Planet of Lana was one of several unexpected indie delights I had the pleasure of playing in 2023. So when I discovered about a year ago that the sequel, Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf, had already been announced and was in full production by developer Wishfully and publisher Thunderful Publishing, I made sure to add it to my wishlist. Now the game is finally here and, well, let’s just say I have some unexpected feelings about it.

Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf continues the adventures of the titular heroine and her “cat-like” companion Mui. After miraculously saving Tailo Village and their loved ones from the robotic alien threat in the first game, the pair are enjoying a period of peace and harmony alongside the rebooted machines that once enslaved humanity centuries ago.

However, Lana and her people are not the only human settlement living on the planet Novo. Two other factions have emerged, and each has embraced the machines and the technology left... Read more