September 25th, 2024
(last modified on September 30th, 2024)

Planet of Lana

It seems as though every few months, a new video game comes along that is "inspired by Studio Ghibli". Unfortunately, most of these come up short in one respect or another. I've encountered game-breaking bugs, shallow storytelling, inconsistent tone, and repetitive or tin-eared musical choices, among other problems.

This struggle is understandable, since Studio Ghibli has set such a high standard in so many respects (animation, music, story, and more). Furthermore, in the wrong hands the very project of imitation can betray a lack of imagination. But, it's clear to me that imitation isn't always a bad thing, as every young artist (or young art medium, for that matter) must build on what came before - that's the nature of human imagination.

One game that came out last year, Planet of Lana, seems to me to embody a healthy example of this process of building on the past. I can't claim it's a must-play masterpiece, but I'm glad we played it together as a family.

Strengths

Planet of Lana builds not only on cinematic forebears such as Miyazaki, but also on gaming predecessors, most notably Playdead Games (Limbo and Inside). As in a Playdead game, we witness a child's epic journey through very real peril, with an unstinting gaze upon the horrific consequences of failure, and sometimes of success as well. But as in a Ghibli film, there is a warm, humanistic core, that portrays not only fleeting relationships, but also a world worth fighting for and redeeming.

Planet of Lana's animation is painstakingly detailed and brings the world to life. Details abound - not everything is oriented towards the action, but some details exist simply to awe our senses or to provide depth to the portrait of the natural paradise that is at risk of destruction.

Finally, Takeshi Furukawa's score is moving and lush. (A sense of its essence can be found in this trailer.) The sound design, as well, is poignant and effective, especially in the climactic moments of the game.

Weaknesses

As a game, Planet of Lana typically involves solving puzzles to move forward. Some puzzles are inspired (I loved the scene with a large air tunnel which must be navigated by 2 characters in cooperation), while others are fine but not earthshaking.

Less effective are the "Quicktime Events", that is, the scenes that involve mashing buttons in a pattern displayed on screen to produce the desired outcome. These scenes, such as the desert chase and the climactic reactor shutdown, are emotionally effective, but as interactive games that I was supposed to be playing, they were inert. The best "QTEs" (relatively speaking) involve either quick decisions or quick reflexes, and my experience was not either.

Overall takeaway

No art is a tally of plusses and minuses. It has to be experienced and savored. And I find, after I've savored Planet of Lana, that I want to experience it again. Its best moments have real grandeur, real beauty, and evoke real awe - without sacrificing a playful sensibility. It never becomes self-important.

I sincerely hope Wishfully can make it through this challenging period for gaming studios, and continue making games in this vein, that take their art to even greater heights.

Spoilers

Once you've played the game yourself, I recommend having a look at this video by Andy Geers. There are some secrets in the game which I find are, as with many video games I could name, more fun to read about online than to try and find myself.

Sincerely,
David Smedberg