With 2023 being one of the hottest years in terms of releases, compared to the last few years with fewer games being released because of the problems the world has gone through, both in the big industry and in independent games, Planet of Lana is a game I’ve been following for a long time, having seen ads, trailers and tested the game’s demo a few months ago at a Steam event.

With a simple gameplay, Planet of Lana gets the attention of players and audiences

I was able to play the full version of the game now, being available from day one on Game Pass. Being a game that caught my attention and for reminding, in gameplay, indie classics like Limbo and Inside, clearly it attracted people to streams and is an engaging game, not so long, with a simple story and a mechanic that highlights, in its gameplay, the help of a mascot to interact during the puzzles and to advance along its journey.

The highlight of the game, for me, is in the scenarios and in the gameplay dynamics merged to the scenarios, which are very beautiful for a platform game and, despite not surprising in gameplay, it is very functional and responsive in what it tries to reproduce.

Planet of Lana — Picture: Epic Games Store

Considering the duration of the game in its totality and the content it tries to deliver, it can be finished between 5 and 10 hours of duration, it doesn’t present a great replayability factor, but, for being a platform game with puzzles, it has the right duration for the style of game it proposes, not extending itself beyond the account.

The interaction between the protagonist and the animal to save her sister against an army of robots is captivating and sympathetic, although not necessarily innovative or the main point of the game.

In terms of optimization, the game would run smoothly on any computer and can be streamed without major problems on computers because it does not demand much in terms of technical requirements, which is a great point to bring it on stream and even recommend it to the viewers themselves.

Planet of Lana is playable with Xbox Game Pass.

Planet of Lana

PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series (2023)

Performance

Streamability

Audience Engagement

Replayability

Summary

Planet of Lana is a game that works and captivates in what it needs to, without inventing too much and being direct in what it aims for. It wins players and audience over by its charismatic characters, simple but engaging story, beautiful scenery and graphics, and therefore this characterizes the game as one of the most beautiful indies of the year. Despite this, it is not one of the most amazing games I have played so far this year, but it is certainly a recommendation and is a game that will entertain those who test it and those who watch it on streams.

Ludovicoluka

I have 25 years, I produce content to internet for 4 years and I like retro games, indies and I’m an enthusiast for new launches. I have as my favorite games Donkey Kong Country 2, Super Mario World, Hollow Knight and Red Dead Redemption II, per example. I like to experiment everything and the more, the better, but I never get sick of my comfort games!