Thank you to Carbon & Kay for the opportunity to play Little-Known Galaxy!

Stardew Valley has been THE pinnacle of cozy games for 8 years now. There have been a great many other cozy games that have tried to follow in its footsteps that have succeeded in earning a spot on many players’ lists. Roots of Pacha, DREDGE, My Time at Sandrock, and Echoes of the Plum Grove are good examples of excellent games that have been released in the past few years, but none of them have quite scratched that itch that SDV left behind, at least for me. However, I’ve been spending my time playing Little-Known Galaxy, whose development I’ve followed for a while now. It has honestly given me the cozy comforting vibes that SDV gave me without being a clone. It’s unique, but familiar and has absolutely devoured my time lately. 

Sci-Fi Fun

In Little-Known Galaxy, you play as your own customizable character who has been employed as the captain of a run-down spaceship. You’re a brand new captain-in-training and this is your first real captain assignment. In order to rise through the ranks and prove you’re worthy of being a full-fledged captain, you need to show the Space Alliance you can handle running your own ship! 

Alongside your crew, who are a cast of quirky and fun characters, you need to accomplish quite a bit. Restore the old, run-down ship you (and the crew) call home. It’s seen better days and really needs a facelift. You also need to make sure crew morale stays high by providing them with fun new things to do on the ship. And don’t forget to do a little farming, gather microbes for your scientists to study, and solve the mystery of the relic found on the Grey Planet! 

Of course, your day-to-day life in Little-Known Galaxy doesn’t have to be solely filled with work. Take time to get to know your crew members. Each one has a unique personality with some fun backstory for you to learn. They also each have their own role to play on the spaceship. The shopkeeper, the gardener, the food bar owner, and more all brighten up what could be very dull space travel. Some of them are even single and you can date them! 

So What’s Great About This Game?

Well, all of it. It really does scratch that cozy, immersive itch that Stardew Valley left behind. It has that addictive “I’ll play just one more in-game day” quality to it. Some days I go explore the different planets, which function much like the mines in SDV. Break rocks with your trusty laser to gather resources and fight a few enemies. You search for the travel point hidden in one of the rocks, or buried in the sand in order to progress. It’s easy and familiar while being unique with a different atmosphere (literally!). 

Perhaps the best addition is that the NPC list in Little-Known Galaxy allows you to locate which floor of the ship someone is on! No wasting your whole day looking for that one person you want to give a gift. Schedules are fine, but this is by far the better way to find someone in game. Plus, the crew you start with isn’t the whole crew you’ll have. As you progress through the game, you pick up a few more members to flesh out what’s already a wonderfully diverse cast of characters. 

I also have really enjoyed the fact that your upgraded tools get delivered to your quarters when they’re ready. No chasing them down and realizing the shop is closed today! The upgrades do take several days to complete, but I’ve found there’s plenty to do while you wait. Catching microbes, for example, was a tedious task to begin with. However, the developers have been eagerly listening to the critiques and made some great updates already. The microbe minigame is now far more enjoyable than it was. And of course the overall storyline and mystery surrounding the relic from the Grey Planet make this game so much fun. It’s hard to put it down.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve been looking for something to dive into and get lost in, or some cozy sci-fi game to relax with after work, this is it! Little-Known Galaxy is so cute and has such a diverse cast of characters with depth. The story is great, and even the grinding is fun. Plus, the developers are so passionate about this game it’s hard not to get swept up into their enthusiasm. I would (and do) recommend this game to anyone who will listen to me! 

I give it: 

You can grab Little-Known Galaxy on Steam!