My only complaint is that this game didn't come out years sooner.
Planet of Lana doesn't just learn from the history of cinematic platformers. It masters the genre.
Take the concept from Another World and perfect it.
Take the theme from Limbo and perfect it.
Take the visuals from Inside and perfect it.
Take the gameplay from Heart of Darkness and perfect it.
Take the soundtrack from Far:Lone Sails and... well come close to it, we can't be perfect at everything.
Sadly for me this game came out in 2023, and I've already played all of the above and then some. Almost nothing in this game was wholly new to me. It was done better here, but I still felt like I'd done it before.
I envy the folks who've never suffered through a cinematic platformer from the 90s, this game is going to be their masterpiece.
For me, I can look at it objectively and say the tiny Swedish dev team made some incredible, that I certainly enjoyed my time with. A game I will definitely replay long before I reach for the older titles in the genre.
But I will never know what it's like to have everything in this game feel NEW to me.
Now that I've thoroughly poisoned the well, lets talk about whats here.
The superb 2.5d visuals are a pinnacle to the years of Unity-based indie games. 3d objects that clearly define depth, and 2d artwork overlaying them. The technique is both efficient and drop-dead gorgeous.
The gameplay is a slow but meaty evolution of classic cinematic platforming and basic puzzles centering on your companion Mui. The puzzles are engaging and I can only think of one that actually overstayed its welcome due to an odd mechanic, and another that I was overthinking after I'd missed something obvious.
The story is the indie-game standard, silent protagonists vs scary world and shadowy monsters. Our innocent heroes tug on the heartstrings by having incredibly simple yet deep relationships portrayed through visuals alone.
To clarify, the people do talk, but it's in a made-up alien language, which is neat. You will come to understand a few words by the end, so I guess it does subvert the silent indie gris formula.
The music is also quite good, there are four or five tracks that absolutely captivated me. Nothing quite reaches the heights of Far:Lone Sails but it comes close in one particular scene that I wont spoil.
Overall I was moved by this game, and I absolutely see it as the new standard for indie cinematic platformers.
Maybe next we'll get a double A or even Triple A one of these and put the genre to bed. either by being so good everyone backs off, or so bad everybody stops taking it seriously.
Planet of Lana doesn't just learn from the history of cinematic platformers. It masters the genre.
Take the concept from Another World and perfect it.
Take the theme from Limbo and perfect it.
Take the visuals from Inside and perfect it.
Take the gameplay from Heart of Darkness and perfect it.
Take the soundtrack from Far:Lone Sails and... well come close to it, we can't be perfect at everything.
Sadly for me this game came out in 2023, and I've already played all of the above and then some. Almost nothing in this game was wholly new to me. It was done better here, but I still felt like I'd done it before.
I envy the folks who've never suffered through a cinematic platformer from the 90s, this game is going to be their masterpiece.
For me, I can look at it objectively and say the tiny Swedish dev team made some incredible, that I certainly enjoyed my time with. A game I will definitely replay long before I reach for the older titles in the genre.
But I will never know what it's like to have everything in this game feel NEW to me.
Now that I've thoroughly poisoned the well, lets talk about whats here.
The superb 2.5d visuals are a pinnacle to the years of Unity-based indie games. 3d objects that clearly define depth, and 2d artwork overlaying them. The technique is both efficient and drop-dead gorgeous.
The gameplay is a slow but meaty evolution of classic cinematic platforming and basic puzzles centering on your companion Mui. The puzzles are engaging and I can only think of one that actually overstayed its welcome due to an odd mechanic, and another that I was overthinking after I'd missed something obvious.
The story is the indie-game standard, silent protagonists vs scary world and shadowy monsters. Our innocent heroes tug on the heartstrings by having incredibly simple yet deep relationships portrayed through visuals alone.
To clarify, the people do talk, but it's in a made-up alien language, which is neat. You will come to understand a few words by the end, so I guess it does subvert the silent indie gris formula.
The music is also quite good, there are four or five tracks that absolutely captivated me. Nothing quite reaches the heights of Far:Lone Sails but it comes close in one particular scene that I wont spoil.
Overall I was moved by this game, and I absolutely see it as the new standard for indie cinematic platformers.
Maybe next we'll get a double A or even Triple A one of these and put the genre to bed. either by being so good everyone backs off, or so bad everybody stops taking it seriously.