Side-scrolling adventure Planet of Lana is a puzzle platformer that gently guides players across a gorgeously-realized world. In the wake of an extra-terrestrial invasion, a young girl must pursue her sister's captor while evading robots, outsmarting monsters, and, of course, playing the occasional giant wind instrument. While most of the puzzles in this stunning indie game aren't too difficult, their light challenge provides a persistently chill experience. And really, puzzles aren't the main attraction here anyway.
Published by Thunderful Games, best known for the Steamworld series including the upcoming Steamworld Build, this game is the first outing for Swedish developer Wishfully Studios, and what a debut it is. In the studio's words, one of their core driving forces is a "passion for creating stunning artwork." With Planet of Lana, it's safe to say that they hit it out of the park.
A stop-and-smell-the-roses game if there ever was one, Planet of Lana presents stunning vista after stunning vista. The hand-drawn backgrounds are simply beautiful. The journey takes players across forests, deserts, highlands, and more, each offering some of the prettiest and liveliest environments ever to be seen in the genre. A moving soundtrack and ambient audio enhance the presentation, swelling and falling silent where appropriate to best serve the experience.
Puzzles revolve around safely navigating both Lana and her companion past various obstacles, many of which could not be overcome by one character without the help of the other. Large gaps, bodies of water, patrolling robots, hostile endemic life, and more all stand in the pair's way. Lana can command her companion to stop where it is, move to a specific location, and come to Lana when called. Though the little friend is very capable, there are certain things it can't do, such as cross water, which require Lana to find a solution on her own. The game contains very little spoken dialogue, but the bond between these two characters is evident. This back-and-forth support, one character making up for the other's shortcomings, helps build the story of their friendship.
Actual moment-to-moment gameplay consists of a few simple mechanics like sneaking, jumping, and object interaction. Often a puzzle necessitates standing on a particular spot and weighing down an organic "button" of sorts. Lana's little buddy can be commanded to stay put on one of these, allowing the heroine to progress, or vice-versa. Within a certain radius, Lana can point to spots she can't reach and have her companion leap to them, where there is often an object it can interact with. That mechanic in particular can be finicky, often having trouble locking on to the exact location desired.
This style of puzzle-solving is remixed and presented recurrently throughout the adventure, and it begins to feel slightly repetitive. It would be untrue to say the challenges here aren't good, they just wouldn't rank among the best puzzle platformers around, and they're outshone by Planet of Lana's other aspects. Although, without going into spoilers, later in the game there's a way to connect with certain robots, which is a refreshing twist.
One of the few criticisms that could be leveled at Planet of Lana is that the majority of these challenges are almost too easy. The puzzles definitely do the job, and there are one or two good head-scratchers, but the majority of obstacles can be strolled through fairly casually. This light level of challenge certainly lines up with the game's breezy philosophy, but, except for a few tougher encounters, there isn't a huge amount of satisfaction to be had. The old "hide in tall grass until the evil robot passes" maneuver makes an appearance a number of times, and, though serviceable, isn't nearly as interesting as unraveling the mystery of an enormous, inexplicably placed wind instrument.
The story of a kidnapped sister and the journey to rescue her remains unchanged for ninety percent of the runtime, and that's just fine. That simplicity allows the game to focus on more important things. What's really going to tug on the players' heartstrings is the growing bond between Lana and her cheerful buddy. There's also an interesting history and world to wonder at which slowly reveals itself as players progress. With a little exploratory initiative, players can discover shrines hidden away in unexpected places and Bit by bit, these shrines will provide some extra context and history to the events playing out. In a game that is almost entirely linear, these small extracurricular rewards are a welcome addition.
The true beauty of this game is its cohesiveness. A tale of savage invasion is reinforced by the breathtaking world in which it plays out. The graceful soundtrack in Planet of Lana lifts each moment of tension, serenity, or joy, yet can show restraint and let a scene breathe when necessary. The experience is such a nice whole, each element playing off of the others just so, and knowing when to yield the spotlight. This delicate interaction, wonderfully achieved by the Wishfully team, grants the game a sense of swiftness, an ever-forward momentum that is neither hurried nor lackadaisical. Rather, Planet of Lana progresses smoothly to its conclusion with what feels like perfect timing.
Despite the invasion, kidnapping, and sci-fi backdrop in Planet of Lana, the game's tone is decidedly cheerful, certainly helped along by the lush art. The lighter fare serves as a counterpart in the genre to things like Playdead's Limbo or Inside. While those games seem determined to wade into a bog of fear and anxiety, Planet of Lana does the exact opposite. With a few exceptions, the game is visually and tonally bright throughout, seeking to express the beauty of its setting and the purity of its characters even in the face of what are ostensibly terrifying circumstances.
Planet of Lana is a rare game. It's a clean, tight experience, that manages to tell a charming, if simple, story in its short runtime. The hand-drawn illustrations are truly works of great talent, bringing a gorgeous, nearly surreal ambiance to the design. Its puzzles and platforming may not be a lot to write home about, but there are a few diamonds in the rough that make the gameplay worthwhile. If anyone has even a passing interest in the puzzle-platform genre or simply wants to appreciate some art, they should play this game. Plus, since Planet of Lana is available on Game Pass, there's little reason not to check it out.
Planet of Lana
Planet of Lana is a cinematic puzzle adventure framed by an epic sci-fi saga that stretches across centuries and galaxies.
Planet of Lana is available now on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S. Game Rant was provided a PC code for this review.