Planetarian HD

About

Planetarian HD is a visual novel with simulation elements set in a desolate future. You play as a scavenger in a world ravaged by environmental collapse, stumbling upon a sealed city’s abandoned planetarium. Inside, a robot named Yumemi mistakes you for a visitor, determined to share the stars despite the facility’s decay. The game alternates between dialogue-driven storytelling and light puzzle solving as you help restore the planetarium’s systems. The narrative focuses on quiet character moments, ethical dilemmas, and figuring out the world’s history through fragmented records. The game’s strength lies in its poignant, understated drama and atmospheric setting. With a 84% approval rating on Steam, players praise its emotional depth and the bond between the human and AI characters. The hand-drawn art and melancholic soundtrack amplify the sense of isolation and wonder. Unlike typical sci-fi survival tales, it prioritizes introspection over action, offering a 6-8 hour experience centered on themes of memory and coexistence. The post-apocalyptic backdrop feels distinct, avoiding clichés in favor of a somber, poetic tone that lingers.

Storyline

"Why don't you come to the planetarium? The beautiful twinkling of eternity that will never fade, no matter what. All the stars in the sky are waiting for you." It is thirty years after the failure of the Space Colonization Program. Humanity is nearly extinct. A perpetual and deadly Rain falls on the Earth. Men known as "Junkers" plunder goods and artifacts from the ruins of civilization. One such Junker sneaks alone into the most dangerous of all ruins -- a "Sarcophagus City". In the center of this dead city, he discovers a pre-War planetarium. And as he enters he is greeted by Hoshino Yumemi, a companion robot. Without a single shred of doubt, she assumes he is the first customer she's had in 30 years. She attempts to show him the stars at once, but the planetarium projector is broken. Unable to make heads or tails of her conversation, he ends up agreeing to try and repair the projector...