VN - Others - Completed - Planetarian HD [Final] [VisualArts/Key]

Planetarian would be my recommendation if the topic is "which VN should be my first?". This is a short title that manages to deliver on the emotional side, while also providing you with some questions to think about. It's true that other VN's have accomplish the same result, but most of them didn't pull it off with this short of a duration. Really great choice if you want to get into VN's, and a very balanced experience.

Positive:
- Nice emotional story - Without spoilers the whole thing revolves around "What's really important in life", "The importance of having dreams", and tells you that JADED should not be your default mode. Reactions to the title may vary, but I can guarantee you that reading Planetarian once in a blue moon, can be helpful to your "heart and morals".
- Interesting themes - Planetarian is food for thought. There's the crying and the fuzzy feelings, but there's also important questions that you can ask yourself after reading this. Personally, Planetarian allowing for this much "soulsearching" in 3 hours is the main selling point.
- Unique setting - Planetarian has a desolate and melancholic feeling (post apocalyptic scenario), that is constantly being pushed back by an adorable little robot. It's distinct enough that you will remember it for a long time, and that's how you know it's a great VN.

Negative:
- It's an old VN. It still looks and sounds OK, but Planetarian will be 20 years old very soon, and time waits for no one. You could argue that just makes it more impressive, though.

Score: Planetarian is an 8/10, a great VN, and my personal recommendation for your first (short) VN. This is a title that manages to do so much with its limited duration, and stays relevant to this very day. Highly recommended, try reading it if you noticed skepticism, and sarcasm increasing in your daily life.

(No sexual content)

Planetarian is one of those stories you read/watch and it makes you remember it for a long time after finishing it.

it's on the list of Visual Novels (actually it's kinetic novel) that moved me.

Something about it's story is just captivating.

Seriously, give it a go, not everything you play has to be hentai.

Planetarian is a Kinect Novel written and created by Key. Anyone remotely familiar with the visual novel world will know Key. If you know anime, you know Key. They are responsible for Air , Kanon , Little Busters, and—of course—Clannad.


If you know their previous works, you’ll come into Planetarian expecting just about what you’ll get. However, there are a few small things anyone considering this title should know before you play it. It’s hard to say whether these small things are pros or cons. That will depend on the person.

Let’s start by talking story. It’s beautiful, and incredibly moving, which is very typical of Key. We open and follow a lad simply known as ‘Junker’, in a post-apocalyptic setting. He’s avoiding dangerous automatons in a rubbled city and ends up taking cover in a large building that happens to have a planetarium at the top. There, he meets an android that is styled like a young girl, who helps run the planetarium, although it’s been practically destroyed for years now. The story progresses from there.

I would say more, but this Kinect novel is short. Very, very short. The run time, if you set it on auto-read, is under 5 hours. I finished it in less than 4. It is very simple. It is not a masterpiece like many other Key projects that offer tons of routes and replay value. However, that’s not to say that Planetarian isn’t good.

The story, while short and can basically be summarized in full in 3 paragraphs, is absolutely touching and masterfully written. You never even know the protagonist’s name, but it doesn’t matter. Planetarian has the power to leave a player in a sobbing mess at the end.

I also must warn you that this story is not particularly happy and It will probably leave you moping the rest of the day. I’m not saying that’s bad, or to be avoided, but it’s something you should know going into it.