Planet of Lana

There are few games that present vistas and landscapes in the way that Wishfully's Planet of Lana does. Without even needing to know a peep about the story and gameplay, I was instantly intrigued by this title, as its cinematic and vibrant backdrops piqued my interest. However, games need to be more than eye-candy these days, so does Planet of Lana stack up elsewhere?

Unfortunately, the answer to that question is both a yes and a no. I want to be able to tell you that this is a title, which manages to balance a jaw-dropping art style with compelling gameplay and narrative, but in reality, Planet of Lana drops the ball in a few different places.

The concept revolves around a sci-fi premise, where on a distant planet, dangerous robots appear out of the blue and begin capturing sentient life and exterminating anything that attempts to resist, leaving one young person the task of bringing down the robot threats and saving their loved ones. With the help of a small creature that is best described as a cat with a monkey's tail, the protagonist, Lana, must travel across different biomes and environments, evading threats and solving platforming puzzles along the way. Or at least this seems to be the story, as Planet of Lana doesn't feature dialogue or text, and only really communicates in the form of grunts and brief calls, leaving the narrative to be interpreted by the player's understanding of the environment and Lana's journey.

This isn't a new concept, as we've seen many other games lean on environmental storytelling, and as is the case with most of these, Planet of Lana doesn't come across as emotionally-gripping or tense because of the lack of development into each of the characters and the plot points. The story is present and fine, but it's not the highlight that you would like to match up with the gorgeous art style and atmospheric sound design.

What about the gameplay, you ask? Planet of Lana uses a 2D perspective mostly, as there are brief occasions where 2.5D elements are leaned on as well. Due to the 2D focus, the majority of the gameplay is side-scrolling, meaning you're constantly looking to move towards the right of the screen. Sometimes there will be platforming challenges that require you to complete something else before being able to continue your journey (for example, finding a raft so that the cat-creature can be ferried across open water), or there may be robot or animal enemies that you need to outwit instead. Whatever the challenge, the solution is usually very basic and shouldn't require much thought at all. Even the more complex puzzles have clearly painted clues dotted around, meaning you'll never get stuck and likewise, will never be challenged by the gameplay. Or at least you shouldn't be.

Because the platforming itself is sluggish and heavy, and you will find yourself missing jumps, miss timing evasive actions, starting the wrong platforming move, getting frustrated with the command mechanic where you tell the cat what to do, when to follow, and a whole slew of other companion abilities that we've seen far better realised in other games. The platforming and gameplay makes you wish that Lana was just that little bit more agile and strong, as currently, it feels as though you're fighting the control scheme just to complete the most basic of tasks.

If you were at least hoping for ways to venture off the beaten path, Planet of Lana doesn't really have much to offer on this front either. Environmental and platforming puzzles tend to have one very specific solution and if you do manage to find another, the game will take action and make you do it the "correct" way (upon outwitting an enemy once, the cat companion decided to run back into danger to be killed, as the game wanted me to crush the enemy instead of evading it). There are a few collectibles to find along the story, but they add very little to the actual overall experience and don't come across as an activity worth investing time into.

Still, while Planet of Lana does have its platforming problems and doesn't have the strongest of narratives, for a game that is around four hours in length, you absolutely will become enthralled and infatuated by the art style and sound design. The atmospheric and sci-fi soundtrack perfectly complements the striking and vibrant art style that is almost Ghibli-esque in appearance. It's stunning and it makes you want to keep continuing the storyline just to see what the next biome has in store for you. And with jungles, beaches, lakes, hills, caverns, futuristic facilities, and more to explore, there's plenty to fall in love with here.

This is why Planet of Lana is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand it has an excellent appearance and overall ambience, but then lacks narrative development and compelling gameplay. It's essentially a prime example of style over substance, as those looking for a charming indie game to be wowed by will no doubt appreciate what Wishfully has crafted, whereas those more interested in gameplay and story might find it more of a challenge to appreciate this title. It's a perfect game for Game Pass, there's no doubt about that. Either way, I can't wait to see what worlds Wishfully cook up next, as Planet of Lana will absolutely be serving as my desktop wallpaper for the coming months.