Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf opens with a disclaimer informing the player of the game’s fictional language and the absence of subtitles. This intentional creative choice allows for various interpretations of the story. Directors Adam Stjärnljus and Klas Martin Eriksson said they want players to think of the game’s narrative as another puzzle to solve.
At its core, Planet of Lana II is a puzzle game, and a consistent one at that. It challenges the mind enough to retain attention, but never presents insurmountable obstacles. Everything is solvable, including the narrative. My time with the game left me thoroughly impressed, but I’m not sure this journey is one I will revisit anytime soon.
A Breathtaking View
Planet of Lana II‘s wonderful presentation is immediately noticeable. Backgrounds look painted, although 3D rendering provides each environment a sense of depth. Characters with simple designs are convincingly alive with expressive body language and movement.
This graphical style is similar to MIO: Memories in Orbit, another great title I recently reviewed. Unlike that game, Planet of Lana II offers a much livelier setting. The juxtaposition of nature and machine may be an old trope by now, but the planet of Novo is teeming with beauty around every corner.
Although this is a sidescroller, villages appear tangible and explorable. People live out their daily lives. Children play, a cook cuts vegetables, and a father sits with his baby. The environment tells a story.
During my playthrough, I couldn’t stop thinking about how Lana’s adventure would make for a fantastic animated film. In many ways, Planet of Lana II already is an interactive movie. There’s so much care in making the experience as immersive as possible for the player.
Sounds of Beauty
This attention to detail extends to the audio. Grass crunches beneath Lana’s feet, birds sing in the distance, and the gentle wind rushes by the ears. Without these sounds, the experience is nowhere near as immersive.
Furthermore, the voice performances are impressive despite using a fictional language. The language being spoken isn’t nonsense either, as at least some words do have a consistent meaning. It’s neat to slowly learn what some phrases mean after hearing them so many times.
Additionally, Takeshi Furukawa once again provides the orchestral score. His talent is on full display here, with the music suitably fitting the game’s cinematic tone. It helps scenes convey tension, relief, joy, and sadness.
The soundtrack is tastefully used, demanding the player’s attention when appropriate but blending into the background for quieter moments. Considering this a journey primarily driven by emotion, it works brilliantly.
Puzzles, Puzzles, and More Puzzles
Most time will be spent solving Planet of Lana II‘s various puzzles. Generally, these take no longer than five minutes to solve, if even that. As such, the game moves along at a brisk pace, and it’s unlikely to become truly stumped.
It plays somewhat like a classic Tomb Raider game with a more intuitive control scheme. Lana may be slower than many other video game protagonists, but she is smooth to control. It’s satisfying to jump right off the edge of a ledge and barely make it across a steep gap.
Lana’s companion, Mui, adds to the game instead of slowing it down. In many ways, Mui acts as an extension of Lana’s abilities and plays a vital role in solving puzzles. Mui does exactly as the player tells them to, making them easy to manage.
Planet of Lana II also contains a few action setpieces, which can be a much-welcome break from the puzzle solving. I’m glad these sections are sparse, making the few that are here more memorable. However, a couple more wouldn’t hurt the overall experience.
Planet of Lana II’s Various Issues
I can only think of a couple of puzzles I took issue with. One in particular had a solution I stumbled upon by accident. Otherwise, I’m not sure how I was supposed figure out what to do. However, issues like this are uncommon.
While the puzzles are consistent, few stand out as exceptional. More often than not, I don’t feel a grand “aha” moment. Instead, I feel dumb for not discovering solutions sooner due to my oversight.
For the most part, the game runs well. It’s an incredibly polished experience with very few technical hiccups. However, I did experience numerous crashes throughout my playthrough. Fortunately, the negative impact of this was mitigated by frequent autosaving, minimizing most frustration.
Strangely, the game occupies roughly 40 GB of storage on PC. I’m not sure why such a short, stylized game requires this much space, but I suppose the final result is worthwhile. The experience seems to otherwise be well-optimized.
Planet of Lana II Is a Charming, Cinematic Puzzle-Platformer
Planet of Lana II is a gorgeous game with plenty of heart. With roughly six hours of play time, it’s perfect for those with a busy schedule looking to relax. This is a title accessible to players of many ages and skill levels.
It offers little in the way of replayability, but there are 10 secret holograms for completionists to find. Sadly, the game doesn’t provide enough incentive to go back and find them.
With an intriguing world, emotional story, and charming characters, Planet of Lana II should be a worthwhile follow-up for fans of the original. While imaginative, it doesn’t do anything in particular that is going to revolutionize the gaming industry, and that’s fine. It’s a great journey, and I hope it finds its target audience.
Announced last year, Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf will be available on March 5 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Switch 2, and PC via Steam.
Disclaimer: Thunderful Publishing provided Final Weapon with a PC copy of Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf for review purposes.
