At Gamescom this week, I was invited to spend some time going hands-on with the lovely looking Planet of Lana II. The original game from developers Wishfully was one of my personal favourites of 2023, and now the team are back, ready to take us on another adventure with Lana and Mui.
Welcome Back to Novo
To start things off, I feel I should probably set the scene a little. Several years have passed since our previous adventure with Lana, and the beautiful world of Novo has changed. Following the machine invasion, and their subsequent defeat (Spoiler alert if you haven’t played the first game!) the machines themselves have become a part of the very culture of Lana’s tribe.
But where Lana’s tribe have a peaceful intent, incorporating the technology with kindness and thought, others have different ideas. Yes indeed, human beings suck and one tribe named the Dijinghala has become overwhelmingly greedy, utilising the new technology to exploit Novo’s resources, mining the land.
Lana’s little niece is injured in a mining incident, and slips into a coma. Lana and Mui set off on another adventure to seek ingredients to help save her. This time, the threat facing Lana and Novo itself is both human and machine, and like any good sequel, the stakes are even higher this time.
Older, Faster, Stronger
Thankfully, Lana has grown significantly since the last time we spent time with her and is more than capable of rising to the challenge. She can hack devices with a little assistance from Mui and she’s faster and more agile, with a neat slide mechanic to duck into cover from a running sprint when needed. It feels so much better to play, with a lot more emphasis on control and responsiveness with regards to how Lana moves.
The lush jungles and man-made mechanical structures looked even more lovely than the original, but the addition of multiple new environments like snow covered mountains and deep, tropical waters is most welcome, and the minimalist and painterly style is just gorgeous to look at.
In the mountains, Lana was able to hide among snowdrifts to avoid enemies, but I had to be wary of strong winds that could send me flying off to my death. In the water levels, I was delighted to find that Lana can also swim. If you recall from the first game, Mui was terrified of water, but thankfully, a neat little Lilly-pad like plant can envelop Mui, allowing us to take our companion below the waves.
Mui <3
Lana isn’t the only character that sees massive improvements in Planet of Lana 2, and young Mui is also more capable – and independent. The co-operative puzzling that made the original game so engaging is back too, but with far more depth and complexity this time around.
Lana’s bond with Mui is so strong that she can direct her to pretty much anywhere on the screen, rather than a short, set range or specific places. As a result the puzzles on offer here are far more interesting to engage with, which has given the developers at Wishfully to make things far more engaging.
Mui’s abilities to hypnotise are enhanced, allowing our little friend to embody other creatures with full control, for some unique problem solving mechanics. In one section, I took over an ink-spewing fish to block the view of a much larger predator to allow me to progress – in another, I sucked up water into the belly of a flying beastie to make a plant grow so I could climb to safety. Mui can even emit what is effectively an EMP field, disabling machines temporarily.
In another section set in a more mechanical environment, it seems that Lana and Mui were captured. Working together, we managed to free ourselves, but were still separated. What followed was a nicely designed brain teaser involving heavy boxes and magnets to create a path to freedom, moving Mui and Lana separately. Having the freedom to direct Mui to anywhere on screen is a vast improvement, and I can’t wait to see how complex some of the puzzles and new mechanics are going to get.
Handheld Verified
Thanks to the kind folks at Xbox, I also had the opportunity to play Planet of Lana 2 on the new Xbox Ally. Fantastically, the developer already had font size adjustment built in, meaning some of the text became far more legible, particularly when compared to the original game. It was also extremely performant, playing at a very smooth 60FPS and still looking fantastic.
After around two hours playing through various sections of what promises to be a much longer and deeper experience, Planet of Lana 2 impresses. I suspect that once again, the developers at Wishfully are going to tug on our heartstrings and tease our brains with another gorgeous platforming puzzler. Reuniting with Lana and Mui was a pleasure, and I can’t wait to see where this next adventure takes us.
Planet of Lana 2 is set to release in 2026, and is coming to Xbox Game Pass on Day One.
