Planet of Lana Critic Reviews

It's a sensitively told story that's brought in to land with a thunderous final chapter, delivering suspense, spectacle, and a deeply moving resolution.

Planet of Lana is a pleasant surprise. It tells a compelling story with some unexpected twists, and it does so without the need to utter a word in a language we understand. The puzzles aren't obtuse enough to be frustrating, while the platforming never feels imprecise. To top it off, the presentation both looks and sounds amazing. Unless you dislike the entire genre, Planet of Lana is easily a contender for any "best of" lists this year.

Planet of Lana is an incredible journey. It's a down-to-earth traipse through a unique but endearing off-world setting, with tight pacing and excellent presentation underscoring a tale of camaraderie and familial devotion. Whether it's the incredible visuals or the stellar gameplay, it's worth your time.

An beautiful game, which does not forget to make the player feel a wide range of emotions. Clearly, we were hoping for a certain level of quality, but did not expect Planet of Lana rub shoulders with the masters of the genre.

If you're looking for an unusual platform game, you've come to the right place. Planet of Lana is a successful harmony of unique gameplay, emotions, graphics and melody. The only shame is that it is so short.

A short journey to an unknown world, stunning in its audiovisual design. It tells a story full of emotion about a girl searching for a lost sister and about her animal companion, together alone in a world full of robots and danger. There are some missteps regarding the tempo of the game, but otherwise there’s nothing to criticize.

The game is great and every aspect of the game is positive. It’s not perfect though, having slight issues with the gameplay and story pacing. The good and fun things overwhelm the tiny amount of negative things making this game definitely worth buying.

Planet of Lana is a profoundly moving title that couples its clever, companion-driven puzzle-solving with an irresistibly gorgeous presentation to create what is, so far, the year’s prettiest, heartrending indie.

Planet of Lana is ostensibly the result of a work of synthesis and subtraction: far from being an overabundant product in its various elements, it points to the essence, to the utmost care of the elements that allow a narrative adventure to aim for excellence. Exceptionally directed from the point of view of aesthetics and sound design, Wishfully’s video game is responsive, precise and interesting in the construction of its puzzles. The story is certainly not among the most original of the genre, but it is told in an impeccable way, also thanks to the timely management of the elements present in the scenarios and particularly successful framing choices.

Gorgeous visuals and a spectacular score elevate an already entertaining puzzle platformer to the same level as some of the genre greats.

Artistically delightful and with a soundtrack signed by Takeshi Furukawa, Planet of Lana confirms itself as a narrative-driven adventure of excellent quality. The symbiotic relationship between little Lana and the tender Mui represents the fulcrum around which the authors of Wishfully build gameplay with puzzle and stealth elements. The result is a splendid journey of about six hours, which with a little more creativity could have reached even higher peaks.

The overall design of Planet of Lana is something to marvel at. The game loves to throw you into a tense situation and then give you a stretch of peaceful land to run through and reflect on the experience. Further, these moments are used to give an update on the state of the invasion and changing of scenery.

Planet of Lana is sure to capture players'attention with its visuals and music, which are on par with those of modern big studio animation movies. The game’s world is shrouded in mystery and players will have to work to find all the shrines to get a full picture of what’s happening. At times, finding a kidnapped friend seems too flimsy a motivation for Lana to continue her adventure. But gameplay is good enough, with limited reasons for frustration and some very clever puzzles, to keep players engaged. Planet of Lana has heart and engaging gameplay sequences, although these could have used extra variety.

Planet of Lana is exceptionally beautiful and atmospherically dense. The side-scroller offers classic platform puzzling, which gains in complexity through Lana's companion, Mui. Mui is a brave little guy - and one of the cuddliest representatives of his guild.

Despite a few superfluous sections and a very simplified platforming component, Planet of Lana offers engrossing and complex puzzles and a truly noteworthy mix of atmosphere and art direction.

This is a beautiful platforming adventure with very clear inspirations. It starts better than it finishes, but overall, it manages to become a memorable experience.

Some mechanical nitpicks aside, the 4 to 5 hours it takes to travel through Planet of Lana are punctuated by striking moments of remarkable beauty and a strengthening bond with your cuddly companion. With so many massive games releasing this spring and summer, it’s worth taking a night off to embark on an adventure that still feels like you’re visiting a rich, full world, but in a more succinct package.

Developer Wishfully clearly has an eye for the cinematic, charting a planetary voyage that's both suspenseful and heartfelt. Planet of Lana is about the bond between a young girl and her loyal companion, and also our own relationship with nature and our planet. It falters at times, miring through occasional tedium, but the strong connection it cultivates between its characters carries it forward as you delve into a variety of engaging puzzles and a gorgeous art style that breathes its strange but familiar world to life. Planet of Lana might not be the very best game released this year, but it will persevere as one of the most memorable.

Planet of Lana strikes a nice balance between its different aspects. Exploring the game's world is never dull with its appealing art style. Puzzles are varied and fun, with some thrilling encounters along the way.

As I look at my (now slightly disappointing) real-life dog, I know I’d do anything to save him from being abducted by robots or eaten by a giant slug. I also know that, faced with such a precarious situation, he’d screw it up, immediately. Thank goodness Mui is more competent.