Like its familiar gameplay premise, that story is well-trodden territory. It’s a battle against disruptive technology that threatens to displace the people and animals who rely on the Earth.Ī hopeful little adventure that always has its heart in the right place. The narrative hinges on players understanding the natural beauty of the planet and wanting to do everything in their power to maintain that. The proper plot beats don’t build too much, but they don’t need to. The narrative here is left sparse, with environmental storytelling doing the bulk of the heavy lifting in the vague robot invasion premise. Those aesthetic sensibilities aren’t just for show, though Planet of Lana’s stakes rely on its sublime visuals. It’s hard to blame the studio for wanting to show off, though, as every cell of animation feels like a watercolor painting. Several sequences have me slowly trudging across large landscapes between puzzles in a way that feels a touch self-indulgent. There are moments where it feels like the studio is perhaps a little too self-aware of its own ambitions. And yet, it still maintains a gentle, almost minimalist style that always leaves me feeling at peace with the world. Awe-inspiring vistas gave me plenty to marvel at, while detailed environments give impressive depth to 2D environments. The adventure features gorgeous, hand-painted visuals that bring its grassy planet to life. As part of its long-term mission statement, Wishfully Studios says it wants to be known for its “stunning artwork” and it’s clear that this game was designed with that mission in mind. More so than its gameplay, Planet of Lana’s strengths lie in its atmosphere. That makes for a pleasant, bite-sized adventure that lets players tune into its vibe. Clocking in at around four hours, the story is brief enough to keep it from overstaying its welcome. Most of my deaths came from getting zapped by a robot mid-scramble.ĭespite those pain points, Planet of Lana embraces its limits. The young hero trots along at a leisurely pace and scrambles up ledges in a long animation cycle, both of which create frustrations given that a good deal of the puzzles here are reflex-driven. That repetition is compounded by slow movement mechanics that drag out the pace. Three hours in, it felt like I was repeating the same ideas over and over, with minimal variation. A few creative late-game puzzles had me commanding my cat to sit on a drone and pilot it through obstacles, but the bulk of its puzzles are built around box-pushing, rope-cutting, and stealth timing. It’s a cute premise that works with the story’s wider theme about humans working in concert with nature, but Planet of Lana doesn’t find many ways to twist that system. The only twist it brings to that formula is its cat companion gameplay, where players direct their feline pal to jump up to high surfaces, cut down ropes, and mind-control black sludge creatures (as cats do). The story brief is enough to keep it from overstaying its welcome. I rarely ever found myself stuck on a puzzle solution for more than a minute, which let me move through the game’s world and enjoy the sights. Nothing is particularly groundbreaking here, as it closely follows in the footsteps of games like Little Nightmares, but that familiar template works for a platformer that’s more about soaking in the atmosphere than creating challenges. Planet of Lana is a fairly intuitive 2D adventure that has players solving environmental puzzles, dragging objects to create platforms, and avoiding enemies that’ll take down its small hero in one hit. It’s a lighthearted tale about protecting the natural world that takes the right notes from Studio Ghibli’s playbook. Though a glacial pace and repetitive puzzle design can leave it feeling short on ideas, Planet of Lana is a meditative adventure worth embarking on. It’s both a minimalistic story told without words and a cinematic sci-fi epic filled with astonishing hand-painted vistas.
After a quaint village is attacked by an army of mysterious robots, a young girl sets out on a quest to save her friends with the help of an adorable (and quite round) black cat.
Unlock fun and unique space suits and rocket ships by completing special missions.A debut title for Swedish developer Wishfully Studios, Planet of Lana is a 2D puzzle platformer that plays like a more gentle version of Limbo. Twist your way through diverse, challenging puzzles while helping your Astronaut navigate new worlds. Avoid obstacles and find a safe route to your ship with the least possible moves whilst collecting 3 stars! Locate and collect stars to power your ship and blast off to new and exciting planets. Play as one of the available Astronauts and explore strange and beautiful puzzle planets with mysterious powers and dangerous environments. in space? QB Planets is a family-friendly cubic puzzle space adventure that will challenge your puzzle-solving skills.
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