Planetbase
Guide colonists to build a self-sufficient base on a distant planet.
Planetbase is a space simulation and strategy game from Madruga Works. Players take on the roles of architect and manager for a group of settlers trying to establish a self-sufficient colony on a remote planet. The goal is to build a base where colonists can reliably extract water, grow food, and maintain a steady supply of oxygen. Colonists can be directed to mine various metals and construct robots to handle repetitive tasks.
The game features four colonizable planets, each with different conditions and rising difficulty: a Desert Planet, a Frozen Planet, a Barren Moon, and a Storm Planet. Players must control the arrival of new colonists, ensuring only those with useful skills—such as engineers, workers, and guards—are sent to the colony. Survival is threatened by natural disasters including sandstorms, solar flares, blizzards, and meteors. There are 29 structures to build, five types of human workers, three robot types, ten milestones to achieve, and eight technologies that can be purchased from traders.
According to Metacritic, the game received a score of 70 out of 100 based on four critic reviews.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Planetbase
- Developer
- Madruga Works
- Producer
- Martiño Figueroa
- Artist
- Tucho Fernandez, Sara Teramo
- Composer
- Alexander Falinski
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows · OS X · PlayStation 4 · Xbox One
- Released
- Microsoft Windows · October 16, 2015 · OS X · January 8, 2016 · PS4 · January 23, 2018 · Xbox One · May 3, 2017
- Genre
- Indie, simulation, strategy
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In Planetbase, the player leads a group of space settlers attempting to form a base on an isolated planet. The player acts as both base architect and manager, directing colonists to build a self-sufficient outpost where they can extract water, grow food, and maintain a constant supply of oxygen. Colonists can be directed to mine different kinds of metal and manufacture robots. The game features four planets to colonize: Desert Planet, Frozen Planet, a Barren Moon, and Storm Planet, each with varying conditions and increasing difficulty. The player must manage the flow of new colonists, ensuring only those with useful skills—such as engineers, workers, and guards—travel to the planet. Robots can be constructed to complete monotonous tasks. The colony's survival is challenged by natural disasters including sandstorms, solar flares, blizzards, and meteors. There are five types of human workers, three types of robots, and eight techs that can be bought from traders.
Reader's Guide
Planetbase occupies a niche in the space colony simulation genre of the 2010s, offering a focused experience on base management and survival. The game's structure of four increasingly difficult planets provides a clear progression, while the 29 structures and 10 milestones give players defined goals. The inclusion of robots to handle repetitive tasks and the need to vet incoming colonists for useful skills add strategic depth. The game received a Metacritic score of 70 out of 100 based on four critic reviews, indicating a mixed to average reception. Its place in the genre is reflected in its inclusion alongside titles such as Aven Colony, Dawn of Man, Space Colony, Surviving Mars, and its own sequel, Planetbase 2. The game's emphasis on resource management and environmental threats—sandstorms, solar flares, blizzards, and meteors—aligns it with other survival-focused colony simulators of the era.
Did You Know?
- Planetbase was released on October 16, 2015 for Microsoft Windows and January 8, 2016 for OS X.
- There are 29 different structures, five types of human workers, and three types of robots.
- Natural disasters in the game include sandstorms, solar flares, blizzards, and meteors.
More in Video Games of the 2010s, Part 2 1-24
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