As a big fan of classic cinematic platformers like Prince of Persia, Out of this World, and some others, I enjoyed the first foray into the world of Planet of Lana a few years ago on the Switch. Through the magic of strong visual storytelling, even without words to drive the narrative you could easily follow the somewhat sad story of Lana losing her sister and her people in a sudden invasion, and her journey to find them. Mixed with a variety of smart environmental puzzles and some precision platforming, it was a formula for an enjoyable handful of hours. Back now with a sequel that picks up where the first game left off, you can expect more in that same vein with some additional new environments, wrinkles, and revelations about Lana’s world, and that isn’t a bad thing.

This sequel manages to generally nail what all great follow-ups should shoot for. Your movements and skills feel more refined, the world and its overall story get some added dimension, and even early on the puzzles you’ll be working to solve feel more ambitious. You’ll be reunited pretty quickly with your animal sidekick Mui, and it will absolutely take the careful combining of their skills to find success. I’d say that while sometimes controlling Mui can feel a bit finicky, and understanding what their limits are can be a bit confusing at first, once you get into the groove the flipping back and forth between Lana and them does generally work well. That said, as is the case with the classic cinematic platformers before it, you can expect that any missteps will typically involve your quick demise, so try not to take it personally.

As was always the case with this style of experience in the past, depending on your level of dexterity and determination you could find some of the game’s challenges to be frustrating. The tendency is to be more focused on taking the proper steps to proceed, not that those are always clear, but there are spots where you’ll need to make some critical moves. Granted, the generally smooth movement and good feel of the controls make this a step up from the olden days, but you’ll still need to have patience at times. This is exacerbated by the fact that compared to the original game, where you were somewhat naturally introduced to the controls and some concepts while escaping your village’s initial assault, here it feels like you’re just dropped into the pool without a whole lot of preparation, perhaps assuming most people will have played the original game first. 

The good news is that in general most of these notes are being nitpicky though, as for the most part this should prove to be an accessible and highly enjoyable experience for most gamers. Saying that this sequel brings players more of the same doesn’t quite do the effort here justice. There’s no doubt that on a general level the overall experience is very similar, but it also has added intrigue as you’ll learn more secrets about this world and heart as you’ll continue to grow an even deeper bond with your companions. Put it all together, and it makes for a great adventure for a little over a handful of hours.