Games

Planet of Lana 2: Children of the Leaf is Coming

1 July 2025
Nintendo Switch
8 min.
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Planet of Lana 2: Children of the Leaf is Coming

Summary:

Planet of Lana 2: Children of the Leaf brings Lana and her lovable cat-like ally Mui back to Novo, but this time the stakes are higher, the playgrounds larger, and the emotional beats deeper. Wishfully Studios promises a world twice the size of the 2023 original, richer with physics-driven puzzles, stealth segments, and action bursts that demand sharper reflexes. Fresh biomes—icy peaks, sun-dappled rainforests, submerged ruins—paint the screen with hand-drawn art that feels like a moving illustration. The studio also confirms that Takeshi Furukawa returns to score the sequel, ensuring every triumph and near-miss lands with orchestral punch. Launching in 2026 across Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation consoles, and PC—plus day-one Xbox Game Pass support—the sequel aims to honor its roots while inviting newcomers. Below you’ll find an in-depth walk-through of story teases, gameplay additions, platform details, and tips for joining the conversation early.

Novo After the Storm: Where Planet of Lana 2 Begins

The first game ended with the mechanical invaders driven back, but Novo is hardly at peace. Children of the Leaf kicks off several months later, when the planet’s once-peaceful forests now bristle with strange fungi and shimmering vines that pulsed in the wake of the robotic retreat. Wishfully Studios says the sequel’s environments cover twice the land mass, so expect treks that feel less like levels and more like small open regions you can poke around at your own pace. Lana’s village lies in fragile recovery, its wooden walkways patched with scavenged metal from fallen machines—a constant reminder of what was lost. This altered landscape invites new traversal paths: collapsed walkers form makeshift bridges, and dormant drones become climbing frames. That sense of a wounded world healing in real time replaces the first game’s gentle melancholy with resilient optimism—Novo is scarred, yet blooming. Players aren’t just sightseeing; they’re caretakers, occasionally nudging seeds into fertile soil or herding critters away from toxic pools. Such micro-acts of kindness reward you with shortcuts, echoing the idea that nurturing rather than conquering drives progress.

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Who Are the Children of the Leaf?

The subtitle doesn’t reference a cult or enemy faction but a folkloric idea embedded in Novo’s oral history. “The Leaf” signifies life-essence in local myth—sap and song rolled into one—while “Children” nods to beings who carry that spark across generations. Lana and Mui, seasoned by their first adventure, discover glyphs hinting that Children once bridged the biological and the mechanical, able to commune with both trees and circuitry. The sequel turns that legend into a driving mystery: scattered shrines pulse whenever Mui chirps near them, unveiling storybook-style murals that slowly rewrite everything the duo thought they knew about their home. Lana wrestles with a terrifying possibility: the robot invasion may have been a corrupted echo of a long-dormant defense system built by those ancient caretakers. That tension—were the machines invaders or misused guardians?—feeds the narrative with shades of gray and calls on players to weigh empathy against caution. By grounding epic lore in personal stakes (Lana’s family, Mui’s species), Wishfully keeps the story intimate even as cosmic riddles unfold.

First Glimpse: Key Takeaways From the Reveal Trailer

The announcement clip, shown during the Xbox Games Showcase, wastes no time: a lush canopy rips open to reveal Lana sprinting across hanging vines as colossal beetle-like machines march in the background. One standout moment shows Mui mesmerizing a bioluminescent moth swarm, bending the cloud into a dazzling light bridge that lets Lana cross a ravine—a hint at expanded creature manipulation. The trailer closes on an underwater vista where a tangle of cables snakes through coral, ending on a dormant robot head flickering back to life. Frame-by-frame analysis shows HUD-free cinematics giving way to instantaneous control, suggesting seamless blends between cut-scene and gameplay. No HUD clutter means your eyes soak in pastel skies and painterly clouds, delivering that “interactive watercolor” signature the first game nailed. It all ends with a stinger: “Children of the Leaf – 2026.” The internet erupted, praising the art direction while debating whether co-op might sneak in. Wishfully remains silent on multiplayer, emphasizing solo adventure for now.

Expanding the World: New Biomes, Bigger Levels

Designers Adam Stjärnljus and Klas Martin Eriksson note that doubling scope isn’t just marketing bravado—it’s felt moment to moment. Levels grow horizontally and vertically, encouraging you to scale cliff faces or dive beneath shimmering ponds rather than march from left to right. Imagine Ori’s forest married to Shadow of the Colossus’s sense of scale, yet still paced for reflective puzzle-solving. Each biome rotates weather patterns that affect traversal: sleet turns stone slabs into slippery slides; midday heat makes sap bubble, creating bouncy pads; dusk awakens glowing puff-pods that float when nudged. Fast-travel branches—literal tree-branches—let Lana hitch rides on friendly leaf-gliders, trimming back-tracking without killing immersion. And because the world is larger, Wishfully has peppered in “pocket stories,” optional caves where echo-recordings recount ordinary villagers’ lives during the invasion. These small vignettes ground the world’s history in recognizable fears and hopes, making every hidden nook feel like a memory jar waiting to be opened.

Companion Evolution: Mui’s Expanded Skillset

Mui isn’t a silent pet anymore; the little fox-cat now sports contextual callouts—soft chirps, urgent growls—that nudge players toward solutions without outright spelling them out. Command wheels return, but new verbs join the lineup: burrow, cut, and mimic. “Burrow” lets Mui tunnel under brittle stone, popping up to push pressure plates from below. “Cut” is less violent than it sounds—Mui gnaws through thick vines, dropping suspended logs as makeshift ramps. The breakout feature is “mimic,” enabling Mui to copy simple behaviors of nearby wildlife: absorb a jelly-fish glow to light dark ruins or copy a crab’s sideways dash to fit through tight gaps. These tricks transform puzzles into layered brain-teasers where both companions share the spotlight. Importantly, Mui can now get scared; repeated high-stress commands raise a visible anxiety meter, forcing players to balance urgency with empathy. It’s a refreshing twist that makes the bond feel two-way rather than a toolset.

Puzzle Progression: Fresh Mechanics and Hybrid Robots

Remember hypnotizing creatures with your sonic orb? Lana keeps that gadget, but Children of the Leaf expands it to interface with “hybrid” robots—machines overtaken by plant vines. These half-alive constructs follow limited commands: rotate solar panels, slam walls, or launch seed pods. Puzzles now layer time pressure and verticality: rotate a hybrid to open a skylight, spike a sunbeam onto a photosensitive platform, sprint up a vine as it races to bloom, then glide off before petals shut. The team maintains the original’s no-death philosophy where failure rewinds seconds, not minutes, so experimentation feels playful. Meanwhile, stealth arenas incorporate shrub suits—hollowed leaves Lana can duck into—and sound-dampening moss that muffles footsteps. The result is brain-work that tickles without tipping into frustration; you’ll scratch your head, sure, but you’ll grin the moment a plan clicks.

Story Themes: Destiny, Ecology, and Hope

Underneath pastel vistas, Planet of Lana 2 asks tough questions: Can a world heal without repeating old mistakes? Are Lana and Mui caretakers or catalysts? The script juxtaposes intimate diary entries—found tucked in weather-worn satchels—with widescreen set-pieces where nature literally reclaims metal. New antagonist silhouettes appear fleetingly: hooded figures etched with circuitry veins, perhaps zealots who worship a distorted version of the Children myth. Their creed is simple—purge flesh, embrace steel—setting up philosophical duels rather than mere boss fights. The writers weave ecological allegory into every choice; reroute a river to power turbines and you’ll flood a den of harmless critters, forcing reflection on progress versus preservation. Yet the narrative never slips into despair; moments of warmth, like villages lighting lanterns in unison to guide you home, remind players Novo’s soul is stubbornly bright.

