Planetary Exploration Company, an action roguelike and management sim from indie developer and publisher Christian Ibarra, has officially launched into Early Access today. It’s available on Steam, where fans can try a demo.
In Planetary Exploration Company, players use a giant robot to transport employees while exploring new planets and completing jobs to grow the company. It features combat akin to Vampire Survivors, endlessly generated planets, loads of upgrades, and a rich story that has consequences for player decisions.
According to the Steam page, Planetary Exploration Company should remain in Early Access for a while as the dev continues to fix bugs and add content, listening closely to fan feedback. Here’s the full launch announcement tweet from Ibarra’s official feed:
You can watch a gameplay overview trailer on the Chris Ibarra GameDev YouTube channel, though it has no sound at the time of this post:
It was a surprise to learn that the only real difference between the demo and the Early Access version is that the latter will support game saves. However, Planetary Exploration Company is priced accordingly in Early Access, and the developer has previously supported the game with consistent updates.
Planetary Exploration Company is a distinct passion project. Despite visuals that show their budget, the mechanics are filled with ambitious ideas. Although it’s one of many indies inspired by Vampire Survivors, the expansive setting, crafting, and storytelling seem distinguishable enough.
Planetary Exploration Company is determined to emphasize scale, even in its customization features. The Steam page explains there are plenty of alien resources to discover, items to build, and a weapon inventor that can determine effects or even trajectory.
The theme organically blends mech action, narrative and management. It already offers a solid range of content, while certainly potent enough to continue growing.
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