Coming in early 2020

NIS America has announced that a double pack of La-Mulana 1 & 2 will be heading to PS4, Xbox One, and Switch in early 2020. Bundling both of these ultra hardcore Metroidvania titles together, it'll be the first time the original game is available on modern hardware. It's also a killer collection of two really excellent tit??les. I have no idea why you'd want to buy this on Switch, but that's mainly because you'll probably break your console in half from frustration. ?If you're willing to dive into the ancient ruins and uncover the secrets within, then be warned.

Those of you that happen to already be mega fans will probably be interested in the "Hidden Treasures Edition" of the game. Available on each platform for $59.99, this will be a collector's edition bundle that includes both games on physical media, a jigsaw puzzle, soundtracks for each title, and an art book. You can pre-order the package from NIS America's official website.

The post NIS America announces La-Mulana 1 & 2 combo pack for consoles appeared first on Destructoid.

Time for Switch insurance

Publisher Active Gaming Media has announced that La-Mulana 2 will be hitting Japanese consoles (PS4, Xbox One, and Switch) on June 27, 2019. The digita?l release will cost 2,980 ye??n, while a physical release for PS4 and Switch will run you 3,980 yen. First-print editions of the physical version will include a soundtrack CD and custom notebook to jot down your insane ramblings. The game is still planned for a Western release, though the date is unknown.

While I was unable to finish the game before my review went live, I did manage to complete it before 2018 came to a close. My thoughts didn't change much from what I wrote: La-Mulana 2 is absolutely perfect for fans of the original and a total turn-off for anyone not willing to deal with cryptic nonsense. It's simultaneously a 1/10 and 10/10 depending on how you enjoy video?? games. Maybe that's a cop-out, but I really enjoyed the game. I ju?st can't imagine playing it on Switch and tossing my console across the room. That would suck worse than any death the game throws at you.

The post La-Mulana 2 hits Japanese consoles this June appeared first on Destructoid.

In no particular order

For the past few years on Destructoid, I've listed my top games of every year just like everyone else. It was a way for me to try and organize my thoughts in a manner that I figured everyone wanted to read. Truth be told, I'm not so sure how much I even agree with my lists. For instance, I called PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds my #3 for 2017 and now the game is a laughing stock.

So instead of ordering things by number, I'm just going to talk about either my favorite picks for a particular category or some of the worst things I saw this year. 2018 had so many good moments that game of the year lists can be wildly different from person to person. I also missed out on a lot of the bigger releases (God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2, etc) because my tas?tes have changed as I've grown older. Why not honor the things I thought were cool instead? of saying they are better than things I haven't tried?

Without further delay, here are the things I thought were ?cool and the things that really sucked in 2018!

Best Game with Penises: Genital Jousting

You'd be surprised how large of a category this might be, but I'm pretty confident in saying Genital Jousting is the best game to feature a playable penis. Not only does it have a wild party mode,?? ??but a surprisingly deep story about finding yourself in this wacky world. I suppose it also lets you dress up your penis in funny hats, which is always worth a chuckle.

I'm mostly just surprised that someone came up with the idea for a campaign mode and didn’t make it an endless string of masturbation jokes. The devs over at Free Lives have done some great things with both BroForce and Genital Jousting and I can't wait to see what they cook up next. Maybe we can get a crossover in the form of Penis Force next!

Comedy of Errors Award: Fallout 76

To be fair, I haven't actually played Fallout 76, but this award is more about the string of bad luck Bethesda has had with the title. Even if you were rooting for Fallout 76 to be good, Bethesda continuously shot itself in the foot with the promotion behind the game. From skimping out on the cost of producing canvas bags to leaking personal customer information, it seemed each new week brought some kind of horrible Fallout 76 related news.

For me, what really sucks is I no longer trust Bethesda with anything. I was already a bit iffy on its in-house games, preferring the output from id Software and Machine Games, but now I'm worried its corporate overlords are going to screw up everything they get their hands on. Who's to say Doom Eternal won't come out locked to Bethesda's PC launcher and ??pumped full of microtransactions and shoddy always-online requirements?

So even without putting a single minute into Fallout 76?, I can tell you that it was a complete joke. My heart goes out to the people that worked on this and have had their effort tarnished by crappy busine?ss decisions. I just hope 2019 is better for this particular title.

