Every time you see a game similar to Limbo and Inside, you ask yourself: why did these masterpieces of the industry become sources of inspiration for the authors? Did the authors of the novelty want to repeat the success of Playdead, or do they simply believe that in this genre they will best be able to translate their ideas? It's hard not to compare Planet of Lana with the aforementioned projects: it also looks wonderful, the story is also told here without words, and the gameplay mechanics are similar. However, if it is difficult to find fault with the visuals, then the gameplay does not reach the same heights.
As in classic platform 2 player games unblocked, we run from left to right and overcome obstacles. Rather, in the introduction, you need to run from right to left - before the village is attacked either by living mechanisms, or by aliens. They kidnap the inhabitants, imprison them in cages, and, among other things, take away the sister of the main character. Where exactly we are running is not clear; it is also unclear why the protagonist named Lana is so confident in her abilities and knows how to save her fellow villagers.
Coming up with an interesting story in these 2 player games unblocked is not so easy, especially when the characters speak a fictitious language, and you see the words only in the main menu and tooltips. However, if other 2 player games unblocked manage to evoke at least some emotions, then this does not happen with Planet of Lana - I absolutely did not care if my sister was saved or not, and the details about the universe are told too slurredly. During the journey, the heroine finds some mysterious mechanisms and hidden tablets, but their purpose is not explained in any way, so you just interact with them and move on.
But looking at Planet of Lana is a pleasure. The locations are like watercolor paintings, from which it is difficult to take your eyes off: they are voluminous, despite the two-dimensionality of the drawn objects, and there are not too many colors used. Trees, for example, are painted in three colors, but they are animated so well that they do not need scrupulous detailing. At times, the developers seem to be narcissistic, forcing the player to slowly walk around a beautiful location or zooming the camera too far, but it’s hard to blame them for this - the game really looks amazing.
However, luxurious graphics do not hide the shortcomings of the gameplay. Even aside from the puzzles, the platform episodes aren't that impressive - you run, you have to duck to get under a big rock, you have to jump somewhere. The obstacles seem to be placed just for the sake of variety - since the player has been running for a long time, in the next scene we will force him to press a couple of buttons. At some points, the game deceives expectations and does not offer to solve riddles at all, although there are a lot of objects on the screen - you just move to the right.
Quite quickly, Lana meets a companion - a creature that looks like both a monkey and a carrion from Kena: Bridge of Spirits . You can give him commands - sit in the specified place, run after the heroine, and also interact with objects there. Lana and her partner have advantages and disadvantages: if Lana can swim, then the creature does not touch the water at all, but the heroine is not capable of jumping as high as a companion.
Many puzzles are built on these distinctive features. Sometimes Lana must look for logs and lower them into the water to help the creature get to the opposite shore. Sometimes a partner climbs higher and presses a button there, thanks to which a platform appears below. However, the further you go through the game, the more often the same situations begin to repeat themselves, requiring the same decisions. The fingers of both hands are not enough to calculate how often you need to ask a companion to climb a high ledge and drop the rope - with all the animations and aiming, it takes so much time, as if the developers deliberately stretched these moments.
The rest of the puzzles are not much better - even if puzzles are not your forte, you will never come across a puzzle that you need to think about for a long time. Many of them are solved without hesitation - just press the button, if there is one, jump to the platform, if you can jump to it, and everything is solved by itself. Perhaps it was intended that way, but because of the simplicity of the puzzles, it often feels like you are wasting time.
At the same time, there are good puzzles with unique mechanics. In one episode, you need to explore a small location and look for drawings on the walls that allow you to correctly arrange several objects. In others, you meet animals and must use them as helpers, even though they are ready to tear you to pieces at the first opportunity. There are funny and peculiar stealth episodes, where you distract the security robots with the help of a companion, and you yourself get to the next area from the other side. But then again you come across a puzzle, very similar to the one that you solved half an hour ago, and you instantly find a solution.
Despite the simplicity of the gameplay, Planet of Lana does not want to give a low rating. Yes, there are no new ideas here, and the gameplay turned out to be the weakest part of the novelty, but the game did not become a passer from this. As a bright and beautiful adventure for one evening, it is worthy of attention: there are many spectacular moments, including those related to aliens, and the music is magnificent - it was written by The Last Guardian composer, who knows a lot about soundtracks for 2 player games unblocked with partner animals. The project resembles a charming interactive postcard: it looks great, it does not irritate in any way, but after viewing it is unlikely to sink into the soul. But it's still worth a look - it turned out to be too beautiful a postcard.
Pros: fantastic graphics - you can't take your eyes off the locations; beautiful soundtrack from the composer of The Last Guardian ; convenient management; some puzzles are original and interesting to solve.
Cons: simple puzzles, in which mechanics are sometimes repeated; the story fades into the background.
