[PC] [WII] La Mulana

[notnow]

I played a couple hours of this a few years ago and was forced to stop because my PC broke. It's a metroidvania style game with a tomb/underground labyrinth theme instead of Sci-Fi or Gothic. The game is very large and difficult in comparison to either Metroid or the later Castlevania games, with a heavier emphasis on puzzle solving.

One example of the higher level of difficulty that comes to mind is the leveling system. Unlike Castlevania where leveling actually makes your character stronger, in La Mulana you will find yourself fighting for some hard earned experience points, only to realize that "leveling up" simply refills your health bar--no stat benefit whatsoever.

Graphics might not look like much from the screenshots but there is some quality to them. I don't think the game reuses many assets at all, and some of the larger objects are quite detailed.

Again, most of these comments are from distant memory. I first heard about this game from the ABDN review (it's a good article, not so much a review):

http://www.actionbutton.net/?p=193

http://agtp.romhack.net/project.php?id=lamulana - Download + English Patch.

[losganados]

From what I have read of the ABDN "review" thing I can't say it's good in any sense of the word . . . except maybe for being a good example of ignorance. Actually this is the internetso it's not even close to that.

[notnow]

Well, maybe not. At least it sparked my interest in the game.

[Volteccer_Jack]

I've had this game on my computer for a while, but just got around to playing it a few days ago, when a friend mentioned it in conversation. I can safely say, I wish I had played it sooner.

The thing that ABDN article gets right (and pretty much the only thing the article even talks about) is the difficulty. This game does not hold your hand. I died quite a few times before I even managed to leave the surface and enter the dungeon proper (disclaimer: that could just be because I suck).

According to the map I found in one of the chests, I've explored all of the first area, Guidance Gate, except for one screen in the upper left. I'm far from done, though. There's at least three unsolved puzzles which have absolutely baffled me; I would not be surprised if there were a couple more. I've also dabbled around in three other areas, although I've accomplished very little in any of them.

I'm not really sure what to compare this game to. It feels kind of like Metroid, except with puzzles and hints and traps strewn about like the sort of stuff you'd see in a Zork game. In Guidance Gate, most of the text refers to something fairly obvious and in the same room, but I have seen more difficult hints, plenty of which refer to stuff far away from their placement. I've gotten out an old spiral-bound notebook and started writing down all in-game messages I can't immediately see the purpose of, if that's any indication. And like I said, hints haven't stopped the game from totally stumping me, even when the hint is quite plain and sitting next to puzzle.

The game seems to encourage cautiousness, which is absolutely wonderful. My only concern so far is the difficulty of fighting the enemies. The first sub-weapon makes combat much easier than with the default whip, and ammo is ridiculously plentiful. I ended up with almost 200 shots before I knew it. I'm worried the other weapons and items will make the game too easy in latter stages. But if the puzzles keep up the way they are, I don't think that'll be a huge concern.

[JoshF]

I downloaded it yesterday. After whipping a shield or something and getting electrocuted and losing 10-15 minutes of play I'm sure I wouldn't regret not playing this game on my deathbed. I like hard games that force me to think how to maneuver space in an interesting way and exhibit the designers' cleverness. The guy who made this game likes gag insta-kills. But omg retro throwback ABDN 5/5.

[BurritoLardoSupremo]

La Mulana's puzzles are hardly anything clever. Most of them are fairly simple but so much of the game is obscured. You could travel through most of the game's levels and be completely oblivious to what the game expects you to interact with. It plays like some perverse, 8-bit remake of the old Atari 2600 Indiana Jones game, only without the lengthy manual telling you what these ridiculous icons are intended to represent and why you died suddenly.

The actual enemy combat and platforming as a result seems to be a tremendous waste of time, Your life bar appears a joke, you take such little damage from most foes.

[icycalm]

Your life bar appears a joke, you take such little damage from most foes.

This sentence doesn't make sense, neither grammatically nor logically. Can you try rephrasing it?

[BurritoLardoSupremo]

Yeah, I botched that one.

Your lifebar appears very short in La Mulana, but you have to get SERIOUSLY thrashed about by the average mooks to actually knock a pixel off that sucker. Of course, bosses tend to do enough damage to make them actual boss battles.

I think the design decision about the mooks barely being a threat was to have them be more annoying in their willingness to knock you down pits and the like. The only way I believe you can restore your health bar is to either level up or save and quit, but you get the grail, allowing you to warp, well before that'll become an issue. So, if you are likely to die, you just have to abandon your trek, warp back, save, quit.

[icycalm]

http://postback.geedorah.com/foros/view ... hp?id=1059

A la usanza de Doukutsu Monogatari, un juego "doujin" --con más éxito en Occidente que en su país natal-- se transforma en lanzamiento oficial para el Wii Ware americano por iniciativa de una casa occidental. Apartado visual rehecho, pero no parece en este caso que respetando resolución de ejecución:





http://nigoro.jp/special/movie.html

Vía http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=369394

[dA]

The press release (found here) calls it an "all-new remake" (strange choice of words) with a new engine.

Of course, it could end up being no different from a graphically-enhanced port (that's what digital is all about). The press release hasn't cleared that up yet: it only states they're going to add some (downloadable) modes and stages.

[Mathis]

After whipping a shield or something and getting electrocuted and losing 10-15 minutes of play I'm sure I wouldn't regret not playing this game on my deathbed. The guy who made this game likes gag insta-kills.

I just got around to playing it, and there are actually warnings about this in the game's manual folder.

This is taken from page 7 of the manual, titled "Adventuring Basics":

It seems the ruins of La Mulana are protected by a holy power. This is why it is not easy to be a grave robber or invader here. Don't destroy or touch things at random. He who defiles the holy ruins will have divine retribution brought upon him! Proceed with caution when solving puzzles!

There's also a final note from the developers on page 22, which contains a paragraph regarding their reasoning behind the instant kills. Here it is:

To be honest, we have our doubts whether or not people will like a game that has elements like "If you make a mistake there's no going back" and "There's always the tension requiring you to think ahead." But at the same time we have confidence that it makes La Mulana a deeper game for it. Some people may think "this game is a pain!" But we hope you can find enjoyment with a "to keep this from being a pain, I'd better think before acting" sort of playstyle. We think if you use your wits to the fullest, the sense of accomplishment you'll get when you finally finish the game will [be] all the more rewarding.

What I found strange was a female shopkeeper who called me a "bitch" or an "asshole" when I changed my mind about buying something, or didn't have enough money. I wonder if this will be changed in the WiiWare release.

I'm still going through the game, so I'm going to reserve my judgment until I complete it or lose interest.

[icycalm]

The above post convinced me to try the game, if I can somehow get it to run on the Mac I am currently limited to.

Insta-kills do not bother my anyway, as long as the game and its world are interesting enough to make me want to explore them. I enjoyed the hell out of Rick Dangerous back in the day.