Petit Planet could be the blockbuster cosy game to finally rival Animal Crossing

by

Cosy gaming has become something of a phenomenon in recent years.

Unlike many popular games filled with action and spectacle, ‘cosy games’ have become surprisingly popular and established themselves as a significant force in the gaming world.

I’ve played a lot of farming and life-sim games – Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, even Tiny Bookshop – and they’re all great! But honestly, when it comes to this genre, Animal Crossing just reigns supreme. It’s the best of the best, in my opinion.

Many game developers have attempted to create a game as popular as Animal Crossing, with Nintendo’s own Pokopia being one of the most similar efforts, but so far, none have succeeded.

Things might be about to shift in the mobile gaming world. HoYoverse, the company known for popular games like Genshin Impact, is launching Petit Planet, and it looks like they could become a major competitor.

It’s immediately obvious this game takes inspiration from Animal Crossing. Like that series, it’s a life simulation where you live amongst animals and build up your island. The gameplay is very similar to Animal Crossing: New Horizons in particular.

The main way you play is very similar to before – you’ll be working to bring small planets back to life, just like you did with your island in New Horizons.

Customize your islands or planets to make them beautiful. Discover new islands and planets to gather materials. Collect bugs and fish to contribute to the museum or eco-center. It’s easy to notice how much the basic gameplay resembles other games.

Although I’d like to see Petit Planet develop its own unique gameplay style beyond what’s already offered in Animal Crossing, I have to admit the game is exceptionally well-made and polished.

Where Petit Planet does begin to differentiate itself is with regard to its characters.

Even though we love many of the villagers in Animal Crossing games, it’s fair to say that most of them have pretty simple personalities, no matter how cute they are.

HoYoverse is known for creating amazing characters in their games, so it’s wonderful to see that same level of care and detail put into the characters of Petit Planet as well.

Unlike many relaxing games, the characters you encounter on each planet feel fully developed and realistic.

Each companion has a unique backstory and develops as you interact with them. You can bring them on adventures to help collect items and build your relationship with them over time.

Petit Planet is primarily a personal journey focused on your character, but the subtle stories of others happening around you add a surprising and welcome emotional depth to the game.

The visuals in Petit Planet are truly polished, and I’d be overlooking something important if I didn’t mention them.

Players familiar with HoYoverse titles anticipate a polished experience, and while Petit Planet’s cute, simplified art style is different, the game still looks fantastic.

Petit Planet boasts a charming art style, blending adorable chibi characters with bright, lively designs for both the world and its inhabitants. Despite the mix of different looks, everything feels surprisingly harmonious and well-integrated.

As with any early look, it’s difficult to know exactly what the final game will be like.

I felt New Horizons had a problem where decorating quickly at the beginning is great, but it doesn’t stay rewarding for long. Eventually, you get less and less benefit from continuing to decorate.

Want to see this content?

This page uses a security feature called Google reCAPTCHA. Before it loads, we need your permission because reCAPTCHA might use cookies and similar technologies. If you want to see the content, please select ‘Accept and continue’ to allow reCAPTCHA to work.

After playing the preview, I can’t really say yet if Petit Planet will manage the same long-term problems that a lot of other relaxing games run into. It’s just too early to tell!

Since Petit Planet seems to be succeeding by emphasizing its characters, the question is whether it can maintain player interest once the initial storyline is finished.

Fortunately, HoYoverse is very skilled at keeping players engaged, so I don’t anticipate Petit Planet losing its audience. They’re known for creating games people enjoy returning to.

No matter how the game eventually plays out, Petit Planet makes a fantastic first impression. And since it’s going to be free-to-play, I expect many cozy game fans will be excited to try it out.

Petit Planet is currently in development for PC, iOS and Android.

Authors

Alex RaisbeckGaming writer

Alex Raisbeck writes about video games for TopMob, covering both big-name titles and smaller independent games. He’s also contributed to publications like VideoGamer, GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, and PCGamesN.

  • Visit us on Twitter

Read More

2026-05-14 18:35