaking and Heartwarming at the same time... and it takes a VERY SPECIAL place in my heart!

ssgod
ssgod

Gosh darn game for making me feel feels.

Planetarian makes the most of it's short runtime to tell a gripping story about a man and a robot in a post apocalyptic world. Didn't expect feels but it never really hit until the very end where it piles all of the feels upon you. I can see why people see this as a classic. Well done Key!

l-l0pe1e$$$0u1
l-l0pe1e$$$0u1

War is the fault of this world, war takes people's lives and also takes away the bright starry sky. It fragments the order of the world, and in this environment desires pervade every corner of the world, perhaps only robots can embody the true feelings of this world.
战争就是这个世界的故障,战争夺去了人们的生命同时也夺去了璀璨的星空。它让这个世界的秩序变得支离破碎,在这种大环境之下欲望充斥着这个世界的每个角落,在这时也许只有机器人才能体现这世间的真情。

tsundokku
tsundokku

A truly heartfelt tale, this kinetic novel is a masterpiece in my book. This game was actually the third visual novel I have ever completed, and I must say, this one is a must play for anyone into the genre. This is not the game for you if you're looking for ecchi or anything unsavory, this story is purely emotional and powerful.

All in all, this game made me sob like a little kid, I highly recommend it if you want to read something compelling and thought-provoking. I'm so glad I got to experience this game for myself, pick this one up swiftly when it goes on sale!

lullabymahjong
lullabymahjong

If you have three to four hours of your life to spare and you're reading this review: you owe it to yourself to read planetarian. I cried a lot, but I felt that I had the opportunity to see something beautiful.

Why don't you come to the planetarium?

nutelu9001
nutelu9001

Very short but even better experience. The story is amazing as you'd expect from a Key game. The thing that I find the most impressive is how they made the story so smooth and not rushed even though the game is about 5 hours long. Worth the price, especially if it's on sale!

Giliath Osborne
Giliath Osborne

Innocent robot in not so innocent world...

Thank you Mary, for introducing me to Planetarian's beautiful story.

Story rather short (4-5hours max), but well written. It's hard to believe that this novel is already over 20 years old. Yumemi is a robo-girl who works in planetarium, but for some reason, customers are not coming here anymore...and then, one day - he showed up. I leave the rest for readers to uncover.
With slightly polished HD assets, it holds up pretty well even today. Thanks to adjustments in options, you can even shot ultra wide screenshots (mind you, it's only good for pictures, not to play the game in 21:9, as picture will be cropped).
VN is fully voiced and there's all standard options included, like auto-read, hiding text boxes, etc.
Music - for as short game as it is, OST is not that big, but boy oh boy, songs here are memorable and fits in the scenes so perfectly. Upon finishing the game, you unlock Music Mode, which is essentially your free soundtrack to listen.
What is more important tho - I tested Planetarian on Steam Deck, and it runs without any problems whatsoever (what is not always the case in VN realm).

[b]It's 20 years old VN, but it stood the test of time. After decades, this story still can beat many of today's novels. If you want something to read in one evening, something more on a serious tone - I can recommend it without any hesitation. It is short, visuals are pretty simple, but you know what? It's 10/10. One of the better short novels I've read. I will treasure this memory stick forever, Yumemi...

cjlim2007
cjlim2007

It's seriously not an understatement to say that this VN changed my life for the better. The music is fantastic, the writing is easy to analyze yet always provides something new to think about, the art is a bit old but not bad at all, especially with the HD remake, and the voice work is amazing. It's so cheap and easy to read, why don't you come to the planetarium?

Shasgaliel
Shasgaliel

Unbelievably sad kinetic novel. It is a dystopian story set in the future. Even though it is more than 20 years old its message and premise are as accurate as always. This is an existential story, depicting the real meaning of the word "innocence", in the very brutal world.
When you see the amount of positive reviews, believe me it is like this for a reason. Even some of the couple of the negative ones were done just to spite the amount of positives (yup, people like that exist). Highly recommend even though it is very very sad. It is short (3h) but still its price is worth it.

CERVEJAS
CERVEJAS

Planetarian is a short, linear visual novel set in a post-apocalyptic environment. The plot and the music are good, and you can probably finish it in 4.5 hours or less. I would suggest buying it on sale. If you do, have fun!

