Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition Review

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Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition

Developer: Chibig
Publisher: Chibig
Website: www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-Switch-download-software/Deiland-Pocket-Planet-Edition-1946498.html
Genre(s): Adventure, Other, Simulation, Role-Playing
Platform: Nintendo Switch (Also available on Playstation 4 and PC)
Age Rating: PEGI 7
Release Date: 15/04/2021
Price: £17.99

A code was provided for review purposes.

We all love a relaxing game from time to time, don’t we? A game that requires no thinking, just easy, mindless gameplay. Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition is a great relaxation game and I’m here to tell you why.

Welcome to Deiland

Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition is a relaxing farming adventure game where you take care of your very own Planet. Taking the role of Arco, you will farm, fish, build, trade and even fight monsters to really make a name for yourself (and your Planet) across the Galaxy.

Starting with a small tent and some farming plots, Arco must work day and night to build this Planet into something special. The game points you in the direction you need to follow with quests to help you progress and unlock new buildings and features. For the most part, the quests the game offers are pretty easy. Each character you are introduced to has their own story arc and with that, their own set of quests and the majority of these are fetch quests. There were a few odd quests that took a little longer to complete because I didn’t have access to certain materials at that time, but other than that you can fly through them.

It won’t take you long to settle into Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition and to settle into your daily routine. Plant crops, break rocks, chop down trees, plant trees, defeat some enemies, speak to characters visiting your Planet and building. That’s pretty much it. It’s not complicated but it can get a little repetitive. This is why I found it best to play this game in short spurts.

Eat, Sleep, Plant, Repeat

In Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition, not only do you need to look after your Planet but you also have to look after yourself. Arco will get hungry throughout the day so you need to make sure he is well fed to avoid taking damage to your health bar. You will also need to make sure Arco is well-rested. Completed tasks will use up his energy, if you run out of energy you will no longer be able to complete any tasks. Make sure Arco has a solid 8 hours of sleep. He’s a growing kid, don’t forget!

As I briefly stated earlier, this game can become quite repetitive. Each in-game day is relatively the same. One thing that I did enjoy though is just how fast-paced it is. Everything happens almost instantly. There’s no waiting around. Buildings are built instantly, crops grow within minutes (depending on the crop) and the day doesn’t drag on and on. Oh yeah, Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition features a full day and night cycle. Being a fast-paced game meant that the game doesn’t force you to stop playing and wait at any point. And I like that. Having the choice to play for as long as I wanted.

It’s not all about your own Planet though, because eventually as you progress, you will be able to ship off to new Planets! It’s not anything breathtaking but it does help to break up the repetitive gameplay and meet some new faces.

Easy Like A Sunday Morning

Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition is a pretty easy game to get to grips with. You’re only required to press a handful of buttons and monster battles are simple and over pretty quickly. For the most part, they don’t pose a threat. This can be both good and bad because if you aren’t being challenged, this is when you can start to get a little bored. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case with me. But I can see it being the case for a lot of people.

Occasionally, you will encounter an event in-game in which meteors are heading for your Planet. The game will then require you to turn your Planet so that the meteors don’t cause any damage to your property and just land on the ground. You don’t have to move your Planet but the likely scenario, if you don’t, is burnt down trees. Again, these don’t pose too much of a threat.

Perhaps the most annoyingly, frustrating thing I encountered in Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition is its fishing mechanic. A lot of games that have fishing in them tend to be tough, but this just takes the biscuit. It requires you to press a random button in a sort of quick-time-event and more times than not I hit the wrong button out of sheer panic. The game didn’t seem to give me enough time to spot the button and react to seeing said button. In the end, I gave up fishing.

Summary

Overall, Deiland: Pocket Planet Edition was a treat to play. Is it better than a lot of the farming sims already available on the Nintendo Switch? No. Was it still enjoyable and probably the most relaxing? Yes. If you’re looking for a light-hearted experience to pass the time, then this is for you. Its story isn’t the longest or most captivating but you will still have a great time.

3 out of 5

3

You can purchase Deiland: Pocket Edition from the Nintendo eshop right now here.