Planet of Lana II: Better Puzzles, Disjointed Story

Growing Up on a Changing Planet

When Planet of Lana launched in 2023, it captured the hearts of puzzle-platformer fans with its stunning Studio Ghibli-esque visuals, sweeping orchestral score, and the undeniable charm of its core duo: a young girl named Lana and her cat-monkey-alien companion, Mui. It was a game about the sudden, terrifying collision of nature and cold, unfeeling machinery.

Three years later, developer Wishfully and publisher Thunderful Publishing have returned to that hand-painted world. Released last week, Planet of Lana II (subtitled Children of the Leaf in promotional materials) picks up the story on a planet now fundamentally changed by the events of the first game.

Currently sitting at a “Very Positive” rating on Steam, the sequel promises a deeper dive into the planet’s lore and the origins of Mui. For $19.99, it offers a 6- to 8-hour journey across frozen peaks and deep oceans. But does this second outing capture the same magic, or does it feel like an unnecessary return trip?

Fluid Movement and Better Puzzles

If you played the first game, or genre contemporaries like Limbo and Inside, the moment-to-moment gameplay of Planet of Lana II will feel incredibly familiar. You run left and right, jump over chasms, hide from enemies, and solve environmental puzzles to progress.

However, the passage of time is reflected in the mechanics. Lana is older now and significantly more agile. The developers have granted her an unlimited sprint, the ability to slide, and wall-jumps, making traversal feel much smoother and more dynamic than the original’s occasionally sluggish pace. Furthermore, Lana can now swim and dive, opening up entirely new aquatic environments and puzzle types.

The puzzles themselves represent the game’s biggest mechanical improvement. The original game often padded its runtime with long stretches of empty running. Here, the density of the puzzles is much higher. You are frequently required to chain together different mechanics—using Lana’s agility in tandem with Mui’s ability to command local fauna—to bypass hazards. While the puzzles rarely cross into “brain-melting logic” territory, they require excellent observation, timing, and cooperation.

A Breathtaking Visual Symphony

Visually, Planet of Lana II is nothing short of a masterpiece. The hand-painted art style is intoxicating. Every single frame of this game looks like it belongs framed on a museum wall.

The environments are vastly more diverse this time around. You will transition from lush, vibrant forests to oppressive, snow-covered mountains, and down into subterranean aquatic ruins. The way the game blends natural, organic landscapes with the rusting, angular remains of alien technology is a constant visual treat.

The audio design perfectly complements the visuals. The game features no spoken dialogue in any recognizable language. Instead, the characters communicate through an expressive, fictional alien dialect. The emotional heavy lifting is carried entirely by the phenomenal orchestral soundtrack, which swells during moments of triumph and pulls back into melancholic piano melodies during quiet, intimate scenes.

If you are playing on a Steam Deck (where the game is officially verified and runs like an absolute dream), plug in a good pair of headphones. The score is not to be missed.

Disjointed Storytelling and Technical Gripes

While Planet of Lana II is a phenomenal experience, it is not without a few notable flaws.

The most frequent criticism from the community revolves around the game’s pacing and narrative delivery. The story is told through environmental details and frequent, very short cutscenes. Unfortunately, the game relies heavily on “fade-to-black” transitions. You will often run for 30 seconds, hit a fade-to-black cutscene, walk for another 15 seconds, and hit another fade-to-black. These constant, abrupt interruptions seriously damage the immersion and make the narrative feel fragmented and disjointed.

Furthermore, while the lore expansion regarding Mui’s origins is interesting, the overarching plot about tribal divisions and greed feels somewhat rushed, ending rather abruptly to clearly set up a third installment.

On the technical side, PC players with ultrawide monitors are in for a massive disappointment. The game does not feature native ultrawide support during gameplay, forcing you to play with black bars. Bizarrely, the pre-rendered cutscenes are in an ultrawide aspect ratio, but they are pillarboxed into a smaller window surrounded by a black void. You will need to seek out community-made mods to fix the resolution.

https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/2997230/extras/518045421cf4b8143d0df8b9a1aa4fe8.webm?t=1773047629

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The Good, The Bad, & The Beautiful

The Good	The Bad	The Ugly
The Art Style: A visually intoxicating, hand-painted world that looks stunning in every single frame.	The Ending: The narrative ends abruptly, serving as a bridge to a third game rather than a satisfying conclusion.	No Ultrawide Support: Forcing black bars on ultrawide monitors—and pillar-boxing the cutscenes—is a frustrating technical oversight.
Improved Mechanics: Lana’s new abilities (unlimited sprint, wall-jumping, and swimming) make traversal incredibly fluid.	The Ending: The narrative ends rather abruptly, clearly acting as a bridge to a third game rather than a satisfying conclusion.
Puzzle Design: Puzzles are far more frequent and require clever cooperation between Lana and Mui.
The Soundtrack: A sweeping, emotional orchestral score that carries the weight of the wordless narrative perfectly.

Should You Buy It?

Yes, if: You loved the first Planet of Lana, enjoy cinematic platformers like Inside or Gris, and want a beautiful, cozy puzzle game for your Steam Deck.

No, if: You demand fast-paced combat, you hate puzzle games, or you are easily frustrated by games that end on abrupt cliffhangers.

Recommended for fans of: Planet of Lana, Inside, Limbo, Gris, Somerville, Ori and the Blind Forest.