Planet of Lana

The Planet of Lana is a beautiful narrative on the Xbox Series X with engaging gameplay.

Starting at $6.38Buy now

Get on Steam

Get on Xbox Games Store

Planet of Lana is a serene adventure game set on a transformed planet, where a faceless army has disrupted the balance between nature and humans. The game features unique companion-based gameplay, puzzles with diverse challenges, and stealth-based sequences to carefully navigate dangerous situations. Discover an epic story that spans galaxies and centuries while trying to preserve the planet's beauty.

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,886 reviews

story485 positive mentions

grinding15 negative mentions

Stunning visuals and art style that resemble a hand-painted masterpiece.
Engaging and emotional storytelling conveyed without dialogue, allowing players to interpret the narrative.
Beautiful soundtrack that enhances the atmosphere and emotional impact of the game.

Puzzles are often too simplistic and repetitive, lacking challenge and variety.
Gameplay can feel slow and tedious at times, with long stretches of just moving to the right.
The game is relatively short, which may leave some players wanting more content.

story
949 mentions
51 % positive mentions
47 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The story of "Planet of Lana" is primarily conveyed through environmental storytelling and visual cues, creating an immersive experience that captivates players despite its simplicity and predictability. While some reviews highlight its emotional depth and beautiful art, others criticize the lack of complexity and character development, suggesting that the narrative may not resonate with everyone. Overall, the game is praised for its stunning visuals and soundtrack, which enhance the straightforward yet heartfelt journey of the protagonist and her companion.
- “A gorgeous little side scroller with interesting puzzles and a beautiful story, told through lovingly executed environmental storytelling.”
- “The story, the art style, the narrative, the soundtrack, all came together to create a beautiful game filled with such incredible emotion.”
- “Planet of Lana is a beautiful game with a touching and heartwarming story!”
- “Don't play this game for the story, as it is not its focus nor is it worth discussing.”
- “The story tries hard to be poignant but ends up being as flat as a pancake, leaving no emotional impact whatsoever.”
- “The story is very simplistic and lacking well thought-out themes.”
music
662 mentions
67 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The music in "Planet of Lana" has been widely praised for its emotional depth and beautiful orchestration, often compared to cinematic scores. Reviewers highlight how the soundtrack enhances the game's atmosphere, perfectly complementing the stunning visuals and storytelling. Many players found the music to be a standout feature, elevating their overall experience and making it a memorable part of the game.
- “The music was absolutely incredible, perfectly matching the emotions and energy of the game as well as echoing the feelings of the world and Lana throughout this perfectly crafted adventure.”
- “The soundtrack is easily one of the best I've heard in a long time and in my opinion a contender for best soundtrack in a game for 2023.”
- “The music, artwork, and story were incredible and the puzzles weren't too hard or too easy either!”
- “Bought this game because it was visually stunning but I'm afraid that's all there is to it (and soundtrack).”
- “You go for long stretches with no background music; I had to play Spotify to add some ambience to it.”
- “That does lead me to my first nitpick though - halfway through the game there is a montage where you are just running across the landscape for a while set to a song with lyrics in English... I found that it completely destroyed the immersion in the game.”
graphics
594 mentions
69 % positive mentions
31 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Planet of Lana" have been widely praised for their stunning, hand-painted art style that evokes comparisons to Studio Ghibli films. Reviewers highlight the game's vibrant colors, captivating landscapes, and immersive visual storytelling, which enhance the overall experience despite some criticisms of the gameplay and puzzle design. The combination of beautiful visuals and a moving soundtrack creates a memorable atmosphere that many players found enchanting.
- “The game's visuals are nothing short of breathtaking, with every frame feeling like a painting rich with color and detail, creating an atmosphere that's both captivating and otherworldly.”
- “Planet of Lana is a beautifully crafted puzzle game with a breathtaking art style, emotional music, crisp sound effects, and an adorable little companion.”
- “The art style, the storyline, and the characters are unique and beautiful.”
- “I really wanted to love it because the visuals were so alluring, but ultimately the simple and uninspiring puzzles and platforming sections...you know...the actual gameplay, couldn't match the gorgeous setting.”
