Music of the spheres.
Sometimes it’s interesting to put genre aside and think in terms of traditions.
That makes it much more intriguing.
the world is being over-run by horrors!
Escape if you’re able to!
This is the masterpiece in the sense of making something self-consciously excellent.
In this way, the 2D cinematic platformer is perfect.
It’s meant to be elegantly done, and smartly detailed, and free of frustrations.
And over time I think it became something more too.
And black goop too - part of the invasion?
Crucially, though, at times they will need your help in return.
In this way, it’s beautifully judged.
This critter is useful, but it’s also expressive and delicate and needs your care and assistance too.
It fits perfectly into the world of simple one-by-one puzzles the game throws at you.
Planet of Lana has poise and pace.
It sends you below ground, but never for so long that it becomes claustrophobic.
It tells a steadily unfolding story, but so lightly that you could ignore it if you want to.
It’s a game that disappears in pleasant little sips, in other words.
There are brainteasers here, but no frustrations.
Great rocks in Planet of Lana!
Great goop monsters with shining eyes.
Players can toggle off quicktime events and scale the UI.
For a while, I was undecided about whether Planet of Lana ultimately wants to move people.
Yes, all of that.
But also: that scamper between the huge legs of stalking monsters.
A grotto where a beast loomed in the murk ahead, eyes glowing.
In moments like this, sheer craft becomes something else, I think.
It becomes a memory that will stay with me.