SneQk
SneQk

A grueling slog of a build-up with no pay off, I can't recommend it. The world is set up great with intriguing elements, but in the end this VN failed it's task. I simply couldn't care about the character it needed me to care about.

Gretel Mk Monkey
Gretel Mk Monkey

Planetarian competes with Umineko for the title of the best visual novel ever. If you like Sci-fi even a little bit, you will love this. And unlike Umineko, Planetarian isn't longer than the Harry Potter series so you can read this during the weekend or a single night!

The only complaint I have is that there is an anime adaptation which is somehow an improvement. The story is already great in VN-format but the anime manages to convey the mood and the atmosphere even better. Both versions are 10/10 though.

EducationComplex
EducationComplex

While I've been exploring the visual novel genre, Key is the heavyweight company I've avoided up until this point; I'm not particularly keen on VNs that look too anime-like, especially of the smutty nature, but Planetarian HD stuck out due to its post apocalyptic nature. Being my first kinetic novel, while absolutely no player input put beyond moving the text, I firmly grounded myself in the story and visuals, finding both to be rather acceptably middling experiences.

Planetarian follows a Junker stumbling upon a planetarium, kept the company of a robot/android like creature named Yumemi Hoshino. Apart from some brief flashbacks, the entirety of the game is made up of their interactions, first inside the planetarium itself, and later in the despondent city. Planetarian HD is a short experience, clocking in around four and a half hours, meaning there's not a ton of development between the two, as the Junker spends the first narrative half feeling largely disgruntled by both the situation and the interactions with his robotic companion.

Story segments are short, with most slightly over ten minutes; the voice acting feels good all around, though the accompanying visuals feel bereft of segments that really move the player, at least until the end. Because of its short length, there's not a ton of times where it feels like Yumemi ever goes beyond the span of "robot that repeats herself," though the ending, the most emotional moment of the journey, does at least make some impact.

The benefit of VNs is usually their expanded scope of the narrative, but the shorter, non-interactive length of this one means those moments don't feel like they have time to breath - there's only one really tense scene, and it only lasts about two chapters. Really, the impact Planetarian leaves is a brief one, not necessarily disappointing, but far from exhilarating or emotionally devastating.

Elangie
Elangie

Look man, its a game from Key. You gotta expect sadness.

If you want a quick VN read, this is a solid choice. It doesn't promise to give you an insane experience that would warp and shift your expectations and viewpoint of the world, but its a nice small isolated game that will give you the feels. Yumemi is a charming character that will for sure remain in your heart for years. The OST is very good and really helps drive home all the emotions.

There are many humorous moments in it, and an equal amount of touching moments that makes the ending very worthwhile. If you got 3 hours to spare (I'm a fast reader so I clocked in at 2hrs), give it a read!

Asian Smurf
Asian Smurf

Great VN if you have a few bucks to spare and would love a good,short and sweet story that'll natch you a good 3-4 hours. Not gonna lie, I came here after watching the movie which still drove me to the verge of tears till this day. Planetarian is a story told within a beautiful light that will for sure change your perception of the world.Albeit some parts were slow they were essential for the character development which snowballs into a huge development in the end. Welcome to planetarian :) 8/10 A classic.

hahaxan
hahaxan

Planetarian is now in HD. I've already read the novel a few years ago but I re-bought it to bring more attention to it.

Planetarian is Key's shortest kinetic novel at only around 2-3 hours long. But contrary to their other long form novels it still manages to be one of the most memorable story so many years after its release.

Even if you read this review and don't want to buy the novel I'd recommend watching the Anime and OVA. Also contrary to many VN adaptations to anime barring S;G, WA2 OP Chapter and maybe a few others, since the novel itself is so short it actually might be better experienced in anime form. The anime's episodes total to around 2 hours and Snow Globe (OVA) is an exclusive adaption prequel to the events of the novel/anime that sheds light on Yumemi's life.

A short summary of the story is that it takes place in an unassuming city post apocalypse, following a Junker, unnamed, and Yumemi meeting in a Planetarium. Thats all the story needs, it doesn't need to spend any time at all building the world since its 2 characters manage to carry the entire story on their dynamic.