- “So the story and gameplay are both severely lacking, can the graphics carry it? Well, no, they can't, there's a lot of detail in the graphics but the level design being mostly a straight line means that even that gets to be pretty tiring.”
- “The game lacks diversity in environment, to at least appreciate the art style.”
gameplay
386 mentions
32 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Planet of Lana" has received mixed reviews, with many praising its beautiful visuals and engaging story, but criticizing its simplicity and repetitiveness. While some players enjoyed the intuitive mechanics and the integration of puzzles with the narrative, others found the gameplay lacking depth and variety, often feeling tedious and uninspired. Overall, it offers a relaxing experience with straightforward puzzles, but may not satisfy those seeking more complex gameplay challenges.
- “Fantastic gameplay and graphics... very addictive.”
- “The gameplay itself is incredibly fun, with puzzles that feel rewarding to solve but are never too difficult, and controls that are incredibly easy to pick up.”
- “Planet of Lana offers a blend of platforming, puzzle-solving, and exploration mechanics that keep players engaged throughout the journey.”
- “It's as if the developers thought that pretty pictures could mask a complete lack of creativity and gameplay depth.”
- “The gameplay is simple but serves its purpose, and the world can easily grip you in.”
- “The gameplay is practically non-existent, some simple platforming and a few timing puzzles.”
emotional
194 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game has garnered mixed responses, with many players praising its heartfelt storytelling, stunning visuals, and evocative music that elicits strong emotional reactions, including tears. While some found the narrative touching and engaging, others felt it lacked depth or failed to create a significant emotional impact. Overall, the game is recognized for its ability to create a beautiful and immersive emotional journey, resonating deeply with players who appreciate artful storytelling in gaming.
- “This game hits some emotional highs in unexpected ways.”
- “The story is touching, the main characters are adorable, and the game has that rare vibe that can hook you up.”
- “Planet of Lana is a stunning cinematic platformer that tells a touching story of friendship and survival.”
atmosphere
133 mentions
74 % positive mentions
23 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, captivating soundtrack, and immersive storytelling, creating a beautiful and emotional experience for players. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to evoke feelings of calmness and wonder, while also incorporating moments of tension and intrigue. However, some players noted that the atmosphere can feel inconsistent at times, with certain sections lacking the depth and engagement found in others.
- “The game's visuals are nothing short of breathtaking, with every frame feeling like a painting rich with color and detail, creating an atmosphere that's both captivating and otherworldly.”
- “The atmosphere, gameplay, and even voiceover remind me a lot of ICO (back in 2001...).”
- “The atmosphere and soundtrack really stand out to me as something special.”
- “The atmosphere is unfortunately there only sometimes.”
- “It was hard for me to connect with the characters or dive into the world's atmosphere, as it was all very shallow.”
- “All in all if you really, really like Limbo and Inside you might have a decent time with it, but it lacks the punch those games had in their narrative and general atmosphere in my opinion.”
grinding
18 mentions
6 % positive mentions
11 % neutral mentions
83 % negative mentions
Players consistently describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and frustrating, with many noting that while the puzzles are often easy to understand, the execution becomes laborious and repetitive. The slow animations and cumbersome controls contribute to a sense of boredom, making the gameplay feel stretched and less satisfying. Overall, the experience is marred by a lack of engaging challenge, leading to a desire for breaks during play.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “My deal breaker is that, while it is mostly easy to figure out what to do, it's then difficult and tedious to actually do it.”
- “The puzzles are mostly the basics you've seen before, but worse is that animations are slow, the movement tedious, and the reloads slow.”
- “On one side, you're always doing the same thing; the puzzles are very similar and you don't feel satisfied when you solve them, it feels tedious.”
replayability
12 mentions
25 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is limited, primarily appealing to those interested in achievement hunting, as most players find it a one-time experience. While the playtime is relatively short at around 4-5 hours, some users express a willingness to replay it for enjoyment or to share the experience with others. However, the lack of substantial replay value is a common critique, with specific achievements feeling out of place.
