I Was A Teenage Exocolonist is a survival life sim game where you spend your teenage years on an alien planet in this narrative deckbuilding RPG with a timeloop twist. Let’s take a first look at this game from Finji and Northway Games.
A copy of this game was provided for the purposes of this review.
In I Was A Teenage Exocolonist, you play as a child that is born on a ship that is journeying to the planet Vertumna to create a new colony of human life on the alien planet. Subsequently, you spend your teen years growing up on this planet, playing over a ten-year period where your experiences can range from the common high school shenanigans of first loves and drama to the wild and unexpected events that can lead to triumph or destruction. There is also a neverending timeloop with varying situations and fates, and you have many choices to make to determine your relationships, alliances, and ultimate survival.
I haven’t been able to dig into the game deeply, but I am already amazed by the depth of the story I have experienced so far which is admittedly very little in the grand scheme of things. Within the first couple of months on the planet, I already had a huge plot point occur that genuinely shocked me. I can hardly imagine the twist and turns I’ll be experiencing the more I play.
Another thing I want to highlight is the characterizations of each person in the game. Everyone has a clear and unique personality and motivations, as well as different relationships with your character as well as the others. Your choices influence these relationships of course, and I’m sure that as you grow up and evolve so do the other characters.
As for gameplay, there is a variety of mechanics you encounter. There is some deckbuilding that you will need to do in certain scenarios like completing classes with the potential of earning rewards for succeeding. You also have choices to make when talking to people, which can affect your relationships, as well as choosing how to spend your time and thus what skills you want to improve within the limited time allotted. One thing I like in particular is how the game asked how much of the deck-building portion you wanted to experience and how difficult it would be. So if you wanted to focus on the story first and foremost, you have that option. And if you wanted to add even more strategy to that mechanic, you have that option as well.
I recommend reviewing the content warnings in case of potentially triggering content. The warnings are informative enough to give you a solid sense of what to expect without divulging too much and spoiling the plot. There are many sensitive subjects in the game so it is good to be informed in case that can cause issues with playing.
Overall, I am very intrigued with where this game can go. The story is captivating and that alone is worth playing, but the mechanics, characters, and art are also highlights. Definitely check out I Was A Teenage Exocolonist and see if it is something you’d enjoy.
If you could live on another planet, what planet would you choose? Let me know in the comments!