Best Retro Platformer: La-Mulana 2

La-Mulana 2 is a game I don't see a lot of people talking about. Taking nearly five years to come out after a successful Kickstarter, I would say the sequel to the brutally difficult La-Mulana was well worth the wait. It has everything that made the original such a frustratingly gripping ??experience and then some. It also has an absolutely stunning soundtrack that is a must listen.

It also took me way longer than I expected to finish it. I was scared when I took on the review because I knew how long La-Mulana could be. I ended up not being able to finish it before it w?as time to publish, but I didn't shelf the game and call it done. I kept pushing myself until after 40 total hours I was at the conclusion and sweating from excitement. I still wanted more despite spending almost two full days traversing its obtuse corridors.

I still agree with everything I said in my review. If you hate games that don't guide you much, La-Mulana 2 will be your worst nightmare. If you're tired of games leading you by the nose, though, then La-Mulana 2 is an absolute masterpiece. Just get ready to see "GAME OVER" more times than y???ou’re used to.

Worst Use of DLC: Street Fighter V

With this category, I'm mostly talking about the absolutely hideous "In-Game Advertising" Capcom thought was a smart move. I am fully aware that companies like Capcom are a business and exist to make money, but Street Fighter used to have integrity. It used to be about strong competition, fig??hting spirit, and pushing yourself to your limits. I never thought I'd see the day where Akuma was plastere?d with a disgusting sponsorship logo on his back.

One look at the in-game store, though, and you'll find a list of costumes so extensive that there is a filter to list them under specific categories. There are so many extra DLC options in Street Fighter V that I don't understand why the game isn't free-to-play. I know costumes are purely cosmetic and Capcom has provided different methods of unlocking them, by why does Ryu have alternate attire where he is decked out like Jamie Kennedy in Malibu's Most Wanted? Why do all of the women have skimpy pajama outfits? Why are the classic costume??s for?? characters only available with premium currency?

The actual mechanics of Street Fighter V may have improved since launch, but the marketing schemes by Capcom have basically destroyed its reputation for series fans. I kept telling myself I would eventually grab the game, but I can't in good faith support what Capcom has done to Street Fighter.

Best Fighting Game: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

So instead of Street Fighter, why not talk about the complete opposite end of the spectrum? I've always been a big fan of Super Smash Bros., but I think Sakurai and his team have ruined me for other fighters. Not everything about Ultimate is a slam dunk (??the online mode is sad), but from a value standpoint, you can't beat Nintendo's premier fighter??.

Why would I ever consider dropping $60 on a fighting game that doesn't even include its previous cast? If Nintendo could somehow go through negotiation hell to get literally every Smash veteran into the latest entry, is there any good excuse why series like Tekken, Soulcalibur, and Street Fighter aren't launching new iterations with fan-favorite characters? That isn't to say developers and publishers should be forced to bring back everyone, but the value proposition has gone down considerably for fighting games in recent years. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate prov?es that a company can exist to be a corporate entity and still give f??ans the things they want.

I'm not even angry there is a $25 season pass because I'm more than content with the 74 included characters. Nintendo could have dumped the game out in the wild and moved on and I'd still be happy. The core fighting is excellent, the sin??gleplayer modes are extensive and the level of polish is through the roo??f. There also aren't any egregious advertisements! It really is just a miracle!

Most Disappointing Game: Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise

I must first clarify that I don't think Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise is a bad game. It can be entertaining, in spurts, and contains some of the charms of the Yakuza series. Coming from developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios, I just expected better. Fist of the North Star and Yakuza are two series that make?? perfect sense on paper, but the execution was just severely lacking.

The substories are highly repetitive, the game's plotline is super thin and even the mini-games feel stripped back from past Yakuza titles. Maybe I went in with the wrong idea, but I figured this would be Yakuza with a Fist of the North Star skin. Instead, this felt more like a tech demo for what Ryu Ga Go?toku Studios could do with the popular '80s manga series instea?d of a full game.

At least the boss fights were killer and the graphical style was a solid representation of the manga it was based on. I just wish the game took the time to let you soak in the atmosphere and combat like Yakuza does instead of ferr?ying you from plot point to plot point without much context.

