• Home
  • About
  • Beer
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Fiction
  • Games
Menu

nik weiss

123
123
Teacher, traveler, writer, brewer.

nik weiss

  • Home
  • About
  • Beer
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Fiction
  • Games

Planet of Lana

July 10, 2025 Nikolas Weiss

The dying sun the color of blood slid down the sky toward the horizon and Lana could only watch, the tears barely dried on her face. Thick grass around her wavered and bent with the gentle breeze that gusted across the hill top where she’d stopped to rest. It had been hours since she’d had a rest, the machine had seen to that.

She missed the way things used to be, without ever-present fear and danger. She missed swimming in the shallows off the pier near her home. She missed being chided by Old Galab for stealing fish pie snacks. She missed Elo most of all; she missed her friend. She’d know what to do to reclaim their home.

Really, she missed not feeling so alone.

At that though, a warm nuzzling at her knee broke her reverie. A soft hoot followed, then a more insistent nuzzle. Lana smiled despite her sadness and reached out to scratch Mui, who hooted again in happiness. Well, not totally alone.

Getting to her feet, she brushed off her knees, straightened her shoulders and set off through the lush forest again. Down the hill and moving, always moving. She had to find E’loh, had to find a way to fight the machines. She paused, shivering, as off in the distance echoed the frightfully familiar notes of the invaders: beeep-bup-boooop.

Lana pictured the accompany riot of colors that coruscated from their single lensed eye with each note. Fear shot up her spine as an accompanying series of notes resounded in answer and the cycle of colors flashed bright enough to light up the forest around her.

Mui blinked up at her in shaking silence. Lana placed a hand on his head. Hide, we have to hide!

Desperately she cast her gaze around. She must not panic, she cannot!

Hunching over, she slunk over to an abandoned wooden gantry and slid under its lower platform into the deeper lion grass underneath it. A slight rustle behind her signaled that Mui had followed. Good boy, Mui.

Then, crashing sounds. The tripod machine clattered into the clearing, its observation beam sweeping back and forth…searching. Lana froze in the Lion grass as the beam swept over her and Mui both and waited for the blazing siren of discovery that meant death, or worse, capture. But the tripod beeped, did an about-face and marched a dozen meters in the other direction before pausing to sweep the brush again. It was patrolling.

Lana bent a strand of the protective grass over and let it go. Interesting. She pressed a palm to the underside of the platform above her, the rough wooden planks cool in the night air. Something to work in her favor.

Returning her gaze to the invader, she noticed the granite cliff in the gloom of the oncoming evening. The tripod was marching back toward where she still crouched with Mui and the return trip of its patrol would take it just to the edge of the precipice. If only she could make it charge her…

The beam swept over the grass and the robot turned and marched back toward the cliff. Deftly, Lana slid up onto the platform above her. There was a rope. She snagged it and hurried to the upper platform, gasping as she made climbed over the edge and lay flat. No movement, no noise.

A soft hoot interrupted her thoughts.

“Nada, MUI!” she hissed. His eyes reflecting the last of the sun’s rays, Mui hooted again and hid back in the grass.

The machine continued to patrol and Lana put her plan into action.


If you’ve ever liked a side scrolling puzzle platformer then Planet of Lana is definitely worth your time. I was a huge fan of Limbo and Inside and was delighted to check out this lighter hearted cousin.

You begin the game as Lana, a teenager living a simple life in a fishing village on a distant planet. Life seems peaceful, idyllic, with lush surroundings that pull you into the story even though you’re just going left to right. You run off into the woods with your best friend, Elo but then the invaders show up. Robots from off-world crash into the peaceful world Lana inhabits and begin to wreak havoc. This feels like a callback to Attack of the Tripods or War of the Worlds, and your friend is kidnapped by the robotic jerk weeds and spirited away. You spend the rest of the game desperately looking for her and trying to rescue her.

Mui, a very fuzzy boi.

Accompanying you on that journey is Mui, your fuzzy companion creature that you meet early on in your your quest to free your friend Elo. Mui could be a cat? He’s an alien, fuzzy, and is very smart and involved. He even makes sad hooting noises if you die and genuinely seems distraught…instead of using your corpse like a chair like an Earth cat probably would.

You’ll have to get past many robot sentries, solve interesting puzzles, and also run, swim, sneak, and climb your way through the wilds of Lana’s planet. While it may seem a peaceful place, there are creatures that are not so friendly and you’ll need to watch out for them as well.

