Plankton (2016)

Developer: PanGuoJun
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Genres: Casual, Indie, Simulation
Rating: 3.4 of 5, 125 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 2.7 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A quiet, solitary experience of watching procedurally generated microscopic life drift across the screen, like a living, abstract painting that invites slow contemplation.

atmosphericminimalistsurrealmeditativecalmhand-drawnidleintrospective

What players say

Players describe Plankton as a strange, simple creature simulator with abstract visuals. It starts obscure but becomes more straightforward after learning the logic. Many note the difficulty spike on the last level, especially the controls. Players appreciate it as a background idle game, though some wish for more content.

Screenshots

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More by PanGuoJun

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.