I'd just really recommend experiencing the story ideally without spoilers so I'd just leave the review at where it is. With 2 hours to spare its definitely one of the better things you could do with your time.

xHans
xHans

This was a great read. I was blown away with chapter 8 "The Reverie of Mankind Spreading its Wings" , that speech is comparable to "pale blue dot" by Carl Sagan. Neil Degrasse Tyson tried real hard to be inspirational in his failed remake of Cosmos but Yūichi Suzumoto came through :)

It was truly inspiring, emotional and I feel satisfied having read this. You will not regret reading this masterpiece.

daniellemckay
daniellemckay

This game is a great starting out point for people who want to get into visual novels or into works by Key. The characterisation was great and the music was perfect for the story it was setting. The story is amazing and hits you with various feelings of hope and sadness. I would highly recommend this visual novel for anyone who is slightly interested as it is quite cheap and great story by Key.

Mytherin-Dezhrak
Mytherin-Dezhrak

Extremely high tier narrative with a surprisingly quick clear time. I did not expect to be overcome with emotions midway through this story, nor did I care for the protagonist, though both of those statements were invariably proven contrary by the end. I have no reason to not recommend this. Amazing music, amazing story, and amazing characters.

Volusa
Volusa

It's more like a Charles Dickens novel reading than anything else. "Kinetic Novel" fits as a description. Watched "Planetarian: Storyteller of the Stars" on Crunchyroll, than saw this was like $6 on Steam. Best $6 I ever spent. Yumemi is as adorable as she is sad.

Not that her mental state is sad, just her life. Waiting around for 30 years after some sort of man-made apocalypse, trusting her human coworkers when they'd promised they'd be back. The one bright spot in this 30 year span is when the Junker (you) show up... and she never gave up hope or lost faith.

The drawing is cute, the music is fantastic, the story is sad, and it's all in all a good time... even if there are ZERO choices to be made!

アレックス
アレックス

日本語だけの版だと思ったが...but I bought it and realised that this HD edition is also in English now. Neat. Planetarian is really good and easy to recommend given the short length, emotional impact and crucially... the low price. We the gamers need cheap VNs because we spent all our money on graphics cards that we use for playing picture books on. Anyway, I'm usually very cynical and hard to please but I don't really have any criticisms except, perhaps, that the opening chapters drag a tiny bit.

I bought this version both for the higher resolution art and to replay the game in Japanese, for learning. Wish me luck.

Gauner
Gauner

It's not bad. I spent a very enjoyable 3 hours with it and that's about it. I think the absurd amount of positive reviews on this did my experience a disservice so I want to counteract that a little, I'd much prefer leaving a "Mixed" review but Steam does not provide such an option so I'll have to settle for a negative one.

There is a lot to enjoy here and it is quite a well done VN, plenty of reviews will tell you as much. However I think the story was quite predictable and melodramatic; I enjoyed both the prominent characters and their interactions quite a lot but the story beats were so obvious and so rushed out I just wasn't given the time and autonomy to develop the attachment needed for the conclusion to affect me. Earlier parts of the VN had me more engaged and emotional than the big conclusive moment did. The writing really could've used a healthy dosis of subtlety but perhaps this is just the style of the writers. I wanna avoid harsh wording but it just felt too manipulative, like I wasn't trusted to develop my own emotional response.

I recommend getting it on sale, 10$ is a bit steep for something that may fall a bit flat for a lot of people.

wotsper
wotsper

the game was released in 2004, it was originally in japanese and year later eng translation came out, in 2017 it was re-released in hd without eng and jp(why?), only now there was an update where they added english and japanese, thanks, but I completed the cracked version long ago...

Noobie McNoobface | LEX
Noobie McNoobf…

I never thought the Key formula could work in a game as short as this,

but I was wrong, so, so wrong (;_;).

Danymoon
Danymoon

The OG planetarian was a 10/10 so of course this one is as well. It's really just a graphics upgrade, the story remains as perfect as it was in the OG. Please just give this VN a read, it really is something special; no matter how many times I read this story, it just doesn't get old.

The story, music, and visual all work together to make planetarian an unforgettable experience that I can't recommend enough.

PKMINECART
PKMINECART

This is one of the emotional mind trips I have ever had reading a VN I would recommend this because It has one of the most soild but Objectively quick storylines I have ever read. You see I hate when they drag it out but this was just long enough to get attached and then create a problem... Interestingly enough I found this story line doesn't exactly have a problem and a solution. My final words on this oppion is that this story is one of the most unique ones I have read in a while and Have enjoyed it.

