Developer: Wishfully Studios
Publisher: Thunderful Publishing
Available On: PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S
Reviewed on Xbox Series S
Inspired by games like Limbo and Inside, Planet of Lana is a 2D puzzle-platformer that uses its painterly style and sci-fi/fantasy aesthetic to tell a remarkable story about an alien invasion, separated siblings, and the bond between a young girl and a wild animal. It clocks in at around 4-5 hours, making it the perfect length to knock out in either a single extended session or spread out in a few short bursts, and as long as you play it I’ll be happy because I truly think this is one of 2023’s best games.
You play as a young girl named Lana, a resident of a small seaside village where she spends her days with her older sister, Elo. Although the game starts off on a happy note as the two sisters run around and laugh through their village, the mood is ruined by the sudden and striking invasion of an alien force. Giant orb-like ships with mechanical legs descend from the heavens and begin walking across the surface, sending out smaller vessels to capture any and all lifeforms in sight. As fate would have it, Lana is the only one who manages to make it out of the invasion without being thrown in a cage. It then falls on her to journey across the planet in search of her sister and community, but with the smaller ships taking everyone to the ominous larger ones, time may be running out. It’s an emotional and mind-bending story full of crazy twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat, and once I started it I couldn’t stop.
One of the most captivating aspects of Planet of Lana is its masterful use of depth and scale. While it’s tempting to see its 2D presentation and assume simplicity, it manages to utilize foreground, midground, and background to create a deep and engaging viewpoint where interesting things are constantly taking place, often having objects or characters move between these spaces to great effect. Likewise, the implementation of scale is powerful and makes you feel the hopelessness of being a child in the face of an unthinkable alien presence. Whether it’s the massive alien ships landing at the beginning of the game or some of the surprises that happen throughout, there’s a sense of fear and wonder as you marvel at the sheer scale and how it combines with the depth to bring a sense of spectacle and danger to the experience.
Fans of 2D puzzle platformers will be glad to know that this one nails the balance between solving brain teasers and navigating the obstacles in its world. What makes this such a fun and unique experience is that you have a companion who follows you on every step of your adventure. Mui is a cat-like creature Lana meets shortly after the invasion begins, and the bond that forms between these two is what defines every ounce of the gameplay. Since Lana is just a child, Mui is just a tiny creature, and the invaders are huge and made of metal, combat isn’t an option. Instead, Lana and Mui have a suite of skills and abilities that allow them to outsmart and outmaneuver their foes while heading for their destination.
As you travel from one end of the planet to the other, you’ll have to jump across hazards, climb up and swing on ropes, crawl through narrow passages, and command Mui to stay put, follow you, or interact with surrounding objects. It’s this partnership and strategy with Mui that keeps the game feeling fresh and exciting, making platforming and puzzle-solving feel like genuine teamwork. A majority of the areas in the game simply task you with figuring out how to get both Lana and Mui to the end together, although it’s never as easy as it sounds. Some spots are too tiny for Lana to squeeze into, so Mui will typically have to go through these smaller paths to find a different way to get her through. Likewise, Mui is terrified of water and can’t swim, so Lana will have to search for an alternate route for her small pal. You only directly control Lana, but you can point to where you want Mui to go and then give a signal when you need Mui to stop or interact with an item, like flipping a switch or dropping down a rope. Figuring out how to use these two characters in unison is a lot of fun and feels more entertaining than journeying through the world solo.
There are also areas where you’ll have to reach an exit while avoiding one of the mechanical invaders, with just a single hit meaning instant death. Similar to the more traditional platforming areas, you still have to combine Lana and Mui’s skills to reach the exit, but now you have the added danger of avoiding an enemy. Thankfully, you have a few new options in these areas. You can crouch and hide in tall grass to avoid detection, send Mui through underground tunnels as a distraction, or interact with special machines that allow you to trap, control, or power down the invaders. These segments in the game were my favorite, adding a layer of intensity that turns into relief and triumph when you finally get through them. I wouldn’t say it’s a hard game, but these segments do require a bit more thought and planning than the others.
As anyone who has ever read any of my reviews knows, I love diving into lore in video games and trying to uncover everything I possibly can about a world and its history. In Planet of Lana, most of the lore is hidden away in secret shrines. There are 10 of them scattered throughout the game, with each one revealing a new section of an image that explains the backstory of the invaders. Unfortunately, these are almost too well hidden. I thought I was being thorough in my search for all of them and only uncovered 3 by the time I reached the credits. After eventually caving in and using a guide, there were several where I went “Come on, how I was possibly supposed to figure that out?”, so I would recommend keeping a guide nearby if you want to make sure you find them all to uncover the backstory.
Fans of game music are in for a treat since the score is composed by Takeshi Furukawa, the same composer behind The Last Guardian. This epic sweeping score perfectly captures every moment of fear, awe, determination, and triumph across Lana’s journey, always hitting the right emotion at the right time without fail. From big bombastic tracks to bring home the feeling of excitement and adrenaline to smaller contemplative tracks to touch on Lana’s despair, the music adds to the emotional element in a powerful manner.
As far as technical issues are concerned, I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary while playing on an Xbox Series S. The game ran at a smooth and consistent frame rate, there weren’t any crashes or bugs preventing progress, and the audio/visuals were flawless and never hitched or displayed improperly. For a debut game from a small studio, I was pleasantly surprised to see it be so technically solid, and when you combine this with everything else you’ve got a fantastic little game that should hopefully be a sign of great things to come from Wishfully Studios.
FINAL VERDICT
In a year dominated by massive AAA releases, it’s awesome to see a smaller game from a new indie studio come along and earn its place as one of the best games of the year. Planet of Lana is a gorgeous and captivating experience from beginning to end that combines a memorable story, engaging gameplay, terrific use of scale and depth, and wonderful music to create a short adventure with a long and lasting impact. Fans of games like Limbo and Inside are going to find a lot to love here, and I would even go as far as saying this is the new “best” game in this particular style. As an added bonus, there are no technical problems to worry about (at least on the Series S) and it’s even included with Xbox Game Pass. If you have the means to do so, then I highly recommend giving this one a shot and settling in for a night or afternoon. You won’t regret it.
– Zack Burrows
Sight-In Games 