Planet Laika

Infobox VG
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title= Planet Laika


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developer= Quintet, Zeque
publisher= Enix
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designer=
series=
engine=
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released= vgrelease|JP=October 21, 1999
genre= RPG
modes= Single-player
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platforms= PlayStation
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"Planet Laika" is a console role-playing game developed by Quintet and Zeque. The game was only released in Japan. The game follows the main character, Laika, through a mission to Mars which forces the player to manipulate Laika's multiple-personality disorder in order to solve puzzles. [http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/planetlaika/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary;review Review at GameSpot.com] Retrieved May 9, 2008] All the characters in the game have dog heads, a possible reference to the Russian space dog Laika.

Gameplay

A major theme of the game is Laika's different personalities, embodied by three different characters, Ernest, Yolanda, and Spacer. By talking to different characters, Laika absorbs their different colored auras and whena specific color has been absorbed enough, Laika can turn into that personality to solve a problem, such as needing Ernest, the strongest, to lift a heavy shutter.

Battle

Unlike most RPG's, which feature turn-based battles, "Planet Laika's" are played out almost like Space Invaders and Pong. The player must bounce around a Mind Core and reflect back the enemies attacks to inflict damage. There are not a lot of battles in the game and enemies only attack when Laika is in one of the special forms.

Development

"Planet Laika" was co-developed by Japanese software developers Quintet, famous for Actraiser, Illusion of Gaia, and The Granstream Saga, and Zeque, a relatively unknown developer in North America, but famous in Japan for the PlayStation Japanese cult hit Kowloon's Gate. Zeque was responsible for the concept, design, scenario, and graphics, whereas Quintet handled the programming and sound. Like Kowloon's Gate, Zeque's themes for "Planet Laika" were good and evil and light and darkness. Some of the characters from both games share names as well.

References

External links

* [http://psx.ign.com/objects/013/013606.html Planet Laika at IGN]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sD5UaODDKk Opening Animation]