Planet of Lana managed to tell a story through feeling. It wasn’t populated by text and dialogue. Instead, it revealed its tale through the environment, what you saw, and how it made you feel. The music was moving and the characters were brought to life through a connection built on their actions. Planet of Lana 2 not only continues to expand on what came before, but it does so in spectacular fashion. The puzzles are more advanced, the world is much bigger, and the stakes are most definitely higher.
Understanding the story comes from how you perceive what’s happening on screen. There’re short cutscenes, yet little else. Planet of Lana 2 comes to life through the astounding visuals, hand-drawn beautifully. There are different biomes to explore, interactions between Lana and those around her in a language you don’t understand, and a civilisation struggling under the weight of its own choices. While you’re shown often what the key story beats are, you’re left to make your own mind up on how the characters feel.
Through inflections in their voices and simply observing, Planet of Lana 2 continues to feel poignant throughout. It is clear that through the bond made with machines in the previous outing, it has affected the world and the people living there. Relationships are being exploited, war is on the horizon, and Lana is trapped in the middle. I’m being ambiguous on purpose, however, at the same time, I feel that each player is going to take away something different and that’s why it’s been crafted so well.
When it comes to the puzzles, Wishfully has gone all out on making this more ambitious that the original. Lana and Mui are in full BBF mode now. You have much more control over Mui, sending them to areas you can’t reach, calling them to your location, and getting them to interact with switches and more can be done simply. The big improvement with Planet of Lana 2 comes from other environmental factors. The first time I understood the scope of these puzzles came early on when Mui interacts with some fishes.
Outside of Lana and Mui, there are other lifeforms that can be used to help solve puzzles. I was able to take control of a little fish who swam into the depths of the waters. It spat out some black ink to affect the vision of an electrified whale, meaning I could swim past without being attack. This entire puzzle was layered, and they only get bigger and smarter as the game progresses. These surprising elements of Planet of Lana 2 are what elevate it above its predecessor. I was always excited to see how it would improve upon the last idea.
If I had one gripe with the improved gameplay, it would be controlling Mui or other sentient life at times became a little frustrating. Having to send Mui somewhere while I had to run or move while also focusing on another facet of the puzzle occasionally got too much. In no way is it a constant, but there were times when failure came from managing too many moving parts at once. Others may very well play and not have an issue, but it’s worth mentioning that sometimes the mechanics got a touch overwhelming.
Planet of Lana was forever stunning, but my admiration of the series only grows with its sequel. The sunny locales of Lana’s home and a later tropical environment were filled with colour and vibrancy. In the areas that don’t rely on this range of colours and brightness, its beauty is found in the way it uses snowstorms and mountain ranges in its design, or its lush green forests and ambiguity of its caves. I was always in awe of its design and it never gets tiresome exploring these intricately designed places throughout my journey.
I can’t recommend Planet of Lana 2 enough. If you haven’t touched the original, go back and play it, then get stuck into this. From its sensational visuals to clever gameplay, there’s little reason to ignore it. With so many puzzle games out there, none do it quite like this. The story is one of the finest things about it, not just in its content but how Wishfully remove what is often considered important in an attempt to get the player fully engaged with their senses and how their heart feels when uncovering the mysteries of Lana’s continuing journey.