SHIKINAMI
SHIKINAMI

When I saw the Chinese version of Planetarian in Steam store, I purchased it without hesitation. The release of Chinese version really shows Key's sincerity to Chinese consumers. I believe that if Key would publish Chinese version of their other games, such as Air or Clannad, I would also buy them as soon as their release.
Thanks for the wonderful games presented by Key!

woosk
woosk

This is the high-definition(HD) version of the kinetic visual novel Planetarian ~Chiisana Hoshi No Yume~ (Planetarian ~ちいさなほしのゆめ ~) with Chinese interface and subtitles as Planetarian ~小的星之梦~. Sprites for the main character Hoshino Yumemi are now sharper and clearer with hardly any grainy textures, the game's achievements now have nice background pictures or portraits of Hoshino instead of a single picture across all achievements and the game has trading cards now.

Game is still as beautiful and unforgettable as the earlier non-HD version. I would nominate this game for the same I'm not crying, there's something in my eye award if there is another similar Steam nomination event this year for 2017. On the minus side, given that the game only has Chinese interface and subtitles at the moment and the game has a 20% discount at the time of this review, even for those who have owned the non-HD version and the game doesn't seem to be available in any bundle offer yet, the price of this kinetic visual novel might be a bit high as it takes less than 10 hours to read through the entire visual novel, unlock all CGs and background music and get all achievements.

Overall, this game is recommended for those who are able to read Chinese (or at some point later in the future when Visual Arts and Key release additional language support in future updates as announced in their Twitter page), for Visual Arts and Key or Planetarian fans who are interested in collecting the game or the game's trading cards, badges, emoticons and profile backgrounds or for those who want an easy kinetic visual novel to get all achievements. My review for the non-HD version of Planetarian is below:

http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198006413390/recommended/316720/

CHAPIちゃぴ🐳1225
CHAPIちゃぴ🐳1225

The 3-5 hour story takes place in a post-apocalyptic future and is told from the perspective of an unnamed Junker — a salvager who searches cities abandoned by war and plagued by perpetual acid rain for any trash that could be redeemed as treasure. The eerie silence of his seemingly eventless trip to the war-torn site of an abandoned planetarium is broken by the cheerful voice of a young woman greeting him as the 2,500,000th visitor. What is another person doing here? This doesn't feel right at all. So, with a grenade launcher cocked and loaded, he encounters Yumemi Hoshino — a chatty robot employee of the planetarium who's miraculously still functional but "a few fries short of a Happy Meal." At first, Yumemi's overly friendly nature and almost saccharine optimism annoy the Junker to no end, but her effervescence eventually grows on him.

Unlike many visual novels, which read like Choose Your Own Adventure books with branching pathways, Planetarian reads like a straight up "light novel" (Japanese novels with illustrations- somewhere between a manga and a full-on novel). Basically, all you do in this "game" is read words, look at the pretty pictures of anime characters atop dreary environments, and listen to the voices and background music. There are no choices to make, no branching pathways to explore, and only one ending. Speaking of light novels and voices, Planetarian spawned a light novel featuring four short stories and some audio drama CDs, so the storyline extends beyond the main game.

Music and voices are the only reasons to have Planetarian in a game format vs a print format. The evocative soundtrack has some lovely music, and my favorite pieces exhibit a shimmery quality. As far as the voices go, Yumemi's voice is suitably vibrant and Junker's voice is suitably disparaging.

Planetarian is not a bad game, but it does not tug the heartstrings quite like Freebird Games' To The Moon or hit the emotional notes of Key's other games like Kanon, Air, or Clannad. Planetarian's story is all too brief, and the game's interactivity is nonexistent. I would only recommend it to the most ardent fans of Key, and even then I would say to wait for Clannad's localization instead.

Pros:
+Enjoyable story.
+Soothing Soundtrack
+Good CG artwork

Cons
-No gameplay.
-One Ending with no branching route to select
-Only Chinese Language for this HD remake

-MY THOUGHT-
There's something truly memorizing about the idea of a post apocalyptic world. Perhaps its the perpetual loneliness of a race on the brink of extinction or how survivors struggle to cope with reality by clinging onto past memories. Whatever the case, Planetarian embodies my favorite scenario in anime by telling a tragic tale between the most unlikely of companions in a world that has left them behind.

