Planet of Lana
Summary
Planet of Lana is a beautiful sci-fi platform puzzler by Wishfully Studios. In it, Lana’s peaceful tropical homeworld has been invaded by rogue AI robots from outer space. After the robots kidnap her older sister, Elo, Lana must team up with the catlike Mui and traverse dangers across the world in order to save her.
Assessment
Planet of Lana sets itself apart as a brilliant game in terms of gameplay mechanics, puzzles, atmospheric setting, and storytelling. It is engaging from the very first level all the way to the last cutscene, balancing new locations and ways of solving puzzles with a singular, direct thread for the story’s overarching plot. Masterful visual storytelling explains the backstory behind Lana’s homeworld and these machines that have invaded it without a single word spoken to the audience.
Both the mechanics and the puzzles are simple, yet engaging. While some new skills are acquired as the game progresses, for the most part the skills the player starts with are the ones they use throughout. The game does recommend using a controller, even on the PC, but it is still possible to play with a keyboard and mouse.
In terms of cleanliness, the game is incredibly clean. There is action, peril, and a few somewhat gross monsters, but no gore or blood. There is no romance or cursing whatsoever.
Light-o-Meter
Overall — 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Mechanics: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Story: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Artwork: 7 out of 7 Little Lights
Music: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Quality: 6 out of 7 Little Lights
Theological Message: N/A
Age Appropriateness — Appropriate for intended audiences.
Talk
Oh. My. Goodness.
This game had me hooked from the very start. First it was just because it’s absolutely gorgeous. The world around Lana is stunning with this amazing painterly style. The lighting, the foliage, the water, the colors, the use of both black and neon and lights to tell the player what to do and where to go. Absolutely stellar in terms of worldbuilding and design.
Second of all, the mechanics were perfectly simple and really well-done (there were maybe a few odd visual glitches in verrrrry specific circumstances, but otherwise the game was super smooth). I’m not a person who enjoys a really convoluted game with a whole bunch of powerups — with exceptions, **of course — so the fact that this game was really more about the basic skills you start with and how they interact with the puzzles was a lot of fun. I don’t think it’d be difficult for a kid to grasp the controls and solve most of the puzzles. To be honest, they might end up better than me.
The third and final thing that I loved about the game is the story. It was amazing to me how they were able to convey so much to the audience without using a single spoken word that I understood (Lana and her people speak a foreign language). It felt like every visual design, every color choice, and every pixel was dedicated to telling you something about the world, the history of Lana, or the invaders. I was in awe of how effortlessly this story was told.
Honestly, I think my biggest complaints just revolve around specific levels. The drone level knows what it did.
It knows.
Where to Enjoy
Planet of Lana: Planet of Lana 2
App Store: Planet of Lana App - App Store
Google Play: Planet of Lana - Apps on Google Play
Nintendo: Planet of Lana for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site
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