- “As for replayability, I will probably give this one another play sometime, just to try to gain some missing achievements.”
- “At around five hours of playtime for one playthrough plus a bit of replayability for people who want to get all the achievements, it is excellent value for money.”
- “The game does also have a decent degree of replayability too, for those people who might find the 4-5 hour playtime too short.”
- “I think the price is slightly too much given the length and replayability; I suspect for most people, this is a one-and-done game.”
- “Not much replay value unless achievement hunting.”
- “Though the game isn't very long, so there's not much replayability.”
stability
12 mentions
33 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is commendable, with most players reporting a smooth experience and minimal bugs. While some users noted specific issues like audio glitches and occasional loading interruptions, the game generally runs well even on lower-end systems and performs admirably on the Steam Deck. The camera mechanics during puzzles are also praised for enhancing gameplay without introducing significant technical problems.
- “The game runs great at ultra settings, and I appreciate the inclusion of a 'potato' setting for lower-end systems.”
- “On a technical side, the game runs great, loading times are fast, and I only encountered one bug that made me restart from the last checkpoint.”
- “It runs great on the Steam Deck; I had it set to medium graphics quality for a solid 60fps.”
- “Troubleshooting didn't help.”
- “The water section is really buggy, as well as some audio bugs with pushing objects.”
- “There are far too frequent fade to black, loading, fade to scene interruptions, with most creating minor sound glitches, like little pops of audio that's unsure of if it should play or not.”
optimization
9 mentions
56 % positive mentions
11 % neutral mentions
33 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews; while some players report excellent performance with stable frame rates on high-end systems, others experience significant issues, including stuttering and poor performance even on powerful hardware. The inclusion of a "potato" setting for lower-end systems is appreciated, but concerns remain about the overall optimization and whether further improvements will be made.
- “And when it comes to performance, the game runs great at ultra settings, but I also like how they include a 'potato' setting for lower-end systems.”
- “Great performance, many thanks to the developers of Wishfully.”
- “Performance was great with no frame drops in 1440p@144hz, and you can play it with an unlocked framerate!”
- “I cannot recommend this game as it is very poorly optimized. The game doesn't run smoothly even with a powerful computer, and even playing with frame stuttering, the game becomes repetitive and boring.”
- “I'm not sure if Wishfully intends to do an optimization pass on the game, but if they don't, I'm sure that issue will be addressed.”
- “Planet of Lana is very casual in both its story and performance.”
character development
7 mentions
29 % positive mentions
29 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is enhanced by impressive character design and sound, fostering a strong connection with the characters through engaging dialogues and visual storytelling. The varied and detailed character designs contribute to a captivating experience, allowing players to grasp the personalities of key characters like Lana, Eila, and Mui without detracting from gameplay. Overall, the developers' dedication to visual and auditory elements enriches the narrative and emotional depth of the characters.
- “The visuals are stunning, the music and audio are extremely well done, and the character designs for everything--people and creatures--are also great.”
- “It's a platform puzzle game, and the character development never gets in the way of the gameplay, but you get a real sense of who Lana, Eila, and Mui are.”
- “The attention to detail in character designs, architecture, and natural elements showcases the dedication of the developers to create a visually captivating experience.”
- “Character design reminiscent of Star Wars.”
humor
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its playful mechanics, such as making players feel accomplished through simple actions like spamming keys, which adds a comedic touch. However, the lack of proper death animations, where the character drops like a ragdoll, is both amusing and immersion-breaking, suggesting that while the humor is effective, it could benefit from more polished execution in certain areas.
- “I also thought it was funny when it would make us do something simple (spamming W, E, or Q key) and then it would feel like I did something totally grand, lol.”
- “The only complaint I have regarding animations is the death 'animation.' I put air quotes there because there's actually no death animations, so Lana just drops like a Garry's Mod ragdoll. While it's very funny, it's also very immersion-breaking; which is made worse considering that you die a lot. I think that giving Lana a proper death animation for whenever she falls or gets electrified is really important.”