Planet RIX-13 review

Ever wondered what it’s like to be stranded on a strange planet, with just your wits and know how? Do you think you can put the pieces together and find your way off the planet? Well the talented developers Sometimes you, have come up with the gaming answer in Planet RIX-13, but is it a journey to remember?

Planet RIX-13 is a classic 2D adventure game, which for me, takes me back to the days of the speccy, how I miss those days. The game has been developed using pixel art graphics, giving it a nice freshness to what is an excellent retro feel.

Your adventure that awaits you is set on an uncharted planet. You take the role of an astronaut pilot, whose spacecraft is searching the stars, exploring new worlds that have the potential to inhabit life.

Whilst flying through the galaxy, scanning your next target pursue, you unexpectedly lose control of your spacecraft. You are forced in to the harshest of emergency landings on a virtually unknown planet (imagine Lost In Space). As you rise out of the smoke and ashes, you quickly must get your head in gear, gather your bearings and assess your new found surrounding.

On your initial assessment you come to the conclusion, that you are in luck, that there are indeed signs of life on this planet, in the form of human constructed structures. However, on closer inspection of the local area, your hopes of finding a civilization and thus help off the planet are dashed, as it becomes apparent that these structures and signs of life are in ruins.

In Planet RIX-13 you are thrust in to a situation where you have to study the ruins of a long-dead human colony, searching abandon scientific laboratories, for clues and artefacts that scientists might have left behind, that could ultimately help you survive and offer a way of the planet.

Throughout the alien planet you will encounter deadly dangers in the form of radiation and toxic gases, to creep crawlies that lurk in the mist. Many obstacles block your path, in all shapes and sizes and it’s up to you to come up with the answers and overcome these elements, as you bid to survive.

Planet RIX-13 is a simple yet affected game, the 2D Pixel style is a joy to see, and the controls are easy to pick up. There is an element of problem solving to the puzzles and obstacles throughout, all of these are very accomplishable with a bit of thought and light reading.

Clues are often found in messages and notices left on computer terminals, which are found throughout. The game has a two and throw sense to it, as you unlock one area and explore, you uncover the objects and elements that are needed elsewhere to solve certain stumbling blocks. There are key cards to collect, thus giving you access to previously locked areas, as well as mushrooms, and other items that could be used to manufacture a potion which the fallen scientists had been working on.

There is even a 3d replicator in the game, handy for printing the vital component that might be missing or damaged in the wrecks. Find the plans, get the satellite system up and running, as you unearth hidden places to visit.

The game’s atmosphere is built on concentration, as the games story unfolds, and you feel a real sense of purpose. Planet RIX-13 has a nice flow to it, with a retro point and click map for navigation and a well thought out menu for inventory and recap, just in case you need to read through the lines of text for those all important pass-codes, which may come in handy when you find a locked safe or setting up your navigational systems in the correct position.

Planet RIX-13 is a game full of charm and nostalgia, with a real retro sci-fi theme to it, the story is neat, and the problem solving varied enough to keep you entertained for the initial play through. However, on the downside the game is very short. The game has no replay value, once it’s played its done. But I leave you on a positive note, for the achievement hunter in you, there’s plenty of score to be had here.