The story revolves around a hard nosed militaristic man and an adorable AI unit named Yumemi who functions as a tour guide of a Planetarium . She has zero awareness of the world on the verge of collapse around her, and is simply happy to have her first visitor in over thirty years. These two could not be anymore different as entities, but together they find brief solace as the only inhabitants in what may be the last peaceful refuge on the planet.

Conclusion:
Planetarian ~the reverie of a little planet~ is a visual novel that fans of the genre should be required to play if they missed out on it previously. Once you know what you’re getting into with kinetic novels, it’s easier to simply sit back and let the storyline work its magic. Once the game is over it’ll stick with you, too, which is still a surprisingly rare and impressive experience to get with games.

freshjori
freshjori

A very short visual novel (took me only almost 3 hours to complete) but i enjoyed it a lot although it is a very typical "grumpy man in a devastated world meets happy girl" kind of situation (although this time the girl is a robot). 10 dollar is a little bit too much in my opinion though (because of the short time) better get it on sale.

Tomato &amp; Egg
Tomato &amp; Egg

A short but touching tale set in a dystopian future, Planetarian seeks to explain the meaning of a life, be it a human or a robotic one, in a world that is void of life but only death, destruction, frustration, despair, desperation and hunger remain. While I must say Planetarian is not as touching, exhilirating and impressive as other Key titles, this is still a good buy.

音羽
音羽

The white glittering twinkles we see, far away above the night sky which were called "stars" and they are the guide, illuminating through darkness

ыаᴎк
ыаᴎк

When you're Chinese and expected to know how to read it, but you can't and you still bought the game anyways despite that fact. That's what I did, and I don't regret my decision.

10/10 for no English supported visual novel

EDIT:
Now I'll give more of a review of the game:
This game takes place in a dystopian future where mankind was in a war against themselves for world domination (or power to put it simply). It was then that those people who fought against one another for power eventually no longer existed on the face of the Earth, and the machines that they created lost all reasoning and would attack anyone that they set sights upon. The main character of this visual novel is a Junker, whose job is to collect "scraps" and debris (remains) of the materials left behind when mankind still existed in abundance. It was until he came across a robot named ほしのゆめみ ~Hoshino Yumemi that his previous "teacher" told him to stay away from when everything changed. This encounter led to a change in the Junker's life to become a star teller, who tells of the stars now covered by the everlasting rain.

Other:
I don't know how much of this review is a spoiler, so I'll just consider everything that I wrote to be a spoiler. Also, you can use this visual novel to improve your (Simplified) Chinese if you're just like me. Just try using Google Translate in that case if you have access to it, since it gives the most accurate results for the Chinese language.

Also be sure to check out my review on planetarian ~the reverie of a little planet~ (the English supported version) for a more insightful review than the summary I have in this review.

iCarus
iCarus

I really could not, in my full conscience, recommend this game to anyone.

The VN is incredulously short, and if you are a fast VN reader like me (for reference, 33h for full clear in Chaos;Child, 7h in eden*, 24h for full clear in Steins;Gate (no DLC), and 11h for full clear in Deliver Me), it'll be over in less than 2 hours -- less time than you would need to even get basic understanding to a story character, let alone becoming emotionally invested in them -- in fact, it is barely longer than a movie and shorter than any animated series.

There are no replayable elements, though understandable due to the shortness and low character count.
The story is cliched and filled with plotholes. No part of the postapocalyptic world-building make any sense if you think about it for longer than 10 seconds (ie Acid rains somehow not affecting pre-apocalypse robots, service robots or war mechs; the non-stop acid rain itself; and the fact that the protag, someone with zero knowledge of prewar machinery, managed to fix a 30-year old, intricate planetarium projector in 2 days). Worse yet, the plot is so simplistic and twist-less that I predicted every single direction the VN decided to take.

This game is, despite its remaster, written in 2004 and did not undergo any adjustments. As such, it is outdated, archaic and most importantly, plaid, in numerous ways and I do not think it deserves the reviews it is getting.

Catotronic55404
Catotronic55404

Absolutely fantastic entry to the Visual Novel Genre, which with my spare time I have been exploring of late.

