We were a little surprised to see Planet of Lana receive a sequel. The charming first game is one of the most beautiful looking and sounding indie platformers out there, but it felt like one of those flashes in the pan moments of genius and it’s not exactly like cinematic platformers are that prevalent.
The second game, somehow, looks even more beautiful and
continues the story of Lana and her weird pet Mui as they adventure across the
planet of Novo. It’s set two years after the events of the first game (which is
deftly recapped) and shows how the various tribes and factions have taken to
the now discovered technologies scavenged in the aftermath of the first.
Lana has a host of new ways to move around, with faster
movement, sliding and things like wall jumps and the ability to swim now in
place. As a result, movement is much more fluid than the original, but the platforming
sections or also a bit more fiendish as well. The heart of the game though is
about solving puzzles. Early on, Lana will normally be given requests from
settlers and then head off to find something. This acts as a good introduction to
her new skills while showing off the gorgeous visuals and setting up a healthy chunk
of world building.
Almost all puzzles require you to use the two characters in
partnership with each other. Mui can manipulate technology and pass control on
to other animals. So, most puzzles fall into a pattern of working out how to
get Mui to a point they can take control of something, then working out where
that goes and then getting Lana to race to the new location. An early example
of this is where Lana needs to retrieve a particular piece of seaweed from underwater.
It requires getting Mui into a shallow pool of fish, then getting the fish
through a dangerous area using its ink special skill and then getting Lana to
clear a path and then trap a predatory fish before her air runes out.
It’s quite different from the original game in terms of how
it plays out. In the first game you were normally hiding or running away from
technological monstrosities. And while that is still the case in places, this
is much more about using the different animals and interacting with the
population. The game feels much more alive as a result.
With most puzzles having a clear timing element it means
players need to be precise and agile to get through as well. Controls are slick
and precise though, so frustration rarely comes from a clunky input. The game
is also exceptionally well checkpointed, so when you do die there are no long sections
to retrace. We also found the game was far less frustrating than the original
with regards to its puzzle design with it being clear most of the time what we
had to do.
Planet of Lana is a beautiful game, but the sequel is off
the charts. From the villages to mountain tops and the technological
encampments it all looks astounding. The score that goes with everything is
also exceptional, really breathing life into the locations. Progress is
rewarded with visual highlight after highlight, and it really does keep players
pushing through the game. The art design here is akin to something studio
Ghibli would be proud off, it’s simply breathtaking.
Overall, Planet of Lana II manages to somehow be even better
than the original. Every aspect has been improved, and the original was already
an exceptional game. The sharpening of Lana’s movement is a delight, and the
majesty of how the game looks makes it irresistible. It might just be a touch
short for a few people but then its still longer than the original. It’s hard
to see anyone not liking this. It comes highly recommended.
Overall 9/10
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