2023’s indie puzzle-platformer Planet of Lana, told the story of a young, athletic girl who—with a bio-mechanical, cat-like companion called Mui—saved her planet from an invading robot army.
Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf carries on the tale. But now Lana’s preindustrial world of Novo has been radically changed by mechanical and robotic devices that the village residents use as everything from horse-like mounts to fishing helpers.
Some of the human factions, though, aren’t content with their previous harmonious relationship with nature. They want to use their new mechs for power and dominance. And when a young village girl gets stricken ill by some carelessly discarded radioactive waste, it’s up to Lana to find the unique elements for a cure. At the same time, she’ll have to deal with those new robotic and human threats—and reveal the story of the invaders that came from the stars.
This compelling tale is told through Lana’s puzzle-solving leaps and bounds, some flashback scenes and activities, and the surprisingly communicative gestures, postures and tone of voice that each of the characters use. The twist of the game is that no one here uses a language that we can understand.
The various characters communicate with each other in a Sims-like quasi lingo that only they know the meaning of. On some quests, players are handed cards holding pictures and a few English words, but everything else is a matter of piecing together the clues you see and perceiving how and why people make the choices they do.
Gameplay-wise, players control Lana as she solves side-scrolling environmental puzzles by climbing ropes and platforms, jumping across chasms and diving beneath the water to find the right switches and avoid the wrong, deadly dangers.
Gamers control Mui’s movements as well. And they use the bio-mechanical creature’s special abilities—controlling specific animals and emitting an electromagnetic-like pulse—to help Lana past obstacles she can’t physically impact.
On the face of things, the challenge of controlling two independent characters while timing their moves for a specific puzzle can seem a bit daunting. But with time, the controller movements become second nature and the interactions feel more natural.
Planet of Lana II is a single-player, cinematic, puzzle adventure that does not offer a multiplayer option. And other than cloud gaming—such as the Xbox Game Pass version that streams gameplay via the internet—the game is played offline.
Lana is a human girl from a simple village who doesn’t hesitate to leap into harm’s way to help anyone she cares about. And gamers guide this young hero through formidable challenges to once again save her beleaguered world.
Though there are painful moments on display here, there is no combat in the gaming mix. Lana must find solutions to problems through her nimble movements and thoughtful choices. She also uses a flute tone to break through robotic locks.
Planet of Lana II’s lush, beautiful visuals—including wind-swept forests, snowy caves and hills and futuristic structures—have a hand-painted feel. And when they’re combined with this sequel’s heroically sweeping score, they give this game an almost cinematic feel that lifts gamers’ emotions in the midst of play.
Though nothing in Planet of Lana II is combat focused, we do see people injured and killed by the story villains and robotic threats. (No gore or mess.) For instance, we see the skeletal remains of a human baby held in a robot’s arms, an elderly man struck down by a staff-wielding baddie and a ship full of humans attacked by suddenly hostile robots.
Lana uses Mui’s abilities to shut off mechs, sending them crashing to the ground. And Mui can control small creatures which burst into flame and start fires.
There are also hostile robots, environments dangers, shadow creatures and deadly animals (such as electrified sharks) that Lana must avoid. (When caught by predators Lana cries out in pain and tumbles over, but she is then given the chance to try again—just before the attack or fall took place.)
During her journeys, Lana encounters a majestic, deer-like entity that a local village seemingly worships. During a “ritual” this creature offers Lana a part of its antler.
Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf is a gorgeous and compelling puzzle-platformer that will appeal to players of any age. However, parents of younger gamers should note that there are some emotionally wrought moments involving endangered innocents and death.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
