The cozy life sim genre is becoming an increasingly crowded one. As the likes of Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, and Story of Seasons can attest, it’s a formula that just works. However, with more competition, it’s getting harder and harder for cozy games to do something different.

After one hour with Petit Planet, HoYoverse’s galactic spin on the genre, I’m hopeful the Genshin Impact devs might have something up their sleeve here to set it apart from its clear inspiration – even if many factors will feel, for better or worse, very familiar to anyone who’s spent hours of their life in debt to Tom Nook.

Reach for the stars

My preview session allows me to explore what the first hour of Petit Planet has to offer, welcoming me to the cosmic setting and introducing me to its basic mechanics.

Your journey begins with you setting up life on your very own, teeny tiny planet. While you might have to do some space travel to get started, life in your personal world quickly feels very akin to a certain other life sim.

As I run around with my bug net and fishing rod, shake fruit from trees, and place decorations around my house (the string lights immediately make it feel more homely), it feels like stepping right back into Animal Crossing: New Horizons – a fact not helped by the animal characters you find yourself living with. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it does feel like HoYoverse is playing it rather safe, and it makes it impossible not to draw comparisons, too.

It’s this familiarity that makes me curious about how Petit Planet will feel in the hours past its intro, when I’ve settled into the more standard, long-term gameplay loop. It was the long haul that lost many New Horizons players back in 2020 once the repetition set in, after all. It’s fair to say that longevity is the key factor that can make or break a life sim.

For now, at least, my goal in Petit Planet is to nurture a mysterious Luca seed into a big tree – one that can only be grown by pouring magical essence (also called Luca) onto it. I quickly collect jars of the stuff each time I’m introduced to a new task – be it the aforementioned bug catching or fishing – with each growth spurt bringing more life and activity to the planet, and in turn more Luca to harvest.

This story is pushed forward by Petit Planet’s cast of bubbly characters, who, unlike Animal Crossing’s own, notably all have actual voices.

I imagine individual players’ enjoyment of the voice acting may vary, though. One of the main cast of characters, a large white dog called Mobai, has a sweet, calm demeanour with the endearing mannerisms of an old man. As he offers you tea and a chat, it’s hard not to find him a pleasant chap. Unfortunately, he’s also got a habit of saying “mo” instead of “no” in various phrases that, in the first hour of the game, are used constantly. “Mo rush,” “mo worries,” he constantly tells me, and I can already find myself reaching for the button to skip to the next dialogue box so I don’t have to hear him say either aloud again.

Character building

That mild gripe aside, it’s the characters and the way that they’re handled that have me most intrigued about Petit Planet, giving it an edge that could help it break out of Animal Crossing’s shadow.

My first proper ‘villager’ is Yunguo – a shy, fox-like farmer girl who quickly decides she wants to move in right next door to me. Not only does she immediately have a lot of personality, but flicking through the game’s menus, I see pages that suggest a deeper level of relationship-building and character development than simply watching an Animal Crossing cat light up at being gifted a pear.

There’s nothing wrong with the latter, but it appears that there’ll be a focus here on making Petit Planet’s characters more defined individuals, rather than creatures locked down into pre-set personality types.

Alas, an hour with a sprawling life sim could never be enough to know if Petit Planet has what it takes to take on genre juggernauts, but it certainly has a lot of the right ingredients. Above all else, it’s extremely cute – charming character designs and inviting visuals make it impossible not to smile at what HoYoverse has got cooking up, which goes a long way in making a good first impression on anyone setting foot in the Starsea. Let’s just hope it can stick the landing when Petit Planet launches later this year.

Lose yourself in these games like Animal Crossing if you’re looking for some other wholesome life sim adventures!