Kodansha Creators’ Lab released the indie co-op puzzle game BOKURA: planet this April. The game is currently available for 20% off as part of Steam Summer Sale, priced at $4.39 USD.
BOKURA: planet is an official successor to the 2023 hit BOKURA. While the previous game in the series has a “Very Positive” rating on Steam with a 91% positive review rate, BOKURA: planet launched to a more modest 75%. Through post-launch updates, the game’s reception has been improving, but it’s still rated “Mostly Positive” – lower than its processor.
According to BOKURA: planet’s solo developer Tokoronyori and publishing producer Yuki Katayama, a key factor behind the lower score appears to negative reviews coming specifically from Chinese-speaking Steam users. We asked Tokoronyori and Kayatama about this unique situation.
—How has the response to BOKURA: planet differed between regions?
Katayama:
Responses from players from the US, Europe and Japan have been overall accepting, with many users approaching it with the attitude, “Ohh, so this is the direction you’ve decided to take things.” On the other hand, reactions have been a lot more divided in the Simplified and Traditional Chinese-speaking regions.
Tokoronyori:
The highest number of reviews come from English-speaking players – and among them, 87% are positive. Reviews in Simplified Chinese come in second, but only 47% of them are positive. Among Japanese-speaking players, reviews are 85% positive. In Korea, it’s at 72%, and in Traditional Chinese it’s 63%. There are reviews in other languages as well, but that’s the overall breakdown.
—So in Chinese-speaking regions, especially Simplified Chinese, BOKURA: planet has a much lower rating. Is this 47% positive review rate from before or after the post-launch updates?
Katayama:
Before the updates, positive reviews were at around 40%, so reception has been recovering somewhat.
—Have you noticed any common points of criticism among the reviews from Chinese players?
Tokoronyori:
A lot of people said they couldn’t accept how the story unfolded, especially compared to the first game. The previous game didn’t have a bad ending, so I think that’s why this kind of reaction was more prominent this time. I’ve seen many players say things like, “I worked so hard to clear the game, but the characters don’t even get rewarded.”
—I guess that shows how emotionally invested Chinese players were.
Katayama:
That might be true. I think they might be empathizing with the game at a deeper level.
—I see, so it’s not like they’re trying to tank BOKURA: planet’s reviews, rather, the negative feedback comes from players who care for the game.
Katayama:
Yes, I think it all comes from a place of love.
Interestingly, BOKURA: planet hasn’t received many reviews from Japanese players, despite how much its selling domestically. Tokoronyori says he’d like to see more people share their impressions.
Tokoronyori:
Looking at reviews by country, Japanese players submit reviews at a much lower rate.
—That’s surprising.
Tokoronyori:
BOKURA: planet’s sales are the strongest in Japan. And yet, in terms of review count, it’s only about half of what we’ve gotten in English, even though the game has sold several times more copies in Japan. It’s strange, but also kind of understandable, I guess.
—This may be a cheeky question, but are you asking players to post more positive reviews?
Tokoronyori:
Not at all! (laughs) Actually, I wouldn’t say Japanese reviews are especially positive. If you compare the positive review rate between BOKURA and BOKURA: planet among Japanese-speaking users, it hasn’t changed so much at all. If anything, Japanese players rated the original BOKURA slightly lower than other countries. I just really want to hear people’s honest thoughts—whether it’s positive or negative.
BOKURA: planet is out now on PC (Steam). The game will be $4.39 USD (20% off) during Steam Summer Sale.