2025-03-02_1945_1.png
2025-03-02_1951_1.png
2025-03-02_1955_1.png
2025-03-02_2003_1.png
2025-03-02_2005_2.png
2025-03-02_1945_1.png 2025-03-02_1951_1.png 2025-03-02_1955_1.png 2025-03-02_2003_1.png 2025-03-02_2005_2.png

what makes it fun?

First of all, I love a good puzzle game. Limbo and Inside I mentioned already, but I’m also a huge fan of Portal, Portal 2, Lightmatters, Superliminal, Little Nightmares, and many others. Planet of Lana is not more inventive than any of these games, maybe not even as inventive, but it does enough to scratch that puzzle solving itch.

What I really enjoyed was the complexity of using Mui in order to get past obstacles or solve puzzles. Sometimes he needs to sit on something, or run a diversion, push a button, cut a cable…there’s a number of different modalities that require his help and that keep you thinking.

The puzzle variety was diverse enough that it didn’t feel repetitive and I thought they did an excellent job of slowly building the puzzle mechanics so something you learn in a new puzzle comes up in future ones. A learning curve built in such a way keeps things novel but not vexing. Indeed, this was something that I found frustrating in a similar game: Manifold Garden. The puzzle mechanics started out at a reasonable pace but then I stonewalled hard at a particular puzzle and I ended up putting the game down and I haven’t gone back.

Now, if you don’t know, I have a penchant for being stubborn and enjoying if not seeking out a challenge, and I’ll stick with something until I figure it out (see above list of completed games). I have several hundred hours in Elden Ring, and have enjoyed(?) beating it and then doing so again in new game plus. Dedication.

Planet of Lana doesn’t need you to be hardcore. You just need to think, experiment, and be curious. There were a couple puzzles that I got stuck on and thought This is way too hard…because I had missed something. An object I could manipulate or a part of the environment I could use. If it gets that hard…look around more, you probably aren’t using all the tools you need.

Hint: Always be thinking of sequence, and don’t be afraid to take a step back to take two steps forward.

How’s it look?

Absolutely gorgeous. Whoever did the art direction for this game deserves an award (or three) because it was beautiful from start to finish. I mentioned earlier that even though this is a side scrolling game, the environment pulls you in and heightens the immersion and boy-howdy does it! There’s a lushness to the forest that makes you want to actually go there and lay under the trees like Lana does. The sea/bay/harbor/water where her village sits is a place I want to go hang out. Though the foreground is excellent, I feel that the middle and backgrounds are the stars of the show.

Really being detailed and thoughtful with those spaces brings a huge amount of depth to Planet of Lana. It feels like a real place, a real cave or plain or mountain vista. It’s intoxicating in a really subtle way that I found myself appreciating it more and more as I progressed through the game.

2025-03-02_1948_1.png 2025-03-02_2005_2.png 2025-03-02_2007_1.png

The art style is deceptively simple and paired with wonderful sounds for characters, events, and the environment that coalesce into a cohesive experience that is understated but masterfully done.

Additionally, paired with the immersion aspect of the game is the sound. The music is incredible and subtle and so perfect you take it for granted. At times of tension it heightens feelings of menace or anxiety, or sits softly in the background to create a solemn sense of adventure. All in all it really deepens the experience. I’ve often said that many times it can be the sound that can make or break a game; who cares if the graphics are perfect if it the sound doesn’t match in quality?

I actually just went back and played the first chapter to get some screenshots for this post and the sound of the robots ripping down through the atmosphere was even better the second time around.

HOW HARD IS IT?

On a ten-point scale Planet of Lana is a five, smack dab in the middle. There’s enough difficulty to keep you guessing and interested but not enough to stymie curiosity or generate frustration. At least, that was my experience and mileage may vary.

It’s interesting and detailed but not overly inventive. I wouldn’t have minded a “mastery” mode or something that ups the ante a bit, but the vanilla game play, I think, is doable even for beginners at the genre.

FINAL THOUGHTS

There was a time in the not-too-distant past where things were…hectic in my life. Lots of big changes and challenges and I remember searching for relaxing games on Google. I wanted to game but I didn’t want something intense, I wanted to wear sweatpants and think but not too hard and still have fun. A few games came up and this was one of them and I’m glad I checked it out.

