May 2023 was kind of a big deal. A little ol’ game called The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (ring any bells?) was released, and everyone was playing it; Tears sold almost 20 million copies in under two months. However, it wasn’t the only game that came out that month. While it may not have generated as much buzz at the time, Planet of Lana is one of 2023’s best indies — and it’s getting a sequel next year.
Planet of Lana is a cinematic puzzle-platformer. You play as Lana as she tries to rescue her best friend and fellow villagers after they were taken by mechanical alien beings. She’s accompanied by a little cat-like creature named Mui (because any game is made better by having a cat in it). Together, they outwit the alien robots in various puzzles on their way to rescuing the villagers.
The puzzles aren’t too difficult, but they still provide a welcome challenge; some require precise execution lest the alien robots grab Lana too. Danger lurks everywhere as there are also native predators vying to get a bite out of Lana and her void of a cat companion. Mui is often at the center of solving environmental puzzles, which rely on a dash of stealth, to get around those dangerous creatures.
Planet of Lana’s art style is immediately eye-catching; its palette of soft, inviting colors contrasts with the comparatively dark storyline. Lana and Mui travel through the grassy plains surrounding her village, an underground cave, and through a desert. The visuals are bested only by Planet of Lana’s music, which is both chill and powerful in parts.
Of course, all ends well — this is a game starring a child and an alien cat, after all. Nothing bad was really going to happen to them. Or at least, that was certainly the case in the first game, but the trailer for Planet of Lana 2: Children of the Leaf ends with a shot of poor Mui lying in some sort of hospital bed or perhaps at a research station. Lana looks on, and her worry is palpable in the frame.
But, Planet of Lana 2 won’t come out until 2026, so I don’t want to spend too much time worrying about the little dude. The cat’s fine (Right? Right?). What’s not fine, however, is Lana’s village and her people. In the trailer for the second game, we see more alien robots trying to zap her and her friend, and a young villager falls into a faint.
Children of the Leaf is certainly upping the stakes and widening its scope. Ships from outer space zoom through a lush forest, and we get exciting shots of Lana hopping from ship to ship. Lana also travels across various environments, including a gorgeous underwater level, and rides on the back of one of the alien robots from the first game.
I’m very excited to see how the lore of Planet of Lana expands with its sequel, and I can’t wait to tag along for another journey with Lana and Mui when Planet of Lana 2: Children of the Leaf launches in 2026. You can check out the first game on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC.