Get a Closer Look at Planet of Lana, Ahead of its gamescom 2022 Debut Next Week

It’s official – Planet of LanaGamescom 2022 will make it playable! Wishfully Studios’ team and I have been busy creating a playable demo. With that in mind, I wanted to give Xbox fans a little taste of what’s to come and highlight some of the key elements and gameplay mechanics that we will be debuting next week. But before we go, there is another important announcement: Planet of LanaIt will go live in Spring 2023.

In the beginning, we planned to. Planet of LanaWe were hoping to launch in this year but as the development of 2022 has advanced, we realized we needed a bit more time to reach our goals. Planet of Lanait right to ensure that it meets all of our expectations. This is also something we feel we owe to you the players. We will not compromise your experience to get to a specific date. The extra time we have to wait is worth it, and we appreciate your understanding and patience. We know that it is difficult to postpone a game. However, with the overwhelming support received, we expect to be able to bring everyone joy when it launches. Also, it’s a great moment to be able to say that we have launched the game. Planet of LanaXbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass will make our adventure available as of day one. To help tide you over, we have prepared a brand new trailer to celebrate our new release timeframe and the Game Pass news – check it out!

Okay, with the housekeeping out of the way, let’s talk about the game! Planet of LanaIt is set in the world of Novo. It begins when a hostile robot army arrives on this tropical haven. Lana (a young indigenous girl to Novo) is captured in the attack with her younger sister. As they attempt to flee, Lana’s sister is caught by the attackers. Lana runs for her safety, as there is no alternative. She is alone and terrified, so she flees to safety. She soon finds Mui, a sweet, cat-like creature, who comforts her. They quickly become friends. This sudden companionship gives Lana the strength to embark on an adventure across her world with Mui as her guide.

The original biome Planet of LanaThe area is full of lush trees, large grass fields, and rock cliff sides. Lana will get to know Mui over the course of their stay. Their relationship expands their gameplay options, which allows Lana to guide Mui into certain areas or complete tasks Lana simply cannot. They will not only be exploring the landscape together and solving environmental puzzles, but will have to also navigate some dangerous encounters with robot invaders. Lana and Mui will be kept from robot sensors by hiding under tall grass or crawling through shadows. Lana will automatically hide in tall grass by holding down the LT trigger.

How can you help Mui navigate the game’s terrain? Although she is naturally inclined to follow your commands, there are some things you can do. She may look like a cat, but you can think of Mui’s behaviour closer to that of a dog. It is possible to ask Mui to remain in one place or to follow your lead. You also have the option to direct her towards specific places. You can map the Stay and Follow commands to the Xbox controller by pressing down on the B button. Tap to make Mui remain in one place, and hold the button down to get her follow you.

Mui is much smaller than Lana so she can reach places Lana cannot. Mui can also jump over large gaps and up to heights with ease. Holding down the RT trigger to direct Mui towards a point will open an on-screen UI which indicates where you’re pointing in the game. It can be moved around with the analog stick, and will intelligently point to specific points of interest. Simply select a place for Mui and press the A button. She will run over to it.

Lana or Mui might be separated at times while solving a specific puzzle. You may need to head onward in order to move something blocking Mui’s path, or Mui may need to keep a button held down somewhere which opens a door or hatch containing something you need. You’ll often have these mini environmental puzzles where Lana and Mui are in different places, using their abilities in order to progress to the next part of the game. An animated icon pops up when this happens, showing you the direction Mui is in and her status. You can see if Mui is moving toward you or sitting.

What’s something else dogs and cats do? Of course, bite! Lana may need Mui at times to help her chew rope and other materials. When there’s a contextual action that Mui can perform, a prompt to press Y button will dynamically pop up. Mui can chew through rope, push down objects, and perform similar actions. This is Mui chewing through the rope holding up the drawbridge.

These are only a few examples of what you’ll encounter on your Novo journey with Lana or Mui. Both characters will gain new capabilities as their adventures progress and their relationships grow. Your odyssey will also take you across the varied and beautiful landscape of this wondrous planet, from the lush green hills you’ve seen here today, to the deep blue expanse of the sea, swamps, old forgotten shipwrecks and finally into the golden sands of the desert lands. Our dynamic team has many surprises in store. We’ll be sharing a few more secrets next week at gamescom, where you can play the demo for yourself. For those who can’t make it, catch us live on the Xbox gamescom 2022 Stage on August 25th for an extended look at the demo, where we’ll share even more details about Planet of Lana.

Thanks to everyone who has been supporting us since we debuted our off-world odyssey at Summer Game Fest in 2020 and we can’t wait to share our first gameplay demo at gamescom next week!