A Review of this Sci-Fi Point and Click Adventure
Lost among the ruins of a forgotten world, one woman must fight to escape before she, too, becomes part of its history. Can she survive The Abandoned Planet?
It's a new year and my first point & click adventure game review of 2025 shoots us into the stars (and crashes) as we’re flying into The Abandoned Planet—is it a gripping journey of survival or a crash landing straight into disappointment?
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The Setup
The Abandoned Planet is a puzzle-driven point-and-click adventure game from solo developer Jeremy Fryc aka Dexter Team Games, known for the excellent episodic sci-fi adventure Dexter Stardust: Adventures In Outer Space. Published by Snapbreak Games, this latest outing takes us back to space, but this time, we switch to a first-person perspective rather than the classic point & click third person of Dexter.
We play as a nameless woman who crash-lands on an unknown world after shooting through what looks like a space wormhole. Our mission? Not just to escape this planet, but to figure out what the hell happened here too!
First Impressions
Right from the start, the punchy music and bold pixel art hit as we’re thrown into space at breakneck speed. But just as quickly, it all comes to a halt—we’ve crash-landed through no fault of our own, and now it’s time to explore. Waking up after our crash we find ourselves in the cockpit with a very broken shuttle, no longer able to take flight. Our only hope is to wander this strange planet and see if there's another way off.
We experience the game through our protagonist’s eyes, navigating a series of static first-person scenes. Movement is handled via on-screen arrows or the WASD keys; I opted for the on screen arrows (a point and click game needs you to point and click!). There were only ever around 1 or 2 interactive spots on screen so it’s rarely unclear what to do next.
Most of the game’s challenge comes from its logic puzzles such as flipping switches, pressing buttons, and sliding levers. While they never get overly difficult, an alien book found early on serves as a guide if you take the time to decipher it, and you need to. The book isn't in chronological order which is a nice thought so it can take some time to figure out which puzzle pieces fit with which on-planet puzzle. Occasionally gameplay shifts, like rowing a boat or crawling through tunnels, that require you to use the WASD keys again but these moments feel more like filler than innovation. Thankfully, they’re infrequent enough to not be a major drawback.
We do pick up some strange items as we wander this sparse world and the inventory puzzles in the game are very simple. For example there's a fishing line without a hook, so of course we find a hook and bish-bash-bosh, we’re ready to fish. Inventory puzzles don’t really get any more complicated than this.
In our inventory to start is an interesting item: the scanner, its a tool used throughout to analyse our environment. Need to know if the water is drinkable? Or whether a mineral is the right one? Scan it. It’s a cool mechanic, but I couldn’t help but feel it was underutilized—it had potential to be a deeper part of the gameplay loop.
World-Building & Atmosphere
One of the game’s strengths is its sense of mystery. You never quite know where the story is going or why the planet was abandoned, which kept me intrigued. There are snapshots later on of what could have happened, and some sad poignant artifacts left scattered around. The game is divided into distinct sections: the crash site, a set of scattered islands, a towering structure, and an underground area, each split into their own acts.
Visually, the chunky pixel art and striking colour palette are great, but for a supposedly alien world, it all feels a little… familiar. The roads, buildings, and even plant life have a distinctly Earth-like quality. Even when churches and vehicles appear later in the game, they either look completely normal or lean into a retro ‘60s sci-fi aesthetic. For an alien world there’s little alien here.
On occasion we encounter some wildlife and alien creatures. The design choice here is off the mark as they’re all a black silhouettes. No texture, no detail—just vague shapes compromising darkness. It feels like a missed opportunity to create something truly unique and otherworldly. Our protagonist also doesn't seem bothered by them as if she's happy to let them be, rather than be awed by these intriguing beings.
Sound & Voice Acting
The soundtrack is sparse, only kicking in during cutscenes, but when it does, it delivers. The synth-heavy beats add a great retro sci-fi vibe that fits the game’s tone perfectly. Apart from the cutscenes though, there's no music, just a soundtrack of rain, or wind or at points, nothing.
The protagonist is voiced throughout by Erika Merchant. She does a good job for the most part but the delivery can feel a little flat on occasion. In tense moments, where you'd expect panic or urgency, the performance sometimes comes across as indifferent. While it’s not a dealbreaker, it does take away from the immersion.
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for a short, enjoyable adventure to pass a few hours, The Abandoned Planet is a solid pick. But if you’re after deep storytelling and complex puzzles, you might walk away feeling a little underwhelmed.
I’m giving The Abandoned Planet a 7 out of 10. It is available for PC, Mac, Linux, iOS & Android.
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Name: The Abandoned Planet
Release Date: 29th August 2024
Developer: Dexter Team Games
Publisher: Snapbreak
Genre: Point & Click, Sci-Fi, Logic
Score: 7/10
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