Planet of Lana is rich with story, and a palpable sense that the planet you traverse has a real history, the weight of millennia, and navigating through it is a satisfying experience. Also quite impressive was that you get so much information and emotion with no discernible dialogue. A masterclass in context clues because Lana literally speaks gibberish but you always get enough emotion context to know exactly what she’s saying. Planet of Lana is immersive, thought provoking, and fun. You can take part in Lana’s adventure in pretty much any game store, digital or brick and mortar. I recommend checking out GOG if you haven’t yet, you get to keep those games and everything they sell is DRM free.

Oh, and you get to pet Mui whenever you want.

Comment

Warhammer 40k- Space Marine 2

March 4, 2025 Nikolas Weiss

Vox communication with the Battle Barge high above them in low Kadaku orbit was clear, but there was no one coming to help them; they were on their own. Only the mission remained: annihilate the swarm. The Space Marines had found a small respite on the metal walkway just above where the edge of the factorium grounds met the blasted plain. A few hundred square meters of the surface lay open to the sky, treelees, blasted open from a combination of orbital bombardment and Xenos enemy firepower. Steaming craters blighted the field amidst scorched and fallen trees. Bodies from both sides of the battle lay rotting in the muck. Across it all, mindless of the devastation, the Tyranid swarm boiled and seethed. Disgusting, filthy Xenos.

They reloaded weapons and checked their equipment kits before heading down the ruined stairs. Their power armor was dented, spattered with blood, weapons still hot, chainsword grips slick from gutting and crushing. A vast amount of stored promethium still lay underneath the plain, waiting to be detonated into a conflagration would be easily observed from space.

It was time to remind the Xenos of whom they fought.

Reinforced steel doors hissed open as the Marines, the Adeptus Astartes, marched through; silent, lethal, implacable. Combat positions were taken, heads up displays inside their helmets scanned the field to analyze possible approaches. A rising roar split the air. An arm of the Tyranid swarm seemed to shiver and then branched off, reached out from the main host to spear in their direction. Thousands of Xenos flooded toward the marines in a chaotic tide of snapping jaws and clawed limbs. It hungered. The marines waited, weapons at the ready, their iron will prepared for the enemy to crash against it. The Emperor protects.

And then battle was upon them.


I remember first hearing about the Warhammer universe back in high school. A table top game with hand painted figurines assembled into armies to “war” in a battle decided by unit strengths, types, and the roll of the dice. Painting the miniature soldiers was a fun hobby but I never actually got enough of them to play the game. Despite that, I learned a lot and have been unsurprised to see that it continues to be a universe with literal reams of lore. There’s also an episode on the show Secret Level on Amazon Prime which is a really fun watch (season 1 episode 5).

Consult the all-knowing Google to find out more if you’re into sci-fi stuff like the distant future of humankind, and enjoy the ride down the rabbit hole. The Emperor protects.

The first iteration of Space Marine first person shooter came out back in 2011. I made sure to play my way through that just to make sure I could follow what happens in the sequel, and it was fun! Even with somewhat dated graphics, the mechanics and the story and the voice acting pulled it all together. You play as a decorated Ultra Marine named Titus, voiced by the venerable Mark Strong in the first game. But, Titus appeared to have a resistance to the warp (which is bad) and he was accused of being a heretic. Titus was punished and sent to serve in the Death Watch for a measly 150 years, even though he (you) definitely saved the day at the end of SM1. Titus’ return to the regular combat ranks is where Space Marine 2 picks up his story. Playing through the original one before heading into the sequel was fun but not necessary to in order to understand the story or appreciate the sequel.

WHAT MAKES IT FUN?

If you’re a fan of the modern DOOM iterations, I think you’ll be a big fan of Space Marine 2. The Space Marines are giant, super human, super soldiers that wear massive suits of power armor with an excellent variety of guns and melee weapons, all of which are employed to maximize the amount of violence visited upon the enemies of the human empire. In the game there are also six different classes you can play, each with their own kit and play style. Want to be a tank and mow down enemies with a giant mini gun? Play Heavy. Looking for more mobility and a focus on painting the walls with enemy blood from your chainsword or giant two-handed hammer? Play Assault. There’s a class that everyone should like depending on how you want to murder alien hordes. Each class also has a great perk tree you can tailor to your play style, weapon combination, or group composition.

