Thousands of Xbox Game Pass subscribers are drawn to Planet Lana. The game, developed by Swedish studio Wishfully and marketed as a “cinematic side-scrolling platformer,” has been a critical and commercial success on all counts — but the impending launch of Game Pass on its first day means the indie has found a way. An especially cherished place in the hearts of Xbox users.
It’s easy to see why the game tugs at so many heartstrings: the world, depicted and realized in its gorgeous Ghibli aesthetic, is filled with intricate brain puzzles, bizarre machine life forms and otherworldly creatures . The detailed graphics (really reminiscent of watercolors and happy little trees) are one thing, but the soundtrack does a lot to give Planet Lana nostalgia and a specific sense of place.
Let’s recap. Planet of Lana – as you might expect from the name – is set on an alien planet, and the eponymous protagonist, a young girl Lana and her monkey-like creature the familiar May, set out to save her sister, on a desperate rescue mission. Art style aside, you might think it’s similar to Shadow of the Colossus, Ico, or even The Last Guardian. Planet of Lana isn’t a Fumito Ueda/Japan Studio game, but there is a very strong connection between Ueda’s last high-profile release and the Swedish indie curiosity.
That link is Takeshi Furukawa, the BAFTA-nominated Japanese-American composer who contributed to the soundtrack. After producing The Last Guardian and scoring Trico’s Journey, Furukawa rose to fame in the gaming industry and enjoyed a fair amount of work (you might also recognize his music from the comedy show Mythic Quest, which you’ll find in the upcoming The Avatar: The Last Airbender TV series is also available on Netflix). But Planet Lana is the first time he’s revisiting that emotional, soaring orchestration that was so deep in The Last Guardian — and it works so well in the game.
Come and enjoy ambient music that slowly builds, hides and grows, with tribal drums sustaining and organic beats culminating. Stay for the beautiful melodies sung by Scottish singer Siobhan Wilson, who is certainly credited with the soundtrack, even though he’s never worked on a game before.
Furukawa was also particularly humble in his response to the score’s popularity. “Thank you all for the great response to Planet of Lana,” he wrote in a series of tweets. “I always knew this game was going to be great, but it was a surprise and an honor that the music was just as popular. I need to point out that the music is always a team effort.”
He noted that Siobhan Wilson wrote the lyrics for every track in the game and co-wrote the orchestration for the tracks Horizons and End Credits. He also named Saki Furuya, who “made a mess of his logical sequences” and organized them into a score of “a work of music and visual art”.Ken Belcher is also credited for being a talented multi-instrumentalist – you can view the full credits here.
As if the gorgeous soundtrack wasn’t enough, the game also hides a very clever little musical puzzle (actually reminds me of Tunic’s infamous wind chime puzzle, quite a bit). I won’t spoil it here, but there’s a multi-layered puzzle in chapter 11 of the game that requires you to find a way to play the correct notes by deciphering special codes. It’s smart, it’s funny, and it’s a very thoughtful way to pay homage to the refrains and themes that underpin your overall experience with the game so far. I really like musical puzzles like this.
Between Furukawa’s eagerness to celebrate the musical talent behind the game and the clever little puzzles included in the title, it’s clear Planet Lana is a must-play for any music lover who already has a Game Pass subscription. The actual gaming itself is a joy – if you’re lucky enough to own a nice OLED TV (or even a basic 4K TV), you can spend hours looking at the graphics instead of hours on this fascinating In the spectacle.
Announced during the Summer Game Festival 2021, Lana Planet was originally scheduled for release in 2022, but was later pushed back to Spring 2023. It’s available now for Xbox consoles and PC, and it’s included with Game Pass.
