I was sent Planet of Lana as a review code. I am very grateful for the opportunity, but I will keep my review honest.
Planet of Lana is a beautiful puzzle game with an incredible story and a fantastic soundtrack available now for PC and Xbox.
Aliens have invaded Lana’s planet and have abducted her sister. As the only remaining survivor, Lana must go out and find her sister. Along the way, Lana meets Mui, her cute cat-like companion that will help her on her journey. The pair must now brace an unforgiving landscape, explore the mysteries of the past, and save her people. Can they do it?
I got to play the demo during my time at GDC and loved it. I was very excited when I finally received my copy, and I am happy to report that the title did not disappoint. I love this game! The puzzles are fun and creative, the score is fantastic, and the story is well done.
The puzzles in this game are challenging enough to keep players engaged, but I never felt they were hard enough to require a guide. The puzzles are designed with enough clues that players should have no trouble getting through them. The puzzles help tell a story that I believe is worth experiencing once.
Planet of Lana tells an incredibly moving story full of adventure, friendship, and danger. It is a breathtaking collection of art and music that come together to create such a wholesome experience. The amount of attention to detail put into this game needs more recognition. I spent way too long trying to piece together all the clues and appreciating the vibrant and lively backdrop. It is remarkable how much this game accomplishes in the space it is given.
But this game isn’t just pretty, it is also fun. You control Lana and command Mui to solve puzzles. As you get deeper into the story, you find forgotten technology that gives you new ways to interact with the world. The puzzles get creative without losing the chill vibe it mostly carries throughout. This game gets tense when it has to, with moments that will leave most players sweating profusely.
I love this game and recommend it to anyone looking for a new game. This is a cute, fun, beautiful puzzle experience that anyone can enjoy. If you like games like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, this game should already be in your library. But if you need further convincing, try the free demo for PC. The demo gives potential players a fantastic preview of what they have in store. You need to buy this game.
You can buy Planet of Lana for the Xbox and PC via Steam for $19.99, which is worth it for what you’re getting. You can also play it free with Game Pass.
Game Review: Volcano Princess
I was sent Volcano Princess as a review code. I am very grateful for the opportunity but won’t let it sway my opinions. This will be my honest review of the game.
Volcano Princess is a visual novel life sim for PC. You play as a single father who must raise a daughter in a fantasy world where demons and man are at war. You make the choices that will foster her growth into a functioning adult. How you choose to raise her is up to you, but the choices you make affect her future.
The gameplay loop is simple. Each day you are given a limited amount of action points to spend where you do activities with your daughter that increase her stats. What you choose to do is up to you, but the limits affect your relationship with her and what she grows up being. The game slowly introduces more mechanics as your daughter ages and choices become harder. When she is old enough, there will be a lite dating sim where she can choose from 18 romantic partners and a mini turn-based rpg game. The pacing is fantastic, and the different game mechanics give the game much-needed diversity. Your first playthrough will take about eight hours, but there are more than 50 endings to work toward.
This game is surprisingly addicting. I stressed over my choices because I needed to be a great father the first time around. I think I was successful, but I already have some ideas for future runs. The amount of choices available is what makes this game so much fun. Eventually, you be forced to think tactically about how you spend time with your daughter. Do you help her through a difficult time at the cost of some important attributes? Do you let her date? Become a writer? An actor? A warrior? It is all up to you, and it is such a wholesome good time.
My biggest tip for new players is to go in as blind as possible. I recommend not looking up a guide unless you want to collect every ending. Even then, I recommend you get some of your own endings first. The story is a little cheesy, but it is a good kind of cheesy worth experiencing at least once.
I love this game and would buy it if I hadn’t gotten it already. The art is cute, the story is wholesome, and the mechanics are relaxing and fun. That said, it isn’t for everyone. This game is great for players who love life sims and don’t mind visual novels. This game involves a lot of reading and waiting for timers. The timers aren’t long, but it doesn’t make for the most exciting gameplay. The story is fine, but there are noticeable grammatical errors. I didn’t mind the grammatical errors and loved the gameplay, but it is something to think about before you make the purchase.
Volcano Princess is $10.99 on Steam, and it is totally worth it for what you are getting.