Four screenshots. That's all it took for me to buy Planet of Lana II

I usually don't play puzzle-platformers. I think Child of Light was the last one I played. My Steam library is a graveyard of city builders, strategy games, and the occasional RPG that have swallowed months of my life. If you told me yesterday that I'd drop money on a side-scrolling adventure about a girl and her cat-like companion, I'd have laughed.

Then I saw this post from The Indie Boss Bluesky this morning.

Four screenshots. Hand-painted environments. A dense forests, alien ruins, light cutting through fog in a way that made me stop scrolling. I didn't know what game it was. I didn't care. I just needed to see more.

Turns out it was Planet of Lana II: Children of the Leaf, the sequel to Wishfully Studios' 2023 puzzle-adventure. I'd never heard of it. It's sequel, Planet of Lana II, launched yesterday, March 5th. I had zero knowledge of this game's existence before this morning. None whatsoever. No trailers watched, no previews read, no wishlisting on Steam.

I looked it up on Steam. 10% off for launch. I bought it before I even watched the trailer.

Sometimes your gut just knows. You see something and the decision is already made before your brain catches up. No research, no review hunting, no hemming and hawing over whether it's worth the price. 

Four screenshots of a world that looked like it was painted by someone who actually cares about beauty, and that was enough.

A lament for the Galaxy that could have been - A Star Wars poem

The following is a poem inspired by the raw, harsh, and brutal world of Andor and Rogue One (watch the videos above and below if you need reminding). A series and a film that gave us the true visage of what Star Wars could have been — should have been. The more I rewatch these two cinematographic masterpieces, the more fed up I get with the prequels, the sequels, and the weak series we were force-fed on Disney+. 

Yet I still have hope...

New Eden Banter #1: The MMO that keeps rewriting its own history—EVE Online at 23

Welcome to the very first installment of the New Eden Banter (NEB), the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux (that's me!). The NEB involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week or so to post articles pertaining to the said topic. 

The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the New Eden Banter should be directed to crazykinux@gmail.com. 

Check for other New Eden Banters articles at the bottom of this post!

This month's topic: EVE Online is now more than two decades old—older than some of its players. In a genre where most MMORPGs fade or shut down, EVE has kept evolving. What do you think is the secret behind its longevity? Why is EVE still here—and still feeling alive—when so many of its contemporaries have declined or disappeared?

The MMO that keeps rewriting its own history—EVE Online at 23

EVE Online launched in 2003. Some players undocking today are younger than the game itself.

In a genre defined by shuttered servers, EVE is still moving—still generating wars, market crises, betrayals, fear, paranoia, and those "wait, THAT actually happened?" moments you simply cannot script. So what's the secret?

It's not one thing. It's a stack of design decisions that transformed EVE from a game you play into a place you inhabit. One that you live in.