During today’s Summer Game Fest kickoff show, fresh-faced indie developer Wishfully and SteamWorld Quest publisher Thunderful joined Geoff Keighley to show off their next game, Planet of Lana, which looks absolutely delightful.
Planet of Lana is a “cinematic puzzle adventure game” that follows a young girl and her vaguely cat-like companion as they traverse a world as lovely as it is dangerous. My initial impression is that I would love to play this game on a breezy Saturday morning in spring, preferably near an open window with a couple of dogs on my lap and a big iced tea in arm’s reach. And it doesn’t hurt that the game’s panoramic vistas are beautiful enough to frame.
This first look at Planet of Lana showcased a game that appears very much like a more colorful Limbo or Inside, with side-scrolling exploration that focuses on strategic puzzle-solving over full-on, dramatic combat. The player travels through a variety of gorgeous environments, from lush forests to arid deserts, and comes into contact with creatures both biological and synthetic. Even at its most intense, Planet of Lana seems like a nice, chill, dare I say downright wholesome experience. Lord knows we need more of those.
“A planet that used to be a place of undisturbed balance between human, nature and animal has now become something else entirely,” the game’s official website reads, providing some more context to the adventure awaiting players. “The disharmony that had been in the making for hundreds of years has finally arrived in the form of a faceless army. But this is not a story about war. This is a story about a vibrant, beautiful planet –and the journey to keep it that way.”
Planet of Lana is planned for release on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam sometime in 2022.