Best Remake: Shadow of the Colossus

In Destructoid's most anticipated games list for 2018, I had written, "Yeah, Shadow of the Colossus is great, but I can already play th?at game on two different systems." I guess I forgot how damn great the game is because I was somehow blown away again. I knew all the tricks and quirks of Team ICO's magnum opus, but I couldn't put down my controller. I just kept playing and having my jaw dropped at how well Bluepoint adapted the late-era PS2 classic to modern hardware.

It doesn't hurt that pla??ying on a PS4 Pro gives you access to a 60 FPS option, which completely changes how the gam?e feels. It runs perfectly fine on a regular PS4, but that added fluidity makes those lumbering colossi feel extra imposing. I've never seen them move so fast and yet felt so empowered at the same time.

I still don't necessarily think that Shadow of the Colossus needed?? another port, but you can't complain about the quality that? Bluepoint brought to the game. If you're going to remake an all-time classic, this is how it should be done.

My Overall Worst Game: Dynasty Warriors 9

I'm not going to sit here and try to preach that Dynasty Warriors is a misunderstood franchise. Omega Force has been churning out so many games under the Warriors banner for the last 18 years with little variation that I can absolutely see the criticisms people lobby against it. This is a ridiculously simple game about smashing an attack button and watching enemies fal??l over.

That still doesn't explain why Dynasty Warriors 9 ended up as bad as it did. From a pointless open-world to a misguided change of combat, nothing DW9 brings to the series feels like a compromise worth indulging in. Was Dynasty Warriors really lacking radio towers that players could climb? Did the series truly need a hunting mechanics with brain-dead animal AI? Was there any point in spacing out towns and outputs if the merchants were? ju?st going to sell you the exact same things?

The worst sin, though, is that the game doesn't even perform well. From the horrible console ports to the absolutely abysmal PC version, this is a far cry from the days when Dynasty Warriors would run at 60 FPS. I could maybe chalk? up the gameplay differences to Omega Force being out of its league, but at least make sure the game is responsive for the player.

I want to love Dynasty Warriors, as a series, but titles like 9 make me sad that I ever believed in Omega Force. It had a good thing going with Dynasty Warriors 8 and Hyrule Warriors, but I guess taking on too many projects resulted in the quality getting sidelined. Here's hoping that whatever form Xtreme Legends takes for 9 greatly improves the experience.

My Overall Favorite Game: DUSK

Maybe I'm a bit biased in that DUSK is based ??on the games I grew up loving, but I really do think it was the best game of 2018. It did everything classic FPS titles were known for, just better. It has tight level design, incredible atmosphere, great weapons, and an excellent soundtrack. It even has an online multiplayer option to frag your friends!

This is FPS nirvana and is now the highest rated review I've written for Destructoid. If you know anything about me, it should be that I'm pretty tough on games. If I can be blown away by something like DUSK, that shoul?d speak?? to the quality of David Szymanski's modern classic.

Best Streamers on Twitch: Game Attack

I couldn't end my list of 2018 highlights without talking about my friends over at Game Attack. Twitc??h streaming might be seen as a fad by a lot of people, but the community that Game Attack has cultivated is one of the best places on the internet. This is an environment where you can come in a complete stranger and start getting shoutou??ts from the streamers like you’re family within seconds.

Craig, Bolen, and Greyson are just a bunch of fun loving guys that want to help enter??tain you when you're down and out. They want to lift you up and inspire you to do better. They also love to discuss things with their community in an open manner, priding themselves on their full transparency with behind-the-scenes happenings. If something isn't working for you, you don't need to feel scared about bringing it to their attention.

Maybe watching streamers isn't for you and I understan?d that. Still, it has become a big part of modern gaming and I'm happy a place like Game Attack exists. It lets me experience titles I may have otherwise written off because they don't appeal to me. It reminds me that anything is possible if I put my mind to it. Most importantly, though: it's just a fun place to be.

Maybe you agree with my picks or maybe you don't. Thing is, I can't definitively claim any one title in 2018 is better than another. In a year that saw more perfect scores than I can remember, it seems like each developer was bringing out their A-game again. We got God of War redefined a??s a parable on fat?herhood, for God's sake!

