The Hidden World Within The Pixels: La-Mulana 1 & 2 Review

By Janette G

Way back in 2005, which was FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, a Japanese indie dev release La-Mulana, which became a cult classic. An old school puzzle platformer reminiscent of MSX games, it had a sequel and saw many rereleases over the last decade in a half, the most recent being NISA’s this year. Hard and addictive, La-Mulana’s transfer to modern systems has been a successful one.

La-Mulana sees you as an explorer looking for their father in the ruins of La-Mulana, the supposed birthplace of all civilizations. You land with very little else to go off of, free to wander as you please. And wander you will for a while, as you gain your bearings and wonder why you can’t read signs. Very quickly, you’ll realize this is a game where NPCs are important, where items are vital, and even the does-not-exist-for-a-digital-version game insert book will help guide you through the jungle. Signs are unreadable without certain items, other things rely on your computer. An item you may have found early game might not become clear on usage until way late, and hopefully you didn’t get rid of it. Enemies are many, and health is few. Even your save files seem so minimal, adding to the challenge of the game.

The original Wii remake of La-Mulana tried to “modernize” the visuals and the music, but not this one. True to the original and thus to the MSX, it’s presented in a 4:3 ratio, the big chunky pixels are unaltered, the music full of beep boops. Granted, you can change the music if you’d like, but why would you want to? Even the slight loading time between screens feels…. Right? Enemies respawn and flash when near death, screens stay still as you jump around… It’s all wonderfully nostalgic without feeling like a charade about it.

Now, I’ll be real with you: I died, a lot. The first couple hours I barely made it anywhere it seemed. And yet, I kept wanting to go back. Trying again. Looking things up online, seeing what other players had tried. Dying again, taking a nap, trying again. I haven’t even beaten the game as of this writing, let alone start the second one, but I can’t stop thinking about how well done it is. The hard is the point. The dead ends, the constant deaths, the back tracking, it’s all the point. And yet it adds to the setting of the game in a way that feels right instead of being hard for challenge’s sake. A game about exploring ruins where your actions have genuine consequences, like they would in the real world? Where every little thing you want to learn about the world around you forces you to talk to people and ask for their help? It’s good. It’s very good. Very well done. Very stressful yet satisfying.

If you’ve missed La-Mulana over the years, now’s as good a time as any to hop in. This version’s gameplay and puzzling is based off of the remake that came out on the Wii years ago, but with the visuals and soundtrack of the original release. It’s difficult. It might not be for you. But wouldn’t you like to find out and learn the secrets of La-Mulana?

​For more on La-Mulana 1 & 2, please visit https://nisamerica.com/games/la-mulana

---

Story: C+
Gameplay: B-
Arts/Graphics: B
Music/Sound Quality: B+
Value: B+

Overall: B-

Pros
A glorious take on an MSX game, right now to the sound and the loading
Rich world crammed full of fun things to find
Extras such as Time Attack mode offer many excuses to replay the game

Cons
HARD AND UNFORGIVING
Genuinely difficult to not look up a guide
Can feel repetitive at points

Disclaimer: This game was provided to us from the publisher for the purpose of this review