Classic Games Database
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Planet’s Edge: The Point of no Return

Review
Also known as
Planet's Edge プラネッツ・エッジ

This sci-fi RPG blends space combat, mining, and exploration to recover Earth after its mysterious disappearance.

Planet's Edge: The Point of No Return was developed and published by New World Computing for DOS in 1991, which is the original and earliest commercial release on any platform.

About Planet’s Edge: The Point of no Return

Planet's Edge: The Point of no Return is a science fiction role-playing game set after Earth vanishes from sight, leaving only its gravity behind. Survivors on a lunar base construct an interstellar vessel and dispatch a crew of four specialists to locate components for a device intended to reverse the phenomenon.

The player controls a pre-defined team, each member possessing distinct professional skills such as piloting, engineering, or medical expertise. Character progression is tied to equipment rather than experience points, with strength increasing through acquiring better weapons and armor. Gameplay integrates several systems, including turn-based ground combat that is often avoidable, real-time spaceship battles, and economic activities like mining planetary resources and interstellar trade.

Exploration is open-ended, with travel possible to numerous star systems. While many planets are only orbital destinations, a significant number feature landable, enclosed areas populated by characters who provide clues and items necessary to advance the narrative. These objects often function as parts of environmental puzzles. Resources gathered from planets can be used to manufacture gear or upgrade the ship, and recovered alien blueprints allow for the development of new spacecraft models.

Planet’s Edge: The Point of no Return Screenshots

10 images
Title screen
A very Star-Wars-like intro
You start here, on the Moonbase. This place serves as your home base and main menu
Crew Quarters. You'll need a crew, that's four sure. Select the four people carefully - they will take different roles on the ship as well as ground combat
In the warehouse you outfit your ships. Looks complicated, but after a while you'll get the hang of it
Here you can use all those raw materials you've scavenged in space to build useful stuff - weapons, ship parts, and what not
The Laboratory displays the alien device and the parts you need to collect
Flying through space - hostile ships approach!
Ship information during flight
Crew inventory screen