Demo unearthed for The Abandoned Planet

• Announcements by Jack Allin
• Published:

Slideshow-style pixel art adventure set in the Dexter Stardust universe coming to Windows, Mac and Linux this summer

Last year we were treated to a charming new sci-fi adventure series debut in the form of Dexter Stardust: Adventures in Outer Space. While the upcoming sequel, Dexter Stardust: Returns to Outer Space, is a much more platforming-oriented experience than its predecessor, that doesn't mean there's nothing for traditional adventure fans to look forward to as well, because the developer is also hard at work on another game called The Abandoned Planet.

When an astronaut is sent hurtling through a wormhole in space, she crash lands on an uncharted distant planet. With her ship damaged and no idea where she is, the young woman must investigate her new environs if she's to find a way to get back home. Fortunately this world has a breathable atmosphere, but there don't seem to be any other sentient creatures here. And yet there are many signs of a once-thriving civilization left behind, so figuring out what happened to the former inhabitants becomes another mystery to solve along the way.

The Abandoned Planet is set in the same universe as Dexter Stardust, and as with its predecessor it's a traditional point-and-click adventure. But unlike that game's hi-res hand-drawn cartoon aesthetic and third-person viewpoint, this one presents its serious sci-fi story via decidedly retro pixel art and a slideshow-style first-person perspective. Despite the change in formats, however, there will once again be plenty of scenes to explore, puzzles to solve and challenges to overcome, this time with help from your "fusion scanner" to provide additional insight invisible to the naked eye.

There is no firm target release date just yet, but indie designer Jeremy Fryc and his team are hoping to complete The Abandoned Planet and launch it on Steam late this summer or early autumn, with as-yet-unannounced consoles also being considered. To satisfy (or increase) your curiosity in the meantime, a playable demo is already available to download for Windows and Mac.