Music and Sound: The Return of Takeshi Furukawa

Composer Takeshi Furukawa, beloved for The Last Guardian, reprises his role to score Children of the Leaf, and early snippets already tug heartstrings. A 40-piece string section meets Nordic folk instruments—nyckelharpa drones melt into airy flutes—to mirror Novo’s fusion of old myth and new tech. Each biome boasts a leitmotif that evolves as you revisit, layering percussion or vocals to reflect story beats. Dynamic mixing means melodies swell when Lana and Mui move in perfect sync, then hush when tension spikes. Sound design intertwines music with environment: leaf rustles pitch-shift into chord beds, while distant machine whirs pulse in rhythmic glitches that fold naturally under the score. The result blurs line between score and ambience, ensuring no two play-throughs align note-for-note.

Platforms, Performance, and Accessibility

Children of the Leaf lands on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 & 4, Windows PC, and launches day-one on Xbox Game Pass—a generous spread that mirrors the first game’s inclusive ethos. Wishfully confirms parity across consoles; Switch owners can expect 30 fps at 720p handheld or 900p docked, while PS5 and Series X target 60 fps with optional 120 Hz performance mode. PC players gain ultrawide support and adjustable art filters—watercolor, ink-wash—to personalize the storybook feel. Accessibility strides include full remapping, color-blind alternatives for puzzle cues, single-button mode, and toggle-free hold actions. Subtitles default on, scaled via right-stick flick. The team even consulted deaf gamers to refine visual sound indicators—tiny ripple rings around points of interest—so stealth doesn’t rely solely on hearing. All in all, the studio’s message is clear: everyone deserves to explore Novo’s wonders.

Looking Ahead: Release Timing and Wishlist Tips

The developers peg launch for “2026,” but industry chatter hints at a late-spring window, mirroring the first game’s May slot. Official storefronts already host wish-list pages; adding the game flags interest to publishers, potentially accelerating promotional demos. Pre-launch, Wishfully will share monthly “Leaf Letters”—short updates mixing concept art with puzzle prototypes—so following their social channels nets behind-the-scenes treats. Meanwhile, the original Planet of Lana sells at steep discounts during summer sales; replaying it refreshes lore and unlocks a small cosmetic bonus in the sequel—a leaf-patterned scarf for Mui—once save data is detected. If you crave developer commentary, the studio promises a launch-day patch adding audio diaries recorded during production, viewable from the Extras menu. Until then, keep an eye on upcoming showcases; rumors whisper that Gamescom 2025 may unveil a hands-on demo. Ready your headphones and your heart—Novo’s next chapter is blooming fast.

Conclusion

Lana’s sophomore adventure doesn’t simply continue a story—it grows it like a resilient sapling bursting through cracked asphalt. By doubling map size, deepening puzzle mechanics, and layering moral choices beneath watercolor skies, Planet of Lana 2: Children of the Leaf sets its sights on something rare: a follow-up that feels both familiar and fearlessly new. Whether you roam on Switch’s handheld screen or a 4K OLED, the promise is the same—a journey that celebrates friendship, guardianship, and the quiet power of nurturing worlds rather than exploiting them.

FAQs
  • When does Planet of Lana 2 launch?
    • Wishfully Studios targets 2026, with insiders hinting at a spring release window.
  • Is the sequel coming to Nintendo Switch?
    • Yes. Switch support is confirmed alongside Xbox, PlayStation, and PC versions.
  • Will Planet of Lana 2 have multiplayer?
    • No multiplayer is planned; the experience remains a focused single-player journey.
  • Does the game arrive on Xbox Game Pass?
    • Absolutely—subscribers can play day-one at no extra cost.
  • Do I need to finish the first game?
    • It helps for emotional context, but a brief recap prologue catches newcomers up.
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