Pros
- Fantastic, engaging story (I won't spoil anything)

Cons
-No native english support

Sleepy Marcus
Sleepy Marcus

-プラネタリウムはいかがでしょう?-
-どんな時も決して消えることのない、美しい無窮のきらめき-
-満天の星々が、みなさまをお待ちしています-

A short but touching story.
Although she is a robot, Yumemi has a pure soul in the grim post-Apocalypse world.
Wish she can work with her favorite colleagues forever.

¡¡naHiDD!!
¡¡naHiDD!!

super nice anime pc game! I realy like it! top space anime cute feelings! Im realy in love with this game! you can play/buy it! =)

Shabazza
Shabazza

It's relatively short. But sweet.
The ending was a bit illogical and out of nowhere though.
So it was missing the impact it could have had, after learning so much about the character of Lucy.
Not bad, but it wasted some potential.
I still recommend it, because everything that happens until the end is nice and touching.

Derpy James
Derpy James

Tiene una buena historia, no muy espectacular pero buena sin duda. Algo corta comparada con otras novelas visuales, pero recomendable. No lo juegues si estás deprimido.

[AJM]AlphaElite2
[AJM]AlphaElite2

Short but wonderful VN.
It's Planetarian after all. Though, I think the Anime did a slightly better job in conveying the emotions.

The German translation is surprisingly accurate. Even the choice of words is commendable.

Red
Red

Sadly there is no English language in this kinetic VN, but there is an English version of the game for those who are interested.

Death and destruction. A (post) apocalyptic world.

A salvager, depressed by war. Scavenging his way through life or what's left of it.
A slightly defected, cheerful robot: the innocence 'in person', who has a hard time processing the changes around her.
Meeting by coincidence an unusual friendship finds a very slow beginning with a lot of irritation and annoyance.
And finally the escape from a dead city, that is nearly impossible.

It's a bittersweet story and definitely worth to read.

Lt. Thighs | Callsign - Thicc
Lt. Thighs | C…

I recently replayed this game in my native language - It's amazing as always. Still makes me cry in the middle and last chapters. Key are masters of their art.

ΑΡΤΕΜΙΣΙΑ ΣΗΡΙΚΗ
ΑΡΤΕΜΙΣΙΑ ΣΗΡΙΚΗ

March 17, 2020. In self-isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This sweet gem warmed my heart and gave me a string of hope at a time when the world beyond me is being overwhelmed by fear and anguish.

picklesausagebaldman
picklesausagebaldman

It's the story of the last spark for mankind, to raise their head again and see what's behind that dark curtain, now called sky, up to the starry heaven where all the dreams of humans started, at the sight of the endless and inmortals stars.
"The beautiful... twinkling... of eternity...that...will...never...fade"

Absolutely Useless
Absolutely Useless

Short, to the point, beautiful.

Also sad as fuck.

It's pretty standard to have tissues ready for visual novels, because chances of losing bodily fluids is gererally pretty high. This time, the eyes are main culprit. You have been warned.

pi31416chan
pi31416chan

A very good story, very very worthy to play if you want to find some deep touching to your heart from the story.

别说了,别想了,别考虑了,Key的剧情有让人失望过吗?买买买就对了,20块钱买个那么感人的故事根本不会亏,虽然篇幅只有短短几小时却能有效利用这短短几小时把剧情的感动之处完全发挥出来可不是别的游戏商想做就能做出来的。

Arima Ivan
Arima Ivan

A short yet powerful story, Planetarian was a story about hope, using the setting of war and human desperation to convey a message about always searching and choosing happiness-choosing to live not to survive. Still, it was a shame that the story was too short, it had a wonderful world-building with high potential to be a medium or even a long visual novel. Definitely one of the best to be recommended for newcomer of the medium.

virtual specter
virtual specter

This is an amazing visual novel, you grow attached to the characters and truthfully it's hard to not shed a tear at the end. I really recommend that anyone who likes VN's plays this one.

Mordefire
Mordefire

I bought this game mainly because it was developed by the key studio. I'm not disappointed. However its worth pointing out that it's a really short title and I wouldn't put it on par with their most well known works like Clannad. Nevertheless it's still good.
It has:
-Atmospheric setting that takes place during apocalypse, set in a planetarium.
-Good character development
-Memorable ending

It's worth noting that it's not a standalone work, There's also an anime+movie that expand on the story. You don't have to feel forced to watch them though.