There were a lot of great games to go around and I'm constantly reminded at how spoiled gaming enthusi??asts are. We really are livi??ng in one of the best periods for gaming ever. Certain triple-A devs may be trying to ruin that, but as long as passionate teams with strong visions exist, we'll always have something excellent to play with no strings attached.

And wouldn't you know it, 2019 looks even better!

The post Peter Glagowski names the Best and Worst of 2018 appeared first on Destructoid.

Number of broken Switch's to quadruple on release

While we already knew about La-Mulana 2's jump to Xbox One, publisher Playism, and developer Nigoro have announced that the soul-crushing Metroidvania will be heading to the PS4 and Switch next Spring alongside Microsoft's machine. I can't imagine the number of broken Switch's that will come out of this, but now more people can experience the hell I've gone through. La-Mulana 2 is brutal.

Nigoro was alongside Playism to make the announcement at PAX West yesterday. There wasn't any mention of whether or not this would be an EX version like the original La-Mulana received on the Vita in 2013, but I'm not even sure what else c??ould be added to the game. It is already much larger than the first and is a tiny bit more accessible, thoug??h still mind-boggling at times. Dumbing it down or adding more would kind of ruin the experience.

La-Mulana 2 com?ing to PS4, ??Xbox One, and Switch in spring 2019 [Gematsu]

The post La-Mul??ana 2 is coming to destroy your PS4, Xbox and Switch appeared first on Destructoid.

Eg-Lana awaits

While watching one of the Indiana Jones films, have you ever stopped to think how unlikely it is that Indy succeeds all the time? What are the chances he knows exactly which items to use in remote locations around the world at the exact right time? How can he stroll into ancient ruins, step on pressure plates, and narrowly avoid death all the time? ?Since it looks so easy in film, many of us have thought we could do the same thing. Those daring feats of cunning wit and narrow escapes look so enticing that it shouldn’t be so difficult, right?

If you’ve ever believed you could be Indiana Jones, playing the cult-classic La-Mulana would quickly put you in your place. This is a game not afraid to erase hours of progress for failing to pay attention and one with clues so cryptic a blind playthrough could take upwards of 100 hours. While it was never a massive commercial success, La-Mulana gained a big enough following to Kickstart a sequel and show us that, yeah, being Indiana Jones ain’t that easy.

I just wish the whole thing was polished bette?r because my struggles with reaching the conclusion aren’t purely down to my lacking spatial awareness.

La-Mulana 2 (PC [reviewed], Xbox One)
Developer: Nigoro
Publisher: AGM Playism
Released: July 30, 2018 (PC), TBA (Xbox One)
MSRP: $24.99

I’ll be upfront about this and tell you all that I haven’t finished La-Mulana 2. I’ve put around 30 hours into the game and have made steady progress, but not without a complete restart to get myself back on track. One of the joys of La-Mulana i?s how little it care??s about your mental well-being, so you can accidentally activate a hard mode that is irreversible. Despite knowing this sly trick, I somehow did it in the sequel and needed to begin anew after putting 17 hours into a playthrough.

That being said, it gave me a great understanding of how diverse playthroughs of La-Mulana 2 can be. Using the help of some guides for my second run, I was able to fast track my way to the guardians (the main bosses) with little effort and recover my entire inventory in around two hours. From there, I’ve been looking to the unofficial La-Mulana 2 subreddit and checking out videos about how to acquire items and am surprised at how differently I went about? things my first run through. Yo??u can take some wildly different routes and acquire items much earlier than you need to, which is likely to make the speedrunning community very happy.

On the flip side, this open-ended approach often means you’ll stumble into dead ends and be left with little clue of how to progress. Even with semi-nonlinearity, there are certain items and bosses you need to vanquish to reach late game areas and it can be a real s??truggle to even decipher what the game wants of you. I feel dumb about some of the puzzle solutions, but others are so stupidly complicated that it feels like the game is built for people wit?h hyper-intelligence.

This would all be fine if the combat didn’t also mercilessly stomp you when you’re down. After explaining to my friend how brutal La-Mulana 2 is, I proceeded to find a new area and locate a save point. Since you can fast travel to save points, I was very eager to read the grail and activate my new warp point, but the floor collapsed right in front of me as I was walkin???g and dropped me into a bed of spikes.

