Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf Review

The original Planet of Lana was a bit of a sleeper hit; I only played it via Game Pass, and that was on a single recommendation from a friend. I absolutely adored it though, with its stunning presentation lifting up what was a short but well-built single player adventure, similar to the likes of Inside but with actual, honest-to-goodness colour in it. The sequel builds on what won me over with that game, and makes for a fantastic sequel in every respect.

We pick up with Lana after the conclusion of her last adventure. We meet a new friend in Anua, a playful little child who wants to shadow Lana everywhere, as well as returning characters like Ilo and, of course, Mui, Lana’s ever helpful, cat-like companion. A new threat emerges that seems intent on undoing all of the good that Lana has accomplished, and when Anua is struck ill by a mysterious poison as a result, Lana sets out to rescue her friend and stop this new danger from spreading.

The story is told entirely through a made up language, but despite not understanding a word, the emotion and context comes through in every syllable. We can tell when Lana is stressed, or Ilo is upset, or even when Mui is scared or confused. Developer Wishfully state at the beginning of the game that they used a made-up language to let players interpret the story for themselves, and for me it worked brilliantly. 

Gameplay takes much the same form as the original Planet of Lana: 2D side scrolling platforming is the main aim of the game, as well as solving various environmental puzzles and sneaking past enemies. Lana feels weighty yet snappy to control, and again the Playdead inspirations are evident in her movement. She just makes jumps, or runs just fast enough to avoid death by sliding under a door, for example. 

There are some new tricks here, like being able to control certain other entities directly, but we’re in familiar territory for the most part. Levels are brilliantly designed to make use of her toolset, with cleverly crafted set-pieces and some good puzzles that might not be the hardest to figure out, but are fun to solve all the same.

With no combat, Planet of Lana II relies on these elements to keep players hooked, and despite a couple of sequences that felt a little slow at times, I found myself thoroughly enjoying each and every area we visited. I especially enjoyed the large parts where Lana must swim underwater with the help of some fishy friends, and there are plenty of other fun parts which will be best discovered by yourself.

Gameplay and story are a winner so far, but equally impressive are the production values here. Planet of Lana II is gloriously colourful yet again – even in its darkest moments – and every area tells a story, from incidental background scenery to items we use to solve puzzles. I played it across my Xbox Series X on my LG OLED TV, my desktop PC and also the ROG Xbox Ally X, and while the OLED obviously looked best, it also held up incredibly well on the other displays, particularly on the handheld. 

What may last longest in my memory though is the soundtrack. Last year’s Expedition 33 took soundtracks to a new height for 2025, but I think it’s going to be tough to top Planet of Lana II this year. Expertly composed by the returning Takeshi Furukawa, it melds simple melodies into brainworms that refuse to leave before turning in a score that wouldn’t be out of place in a Hollywood movie. The soundscape is simply stunning throughout, epic and gentle, loud and soft, and every time I hear that five note motif I genuinely get chills. Incredible stuff, and I have no doubt a live rendition with a full orchestra would give me goosebumps in the best way.

Conclusion

Across all aspects of the experience – gameplay, story., audio, and visuals – Planet of Lana II is a resounding success. A joy to play, a touching story, and incredible soundtrack make for what will be a top contender for my favourite game of the year.