One thing I found really cool was the weaving together of the campaign and the PVE Operations. As you play through the campaign there are NPCs that go off on side missions to support the main story. Once you’ve finished the campaign (or not if you don’t mind spoilers) you get to go do those side missions! Most notably, while the map for each of these operations is the same each time through (no procedural world building like Deadcells or Valheim), the conflict, pace of combat, and placement of enemies, timing of enemy waves are completely different each time you go through a mission. This pairs really well with leveling up your weapons to keep things interesting and fresh for each and every run. There are also spots on each map where you can swap load outs if you think the plasma incinerator would better annihilate the enemies of the Human Empire instead of the multi-melta (pew pew!). The best part is that you get to spend the game wading through waves of filthy Xenos and also the traitorous Chaos marines and their ilk while feeling like a power armored god of destruction. Space Marine 2 has some similar mechanics with DOOM Eternal, with gory executions and tons of enemies to kill, but without the ever-present stress and press from DOOM until you get the higher level difficulties.

How’s it look?

This is a top-notch, AAA game. Not only are the graphics excellent, they seem to be well optimized, even for slightly aging graphics cards like my RTX 2070. Toying with the settings a little bit easily yields consistently smooth game play and the environment itself in the game is fantastic. The details are so thorough that I still find myself noticing little details during each mission. If you really look around it actually feels like you’re slogging through the jungle as you fight; you can almost feel the biting insects. The semi-demolished urban landscapes, gloomy tombs, and shattered landscapes make it feel like you’re really moving within the history of the Warhammer universe. For the “city” like levels, the themes and motifs that match the Human Empire of the far future are everywhere and it raises the immersion in a big way. Skulls. Lots of skulls. Which, I think, is a fitting metaphor for the history of human conquest both fictional and historical.

And who doesn’t love a buffet of aesthetics? Your soldiers start out with a stock cosmetic look (boring!) that you can then modify and upgrade as you play and unlock more gear. The choices of colors, more elaborate armor pieces, etc. has been really fun to play around with and though the DLC cosmetics have decidedly mixed reviews on Steam…I might still go that route at some point (you have to buy the DLC stuff then also unlock the gear with in game currency).

2183900_38.jpg
2183900_47.jpg
2183900_51.jpg
2183900_53.jpg
2183900_54.jpg
2183900_38.jpg 2183900_47.jpg 2183900_51.jpg 2183900_53.jpg 2183900_54.jpg

how hard is it?

Space Marine 2 can be hard if you want it to be. There are six different difficulty levels that you can choose from. However, after 89 hours in the game as of writing this blog I’ve been pretty content with maxing out doing level 3- Substantial; it’s tough but very doable as long as your teammates aren’t muppets. I have yet to venture beyond this until my gear is higher level…but I imagine it gets really nuts as you go into 4-6. Health stims are less effective, you have less ammo to find, and more and more higher level bad guys spawn more often. Threat level Absolute is a recent edition because I guess Lethal just wasn’t hard enough for some people? Masochists!

Casual gaming up to face melting insanity. You choose.

final thoughts

This games kicks ass. It feels more and more rare these days to have a big title game come out feels complete and makes me say: Yes, this is totally worth the money I spent. Space Marine 2 gets more fun the more you play it and you feel absolutely unstoppable once you get a handle on the combat mechanics. A personal favorite of mine is the blue reticle that appears when an enemy is about to attack you. This is a warning that you can parry the attack, which often means catching a filthy hormagaunt in air before crushing its skull or smashing it on the concrete; each creature has it’s own special little way to wrecked.

The replayability of the Operations mode has been the biggest draw for me, with each run feeling different enough from the last one as far as enemy encounters and overall experience. This gets even more fun as you level up weapons and become even more powerful. There’s also PVP capability, but I don’t play it much as I’ve found doing a 3 stack against in PVE to be much more satisfying.

So, if you’re looking for a good combat shooter with fun mechanics, an immersive story and environment, lots of cool weapons and cosmetics to unlock, then give this game a go.


Comment
Featured
Aug 1, 2024
My mom died.
Aug 1, 2024
Aug 1, 2024
Jul 13, 2022
Onnit 6 Challenge Semi-Finalist
Jul 13, 2022
Jul 13, 2022
Jun 28, 2022
Onnit6 Spring Challenge 2022
Jun 28, 2022
Jun 28, 2022
Jan 14, 2022
Cancer: Day 365
Jan 14, 2022
Jan 14, 2022
Jul 8, 2020
New York Day 1,738: Marathoner
Jul 8, 2020
Jul 8, 2020
Jun 23, 2017
New York: Day 873- Improv Everywhere
Jun 23, 2017
Jun 23, 2017
Jun 20, 2017
New York: Day 805
Jun 20, 2017
Jun 20, 2017
Jun 22, 2015
New York: Day 141
Jun 22, 2015
Jun 22, 2015
                                                                            For questions and comments hit up the contact page.