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Planet of Lana Review
It's the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine)
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Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is the top story again this week. With the deal slowly getting closer and closer to the finish line.
Studio buyouts, mergers, and aggressive business practices are nothing new, of course, but this one feels different. Buying a developer is one thing, but a $69 billion buyout of an entire publisher whose games are already on your platform anyway doesn’t sound like it’ll “bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone” to me. And probably not to the people Microsoft has laid off recently, either.
Anyway, there are plenty of intelligent (and not-so-intelligent) takes on that subject elsewhere. Not to mention the large-scale mobilisation of insufferable console warriors currently locking horns across social media that it’s provoked.
If you’re anything like me, you’re sick to death of hearing about it. So to change things up a bit, I thought I’d talk about a rather lovely little game I played this week instead.
That’s right, this week I actually found time to play and finish something; Wishfully’s Planet of Lana, a game I’d been looking forward to (and featured a couple of times in this very newsletter) ever since it was first revealed.
The success of games such as Limbo and Inside means indie puzzle-platformers with a dark edge have almost become a genre in their own right. And although Planet of Lana has a far friendlier art style and is never quite as grisly as those games, mechanically it follows all the same rules laid down by Playdead’s mini-masterpieces.
A sumptuous, idyllic opening scene quickly unravels into a tense and brilliantly orchestrated War of the Worlds style action sequence, before settling into a more familiar puzzle/platforming rhythm that, although rarely surprising, remains captivating throughout.
The gameplay is pretty much exactly as you’d expect; a mix of light traversal, single-screen puzzles, stealth sections, and a couple of action set-pieces for good measure. As with Limbo and Inside, some insta-fail puzzles and slightly loose controls can prove frustrating, but these are quickly forgotten when your attention is so often drawn elsewhere.
This is a truly stunning game, and Wishfully’s staggering hand-drawn visuals help lift the game above what could otherwise have felt like a mere tribute act. Glistening rivers flow across rolling hills, thick white clouds float through perfect blue skies and wind is constantly blowing through trees and foliage. Every blade of grass is drawn to perfection. Every screenshot a piece of art.
Planet of Lana may never quite escape the long, dark shadows of the games that inspired it. But not every game needs to change the world. Sometimes borrowing ideas from the best and wrapping them all up in your own gorgeous packaging is enough.
This is both a beautiful and a beautifully made game. A game that knows what it is, knows what it wants to do, and does it with confidence and flair. It’s an expertly crafted cinematic side-scroller that, if you’re a fan of the genre, shouldn’t be missed.
8/10
Planet of Lana is out now on Xbox and PC, and is available on Game Pass.
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As always, thank you so much for reading.
Have a great weekend, enjoy your games, and I’ll see you next week. I hope you enjoy the rest of the issue.
Jeff
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THE WEEK IN GAMES
The week’s best news and content
NEWS
Sony has announced the Extra and Premium PlayStation Plus game catalog releases for July.
PS4 and PS5 players can currently claim a sixth-month free trial of Apple TV+ until July 31, even if you’re already a member.
ID@Xbox Demo Fest is now on, with over 20 demos playable until Monday.
EA has released the debut trailer for its first FIFA-less footy game EA Sports FC 24. You can watch it here.
Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi has confirmed the origins of the series' name.
Microsoft has announced a new Xbox voice reporting safety feature for users to help report harassment during chat.
HBO's The Last Of Us TV series has the second-most Emmy nominations at this year’s awards.
EA has announced that a Black Panther game is in the works.
The upcoming NBA 2K24 will feature console crossplay for the first time.
Naughty Dog Co-President Evan Wells has announced his retirement after 25 years at the company.
Sony has announced that its Access Controller for PS5 will be available beginning December 6.
Guerrilla Games says it still has plenty of content in the pipeline for the Horizon series.
Love Pikmin? Love flowers? Nintendo has opened pre-orders for Pikmin vases.
The Video Game History Foundation estimates 87 percent of classic games are now unavailable to play.
Cult classic Tomba! is set to be released on modern platforms.
Sony is significantly increasing its research and development investments into its games segment, with a particular focus on live service games and opportunities in ‘extended reality’.
Jamie Lee Curtis has said that the upcoming Borderlands movie is pretty wacky.
Bungie has won a landmark lawsuit against a player who harassed Destiny staff.
Train Valley 2 is currently free to download from the Epic game store until July 20.
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MORE!
Minesweeper Book
Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Minesweeper from the brilliant Boss Fight books is now available to buy online.
If you’re interested, you can read an excerpt from the book over at Ars Technica, or buy it from Boss Fight.
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The Best Racing Games of All-Time
Another week, another best-of-all-time list. This week it’s the best racing games of all time, courtesy of IGN.
It’s a decent list full of old and new classics, with some obvious and not-so-obvious choices. You can see which of your favourites are included and get all annoyed at the ones that aren’t right here.
INDIE SPOTLIGHT
Shining a light on noteworthy indies
There aren’t many football games out there, and even less that focus on what goes on outside of the stadiums rather than inside. But that’s exactly what makes this one so special.
Made by a tiny group of developers, Despelote is described as “a slice-of-life adventure about childhood and the magical grip soccer held over the people of Quito, Ecuador in 2001.”
Despelote doesn’t have a release date yet, but its stunning art style and premise make this one of the most interesting indies out there right now. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long until we can spend time in this unique environment and “feel the city change as Ecuador comes closer than ever to qualifying for the World Cup.”
NEW RELEASES
The big releases for this week and next
OUT NOW:
Bugsnax (iOS) – July 12 – Read review
Lost in Play (iOS, Android) – July 12
Mordhau (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One) – July 12 – Read review
Oxenfree II: Lost Signals (PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, PC, Mac, iOS, Android) – July 12 – Read review
Gravity Circuit (PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, PC) – July 13
Exoprimal (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC) – July 14
OUT NEXT WEEK:
Viewfinder (PlayStation 5, PC) – July 18
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes - Definitive Edition (PlayStation 4, Switch, PC) – July 20
Pikmin 4 (Switch) – July 21
SUPPORT TWiG
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If you value honest, independent game writing and enjoy what I do, please consider supporting my work. Thank you 🙏
…and that’s it for this week!
If you have any comments or suggestions, or if you just fancy talking about games, simply reply to this email directly or catch me over on Twitter. I’d love to hear from you! If you’d like to advertise your product or game to The Week in Games’ readers, click here.
Thanks again, and see you next week!
Jeff
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