Planet of Lana is worth playing before it leaves Xbox Game Pass

And then dive into its new sequel

On Tuesday, Xbox announced the new additions to Xbox Game Pass for May. Subscribers will be able to play several cool-looking indies the day they are released, like Mixtape and Subnautica 2. But with the new games announcement also comes a list of games leaving the subscription service, which includes one of the best indies in recent years. Before it leaves Xbox Game Pass, check out Planet of Lana. You won't regret it.

In Planet of Lana, you play a young girl who comes across a mysterious cat-like creature, Mui. They immediately take to each other, and their companionship forms the heart of the game. Both the story and gameplay are all about Lana and Mui working together.

The pair meet after Lana's friends, neighbors, and everyone else in her community have been captured by alien machines that would have fit in well in Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds. Together, they venture out on an odyssey to rescue everyone before it's too late. On that journey, Lana learns more about what this adorable black blob creature is exactly, and more about herself, too. She grows into someone ready to face danger head-on, whether that danger is a wild animal or a robot trying to snatch her up.

All that growth is done without conventional dialogue; everything in Planet of Lana is in a made-up language. You may not understand exactly what Lana says, but you will understand the meaning and feeling behind her words as the vocal performances are top-notch. The characters are also animated very well, and their body language speaks volumes.

Planet of Lana is a puzzle-platformer, and you'll have to be stealthy throughout plenty of the puzzles to outwit the monsters trying to make Lana and Mui their lunch. Mui can often distract them to allow Lana to sneak on by. The puzzles are fair, though they can provide a nice challenge — you'll have to be on top of your platforming game to keep Lana from being eaten.

With a gorgeous, painterly art style full of soft colors, Planet of Lana is one of the best-looking games around, compelling evidence that well-considered art direction will always beat sharper and sharper fidelity in the graphical arms race. The world outside of Lana's village is full of lush green and blue hues, and the later levels Lana and Mui travel to are just as beautiful. The game's score is wonderful too, perfectly complementing the highs and lows of the pair's journey.

Everything that made Planet of Lana so excellent returns in the sequel, which expands the world-building, story stakes, and gameplay mechanics. I called Planet of Lana 2 one of my favorite games of the year so far when it came out, and that sentiment still holds after a jam-packed couple of months that have included standout releases like Pragmata and Saros.

Planet of Lana is a nice bite-sized game that can be completed in around five hours, depending on how tricky some of those puzzles end up being. That makes it easy enough to wrap up in time before Planet of Lana leaves Xbox Game Pass on May 15. If you enjoy Lana and Mui's adventure, the sequel is also on Game Pass.