2026 has been an incredibly crowded year for cozy life simulation games. Ironically, a genre that people usually turn to when they need a break from intense action games has started to wear me out. After playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons' latest update, Starsand Island; Pokémon Pokopia; Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream; and more, I found myself suffering from a different kind of fatigue. The fact that Petit Planet still managed to hook me despite all that says a lot about how it’s shaping up.

As this genre continues to evolve in different directions, Petit Planet, developed by HoYoverse, aka the company behind Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, is a game that follows closely in the footsteps of Animal Crossing. In particular, its inspiration from Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which introduced outdoor furniture placement and crafting to the series, is immediately apparent.

Petit Planet is built around the concept of living on your own uninhabited planet. After a simple character creation process, you sign up for a program offered by a company called Loomi Co., which lets you settle on an uninhabited planet. Guided by a dog named Mobai, you choose a planet with your preferred ecosystem and begin your new life. Mobai and his companions move in alongside you and help you get settled.

Mobai essentially fills the same role as Tom Nook in Animal Crossing. " He reassures you that there's no such system here, which sounds wonderful—until you discover that upgrading your temporary home to a proper house still costs money.

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