There are two varieties of individuals on this world. Okay, there are greater than two, however humor me. There are those that order one thing new each time they go to a restaurant, continuously searching for new thrills and experiences, and there are those that choose for a similar restaurant and the identical dish each time they dine out. If you end up within the second camp extra typically than the primary, then Planet of Lana, a brand new cinematic platformer from Wishfully and Thunderful Publishing, is aimed squarely at you.
If I used to be feeling unkind, I might say that Planet of Lana looks like what would occur in case you requested an AI to generate a cinematic platformer. It is acquired every little thing you’d count on from this style: a small baby exploring a harmful world (accompanied by a cute animal, natch), massive scary enemies representing the march of technological progress, and plenty and plenty of switches to overwhelm with bins. It is an journey that feels without delay breathtakingly lovely and formulaic, one which can not seem to escape the specter of its forebears.
Planet Of Lana Has A Acquainted However Compelling Story
You’re the titular Lana, a younger woman dwelling an idyllic life in a seaside village on an alien world. At some point, big spindly robots invade and lay waste to your village, kidnapping its inhabitants within the course of. One way or the other spared from the carnage, you got down to discover out what’s occurred to your village and hopefully get your finest good friend again as nicely.
The story in Planet of Lana feels easy and involving.
The story is not fairly dialogue-free in Planet of Lana. Characters converse an invented language that put me in thoughts of Group Ico’s video games. It is endearing sufficient, though it could possibly often border on twee, and the truth that there isn’t any real-language dialogue means the story in Planet of Lana feels easy and involving.
Planet of Lana approaches background storytelling in one of the best ways, too. If you wish to, you’ll be able to take note of the bizarre five-note musical sequence the robotic enemies maintain chirping at each other. You may ask what the murals you discover within the cave imply. You may marvel on the nature of Mui, your little animal companion. Alternatively, you’ll be able to simply concentrate on the puzzles and the platforming. Planet of Lana permits you to be as concerned in its story as you need, and that is a advantage.
Gameplay In Planet Of Lana Feels Formulaic
Sadly, these puzzles and platforming do not fare almost in addition to the story. The puzzles really feel fairly fundamental, for probably the most half. I am not notably expert within the artwork of puzzle-solving, however none of Planet of Lana‘s conditions gave me pause for thought for various seconds. It was all the time apparent what the answer to every puzzle was and how one can obtain it.
In fundamental phrases, Planet of Lana is a puzzle-platformer akin to video games like Playdead’s Inside or Facepalm’s The Swapper. Think about these video games crossed with Ico and also you’re a lot of the means there. Puzzles primarily encompass discovering methods for you and your accomplice, a small…creature known as Mui, to work collectively. You would possibly have to get Mui to achieve a button you’ll be able to’t attain, as an illustration, or pop him on the highest of a robotic creature to keep away from a fan that may in any other case blow him away.
Whereas Planet of Lana‘s puzzles are normally simple and apparent, that does not imply they are not enjoyable. The core gameplay is weighty and gratifying, even when the animations are often a little bit wonky. Mui is a intelligent little factor, and Planet of Lana neatly has you come to depend on him for puzzle options, which endeared me to him organically. This can be a stable puzzle-platformer that hardly ever places a foot flawed.
Sadly, as a result of Planet of Lana hardly ever places a foot flawed, it can also’t obtain a lead to the other way. The puzzles had been nice, however hardly ever so participating that they excited me. One or two “aha!” moments apart, I keep in mind Planet of Lana‘s puzzles largely as a hodgepodge of switches, stealth sections with instakill robots (ugh), and leaping on ropes. Often, Planet of Lana comes alive with a large spider setpiece or a very lovely second of environmental storytelling, however for probably the most half, it looks like a reasonably rote expertise.
Planet Of Lana Is Lovely, However Hole
Fortunately, in case you do develop into a little bit bored by the puzzles (as I did) and a bit too confused by the story (as I additionally did), then you’ll be able to select to easily cease and stare at Planet of Lana‘s surroundings. This can be a really lovely sport. Its painterly artwork model evokes the works of Studio Ghibli, and its character animation is fluid and well-implemented. Planet of Lana is solely a pleasure to behold.
Planet of Lana by no means as soon as stunned me with a setpiece or an enemy design.
Regardless of its magnificence, although, there is a blandness to Planet of Lana that feels exhausting to flee. All the pieces about its setting feels apparent, someway. From the spidery design of its alien creatures to the spindly and spherical robotic enemies, Planet of Lana by no means as soon as stunned me with a setpiece or an enemy design. As a substitute, I discovered myself saying “nicely, clearly” loads when encountering a brand new creature or new mechanical design.
The story itself feels a little bit hole, too. With out wishing to spoil, its conclusion feels nonsensical and unearned. An attention-grabbing setup offers approach to half an hour or so of intriguing tonal shift throughout Planet of Lana‘s remaining ranges, however the best way that tonal shift is resolved left me chilly. Elliptical storytelling is all nicely and good, however I felt that the groundwork had not been performed, and so the story’s supposed payoffs did not really feel satisfying.
After all, there’s each probability I simply did not perceive the clues the story threw in my face, and it isn’t obscure in any respect. If the narrative in Planet of Lana works for you, then you definitely’ll discover a very agreeable puzzle-platformer right here, one that may present an excellent few hours of enjoyable for you. If not, although, you would possibly end up getting fatigued by the repetitive gameplay loop and story that feels just a bit too happy with itself for being so darn summary.
Planet of Lana | Last Ideas
It is troublesome to not suggest Planet of Lana in case you’re a cinematic puzzle-platformer fan. It does every little thing precisely as you’d count on it to; hits a lot of the requisite emotional beats (unusual ending however), gives precisely the quantity of eureka moments you suppose it does, and sticks round simply lengthy sufficient to not get boring. To me, although, Planet of Lana feels surprisingly unambitious.
It appears content material to face within the shadow of its influences – Ico, Coronary heart of Darkness, Ghibli films – with out ever actually discovering an identification of its personal. “Simply nice” in all probability is not what Wishfully and Thunderful had been aiming for, however hey, it is higher than being captured by a spider robotic and despatched to the good sphere within the sky.
Planet of Lana was reviewed on PC by way of Steam utilizing a duplicate supplied by the developer over the course of 4.5 hours of gameplay. All screenshots had been taken in the course of the technique of evaluation.
