Planet of Lana is a Love Letter to The Adventure-Puzzlers of the 90s’
The story about Planet of Lana is something that is inherently ingrained in all of humankind’s psyche. Which revolves around having our peace disturbed by an outside force and feeling helpless to reclaim it. The plot with this new indie title is about exactly that. A flourishing planet that is in complete balance with its ecosystem is suddenly shaken by alien visitation which disrupts its entire habitat. Players will take control of a young girl named Lana and her monkey-like pet as they trek through this harrowing land full of danger, beauty, and secrets to rescue her sister. Not only are there extraterrestrial robots prowling the landscape, but there are also the elements and wildlife which she will need to outwit in order for her to complete her epic journey.
Developer Wishfully clearly grew up playing adventure puzzle games in the ilk of Prince of Persia, Flashback, Out of this World, and even Blackthorne. With most of these aforementioned titles, players were able to defend themselves in a number of ways. Mainly through firearms and blades. With Planet of Lana, it appears that the main protagonist won’t be much of a fighter. Instead, she seems to be more of a scavenger who is honed in with her instinctual survival skills. Her cleverness and use of environmental tools will be instrumental in bypassing threats, blockades, and certain death. Thusly, her animal friend named Mui will also act as a major gameplay element for tricking enemies, setting up traps, and continuing Lana’s journey. This title is being lovingly crafted by talented hands it is something that gamers should have on their radar.
An Odyssey of Oddity
The main visual appeal of Planet of Lana is the fact that the art design was hand-painted by scratch. The entire game looks like an animated palette painting that moves as smoothly as it looks. Lana’s journey isn’t going to be a short-lived venture, either. According to the developer’s website, this game is going to span across “galaxies and centuries.” What this actually means has yet to be unveiled. Based on what was shown in the trailer, it is apparent that Lana will be crossing all sorts of varied landscapes that range from forests, deserts, jagged cliffs, and large bodies of water. Beasts lurk throughout every corner of this planet. Sundry monstrosities that take up half of the screen to little rodents that peep in the shadows will be making an appearance. This game is crawling with various creatures with odd and exotic designs that are oddly reminiscent of characters from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.
Even though this is an indie project, developers Thunderful and Wishfully are fully embracing the next-generation specifications to make this story come to life. Planet of Lana will support native 4K resolution and will run at a constant 60 FPS. The developers feel that playing this game at this level will fully make the art design in motion all the more special. This game was custom-made to be played at this resolution. Players can play this game on lower resolutions, of course, However, they will be doing themselves a disservice when it comes to tagging along with Lana and her friend. Thusly, this game is also capturing the epicness of the story by having highly talented people behind the sound design and music of this title. The sounds found on the trailer alone showcase how rich this adventure is going to be on the ears.
Lana to the Last
Hence, famed composer Takeshi Furukawa, best known for his work from The Last Guardian, will be scoring this adventure. Even though the vast majority of this game will involve exploration and finding ways out of jams, there will also be segments that will introduce different moments of life. There will be fast-paced action sequences where Lana must dodge enemies from all kinds of angles. One sequence, in particular, was shown briefly in the trailer. Lana is riding a mechanical insectoid creature like a steed across a desert landscape. The robotic alien foes are all zooming after her, trying to knock her off. She must, duck, weave, and outrace all of the little drones which are buzzing by her head. Of course, things ended up having Lana being stuck in a rather perilous situation.
Additionally, Planet of Lana will also offer certain parts of tranquility. Such as sitting on a raft, while interacting with all the sea life that’s around her. All of this will be peppered with a plethora of gaming mechanics that entail Lana leaping across gaps, sneaking around enemies, and communicating with various creatures. Mui will be pretty much the only item that will be at Lana’s disposal. He seems to be a universal tool with gameplay mechanics. Everything from talking with other creatures to using him as a diversion will most likely be his key components. Of course, when it comes to video games, there will also most likely be a slew of secrets players can discover when using this companion. We will have to wait and see what the developers will show in terms of details on how this game will play. If nothing else, Planet of Lana seems to be an immersive adventure that’s oozing with charm.
Pieces of Peace
The developers have been piecing together Planet of Lana for some time now. The recent gameplay trailer shown at last year’s Game Awards has shown how far this game has come. It is definitely turning heard, especially with gamers who like to swim in the rather deep pool of indie games. It has the hallmarks of becoming a classic and there is always something about a tale of an underdog overcoming insurmountable odds that enamor people. This title is scheduled to be released sometime this year for the Xbox and Steam. However, it is not totally clear whether or now it will come for PlayStation. Gamers will need to be patient and wait to see what the developers are planning to do with this game’s release. Hopefully, it will be cross-platform so everyone can get to experience this little gem.