Skynotelinkᴾᴸ
Skynotelinkᴾᴸ

This is the first non-kinetic VN that I've played. I've not finished it yet, but even the little I've read is enough to make me want to finish it.

As expected of something from Key

Edit: Good story! NIce and catchy soundtrack, specially the Metronome version of Hoshi Meguri no Uta

glass
glass

UPDATE: they actually have an English and Japanese script in this version now so i'd say you can't go wrong with picking this one up

the English script from the SD release isn't included for one reason or another, but it can be patched in now. there isn't much difference between the two versions, but being able to scale to higher resolutions a bit more nicely and tweet screenshots from in the game is pretty cool i guess

GARcher
GARcher

Re-read it with the English TL patch.
10/10 would cry again.
And again.
And again.....

IntimateZombie
IntimateZombie

"The beautiful twinkling of eternity that will never fade, no matter when. All the stars in the sky are waiting for you"

A short and heartwarming story.
No choices to be made. Just enjoy the ride.

[PROFILE_NAME]
[PROFILE_NAME]

The quickest achievements I've ever gotten.

eva ushiromiya
eva ushiromiya

it puts the nuki in nukige T_T

Benguin
Benguin

This was a nice short story, took me 4 hours to read and I enjoyed it. I wish it was a little longer, still though, it was a nice ending and pretty emotional.
The OST was nice, Gentle Jena was a nice song.
8/10

NeidhardtDB118
NeidhardtDB118

"The beautiful twinkling of eternity that will never fade, no matter what"

Heumann
Heumann

Worth.

Sad, interesting. I highly recommend checking out the Movie as well, which really adapts the story well. I actually liked Harmonia more, but I'm in the minority.

Just be aware you'll need to get a fan patch if you want to play this in English. Also be aware it is pretty short and is kinetic, meaning there are no choices.

♪ いつくしみ深き ♪

Karenina is a Real Handyman
Karenina is a …

A beautifully crafted tale of a man and a robot in a ruined world. There aren't many characters at all in this story, but that's fine. These two can carry the entire story by themselves, as their conversations are a joy to read through. Their back and forth is something you can read for hours and still find entertaining.

Hoshino Yumemi is a robot through and through. As she puts it, she loves to talk. And she'll talk and talk and talk. Much to the dismay of our main lead, Junker. Even though she is very likeable with her cute speaking patterns and mannerisms, the game really shows how much of a chatterbox she really is. And that's honestly commendable writing.

It's a short tale, but one that will remain with you for a long time. The music is memorable, and sets the mood really nicely. And I do love how Yumemi changes the colours of her data band things during certain conversations and scenes.

If you've watched the anime OVA, there's still value in playing this kinetic novel. A lot of their banter and day to day interactions were not included, as well as Junker's inner thoughts during the story. So it's definitely worth checking out, even if you've already seen the OVA. And do find the unofficial english patch for this, there's no english version for some reason.

Kemo
Kemo

Right now, in this very world, she was an omnipotent storyteller, and the stars were her little garden.

Planetarian HD is a kinetic novel from renowned developer Key. For those not familiar, a KN differs from a visual novel by being completely linear and not offering any dialog options or anything like that. Technically this version doesn't support the English language, but you can find an unofficial patch here. There is a version on Steam that has an official translation but it's not the HD remake, it doesn't have trading cards and the achievement images are all the same.

The KN itself is from the perspective of a junker who lives on Earth 30 years post-apocalypse. This junker finds himself in the old planetarium of a department store where he finds a still functioning robot, and the story unfolds from there. It's a bit slow to get going and does drag in parts, but by the end I was pretty invested in the characters and felt the emotional punch of the KN's depressing ending. I will say the events leading up to the ending are the least interesting part of the game, and felt really out of place, I wish the writers had found a different way to get to the ending.

If you're interested in KNs and enjoy post-apocalyptic stories, or sci-fi stories based around AI personhood, I'd say this is worth a read, especially when it's on sale. The visuals, even in this HD remake aren't particularly impressive, but it's a good story and it's got a great soundtrack.

[url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33633486/]Kemo's Corner.

Axel_Whomst
Axel_Whomst

Very good would come to the planetarium