Hard to miss Planet of lana since its announcement during the Summer Game Fest 2021. It must be said that its polished trailer and its enchanting universe as possible could hardly leave the players unmoved, as long as one is receptive to this type of game eyeing the side of the adventure/narrative platform. Although expected for next spring, the game was approached for half an hour, hands-on, with comments from two people working on the title.
In order not to ruin the discovery of the game too much, the studio preferred to open the demo on chapter 2 of the game. We therefore discover our heroine Lana who wakes up in the middle of the forest after her village has been attacked by robots. A very cute little black ball is by her side and will accompany her on her journey after a quick introduction. We will immediately note the use of a curious language, which was invented by the team especially for the game. I asked where the inspiration for this language had come from to the creative person present during the demo, and he It's about sounds taken here and there from around the world, which have been mixed to create a language ex nihilo. Funny anecdote: one of the words used by Lana to direct the creature is actually a word used in the Zulu language... a word noted by a South African speaker on a Youtube video and wondering about the use or not Zulu in the game... and no, it was really not wanted by the development team!
After a few words exchanged, we move forward into this magnificent forest where considerable artistic work seems to have been done, with a discreet but necessary tutorial which explains the different game controls to the player to direct Lana and control our sidekick. The "puzzle platformer" aspect quickly invites itself, taking advantage of the respective abilities of our two protagonists. Lana is, by her human nature, stronger than our frail creature, which can however gnaw the ropes and make horribly long jumps or hide in holes to come out 20 meters further, everything works efficiently, we are facing to a relatively classic and effective game, even if some regulars of the genre may be bored by the ease of the game. Our two protagonists, however, can do nothing against the robots that we will meet in small moments of infiltration where the 'we will have to hide in the tall grass, analyze our surroundings to crush a robot or divert our attention long enough to make our way to the other side of the map. In these moments, the bewitching musical atmosphere (the OST is moreover composed by Takeshi Furukawa, at work on The Last Guardian) gives way to a much more metallic and eerie vibe and we are as relieved as Lana when the relative tranquility of the forest returns, where the silence is broken by the wind whipping a tree and the life of the fauna, with some notes that s intelligently insert into important moments.
Questioned by me, the developers wanted to reassure, with supporting photos, that we will have other areas than the forest to go through: village, desert or even a swamp. Regarding the narration, the latter is intended to be environmental. The observation of the landscape and the emotions of our characters will be enough to convey what is necessary. During the time of the demo, it worked very well, to see if over the 5-6 hours of play announced, we manage to stay on this dynamic.
This first handling of Planet of lana enchanted me, and I am now working on building a time machine to get to spring 2023 as soon as possible. Admittedly, the game is based on the achievements of certain tenors of the genre and in no way seeks to invent new mechanics, but everything is done with love. The universe is worked, and it is felt by a crazy symbiosis between what we see on the screen and what we hear in the background. See you next year, on PC and Xbox, to discover this jewel in the making (I hope so anyway!).
