Planet of Lana 2 Delivers a Grander Sequel Without Losing Its Soul
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Rock Paper Shotgun reviews Planet of Lana 2, praising its expanded scale, fluid movement mechanics, and larger multi-stage puzzles while keeping its emotional core intact.
Following up a critical darling is always a tightrope walk, but Thunderful Publishing and the team behind Planet of Lana 2: Children of the Leaf manage to stick the landing. As detailed in the recent review by James Archer over at Rock Paper Shotgun, this sequel expands the scope of the gorgeous puzzle platformer while keeping the emotional core that made the original adventure so memorable. Players step back into the lush alien worlds alongside protagonist Lana and her feline companion Mui, only this time the experience brings a sharper focus on athleticism and environmental scale.
The most immediate upgrade comes from how Lana and Mui move through the world. Lana now handles with a lot more fluidity right from the opening hours, featuring sprint, slide, and wall-jump mechanics that ditch the slightly heavier movement of the first game. Mui also gets a major functional glow-up. Instead of staying tethered right next to Lana, the alien companion can now roam much further across the screen to gnaw cables, drop ropes, and even take direct control of local fauna like sticky cloud creatures and ink-blasting fish. That expanded control scheme feeds directly into larger, multi-stage puzzles that ditch the single-screen constraints of the predecessor for a more sprawling design.
Of course, commanding the ecosystem comes with a darkly funny side effect that fans are already talking about. The game gives players the power to use various creatures as puzzle tools, which occasionally means sacrificing your temporary animal thralls to clear hazards or act as bait. It adds a wonderfully chaotic layer to an otherwise serene aesthetic. For anyone tracking the evolution of narrative puzzle platformers across PC and consoles, Planet of Lana 2 is shaping up as a confident, beautifully realized step forward that rewards both patience and quick thinking.
Tags: Planet of Lana 2, PC Gaming, Platformer, Indie Games, Rock Paper Shotgun
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun