2D cinematic platformers have a rich heritage dating back to the original Prince of Persia (check out the excellent The Lost Crown review) with its unique rotoscoped animation. They've also had something of a comeback from some of the best indie devs, notably with games such as Limbo and Inside, though you should also count 2023's Planet of Lana among its ranks. Unlike the darker imagery of Playdead's titles, Swedish indie studio Wishfully's debut stood out with a Ghibli-esque focus on the beauty of the natural world, albeit one in the grip of a robot invasion.
It also turns out there was more to its story, which brings us to Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf. Indie sequels have certainly been more on the uptick, such as Toem 2 from fellow Swedish studio Something We Made. According to creative director Adam Stjärnljus, the idea of a sequel began forming halfway through production of the first Planet of Lana. "It was very apparent to us the lore, the universe and the story of Lana, Mui and her planet was so much bigger than we could fit in one game," he tells me.
