Planet of Lana review

Peer past the stunning vistas and Planet of Lana offers routine puzzle-solving and stealth.

Swedish developer Wistfully Studios makes an inspiring first impression with Planet of Lana. The game opens with protagonist Lana and her sister Ilo dashing through their coastal community. In front of a backdrop of low-slung hills, a placid body of water, and lush trees that gently sway in the breeze, the pair pass by vendors and other villagers calmly going about their daily routine. Given the scenery and the suppleness of Lana’s running animation, it’s evident that Studio Ghibli’s animation served as aesthetic inspiration.

As players are led through the tranquil community, the game offers an interactive demonstration of Lana’s ability set. She can duck into tight spaces, jump, swim, and pull herself up ledges. Soon, she’ll rescue a trapped animal named Mui, who resembles a cat/rodent hybrid. Lana can issue commands to her spiral-tailed companion, telling Mui to move or to stay in place. Beyond having a lofty jump, your diminutive associate can also hypnotize enemies, providing a remarkable alternative to traditional weapon-based combat.

Language of Lana

But sadly, Planet of Lana struggles to measure up to the sense of wonder cultivated by the game’s introduction. Before long an assault of spider-like machines descends from the skies, taking most of the coastal townsfolk captive. Unsurprisingly, this kicks off Lana’s quest to rescue her sibling. While the motivation and storytelling might seem simplistic, that’s quite deliberate.

To nurture a sense of otherworldliness, Planet of Lana’s characters speak a fictional language. Although there are no subtitles, listening to the timbre of humanoid and machine speech offers context. If you appreciate the feeling of being flung into an unfamiliar world where you’ll have to pay attention to understand what’s going on, Lana intermittently delivers.

Rather Pedestrian Puzzles

But the bulk of your time on this six-to-eight-hour journey will be tasked with solving puzzles and using stealth to bypass patrolling enemies. Yes, if you’ve played any of the two-dimensional Oddworld games, Limbo, or Inside, Lana will feel similar. Solutions are often found by combining Lana and Mui’s movesets. One of your first undertakings is climbing up a cliff next to a seesaw-style mechanism. Ascending the wall involves the proper placement of two heavy crates, which should take puzzle game veterans about ten seconds to figure out.

Naturally, the puzzles grow more complicated but they don’t become truly sophisticated. The upside is that there’s almost always a rational solution found by combining Lana and Mui’s abilities. But there are also two downsides. First, Planet of Lana doesn’t provide any clues. So, if you do get stuck, you’ll be stuck until you find a FAQ. The other downside is the game’s tendency to recycle mechanics. Habitually, you’ll come to an impasse until Mui tosses down a rope for you to climb. Although the animation is entertaining the first time you see it, subsequent instances can feel monotonous. Likewise, there are moments when Lana will traverse sections of the environment without any interactive elements. It’s attractive and occasionally highlighted by interesting visual effects, but it largely recycles the environmental art you’ve already seen.

Similarly, the game’s stealth isn’t all that engaging. Much of the time, success involves watching an enemy pattern and making a move when they’re unaware. But between Lana’s stiff movement (she can’t adjust her leap in the air) and a small window of opportunity, expect to replay some of these exacting moments. While frequent checkpointing lessens some of the frustration, sneaking felt more like tackling a succession of QTEs rather than creativity traversing through the environment.

Conclusion

As you can see from the screenshots, Planet of Lana is a thoroughly lovely game. Panoramas showcase picturesque azure skies, voluminous clouds, and the sliver of a colossal moon. If you’re relatively new to games with logic-based brainteasers, there’s a strong chance you’ll appreciate the journey. But for those with more experience in the puzzle and stealth genres, Lana’s looks will be the biggest draw.

Planet of Lana was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.