This uncompromising difficulty also applies to enemy encounters. Your invincibility frames after taking damage are so minuscule that you’ll often get juggled between foes and land on top of spikes that can wipe your health out in seconds. Nothing eases up on you in La-Mulana 2 and that?? is likely to put a majority of gamers off from the get-go.

A lot of this isn’t new for the series, though. People who have dipped their toes in the original game know how ridiculously difficult it can be. I’ve seen the phrase “Dark Souls before Dark Souls” online, but that isn’t entirely accurate. At least Dark Souls cares about your sanity; La-Mulana just kicks the shit out of you and forces you to play by its rules. There?? are no hacks, tricks or easy shortcuts in its world.

Well, that should be true, but the main problem that troubles me with La-Mulana 2 is how buggy it can be. I’m not sure if this was an issue with the remake of the original (I played it in 2015 after it had been out for three years), but I’ve seen a variety of stages in La-Mulana 2 and they all have some problem with them. The pre-release version was missing some content and had incorrect translations (leading to an endgame puzzle that was literally impossible to solve). You could also glitch your way to items way earlier than intended, which ended up breaking the game in ways developer Nigoro probably didn’t want. Even with those bugs squashed, this current?? versi??on has graphical glitches and some oddly stiff controls at times.

To make matters worse, the launch version was actually easier than the build currently available online. I can’t speak from experience, but there is a pretty vocal group of fans that were displeased with the final boss in the launch version because of how simple it was. Now, the boss is a nightmare of precise timing and acute pattern recognition. I’ve noticed general enemy encounters are just tougher and even bosses I previously conquered put up a challenge on my second attempt. I commend developer Nigoro for listening to fans, but I can’t deny I have a feeling that La-Mulana 2 was a bit rushed.

The general presentation in La-Mulana 2 is better than the first, but there are odd sprite scaling problems that result in ugly tearing while moving across wider rooms. Sometimes I’ll press the jump button before reaching an edge, but my character won’t respond in time and walk straight off. Other times, still, I’ll get stuck in damage loops that then result in me getting kicked to the previous screen and wasting time. Even so??me room specific triggers won’t set off, requiring you reload your s?ave to make progress. It can be a ridiculously frustrating experience.

At the same time, I’ll be exploring some areas and listening to the music and just enter a zen state. The soundtrack is beyond excellent and somehow manages to surpass the original. It often makes me think La-Mulana 2 is the best game ever created. I love how diverse the environments are and how stage gimmicks start to become a bigger focus in the latter half. The various upgrades available to you feel like tangible improvements and do more than Metroid’s various ammo upgrades ever could. It is a masterclass ?in how to properly upgrade your character while keeping older items relevant.

It’s just the difficulty balancing doesn’t feel correct. Clearly, the first boss will be hard because o??f how unfamiliar you are with the game, but I shouldn’t be steamrolling the fifth one after the fourth gave me nightmares. I shouldn’t enter an area called “Dark Lord’s Mausoleum” and never feel threatened. Everything is fun to explore, but there isn’t a clear sense of progression in how these areas are laid out or which path you should be going in.

For that matter, a lot of the solutions to puzzles require an obscene amount of backtracking to deal with. You’ll find a clue in one area that triggers the puzzle in another?? while requiring you to obtain an item from a third area and it feels like brain surgery. This game is so obtuse, at times, that I just want to scream. It doesn’t help that you can die immediately if you make a wrong move, which then requires you to repeat the process however many times.

Still, I haven’t given up on La-Mulana 2. It may drive me nuts and lead me to an early grave, but I’m compelled to keep playing. I want to see that conclusion and may even just speedrun the title after beating it to empower myself. I could even give hard mode a pr??oper shot, though I don’t know if I’m ready to give up seeing my friends and family for a whole month. The game has its hooks i?n me and I’m eager to discover its secrets, but it certainly is not easy.

I just don’t feel comfortable giving it a score under these circumstances. For the people who do gel with the decidedly old-school flavor that La-Mulana is, 2 is going to be an absolute joy for them. For the ones that want a little more guidance or hate “wasting” time due to unforeseen insta-deaths, La-Mulana 2 is going to?? be an absolute nightmare. Does that mean I give the game a one and a 10 at the same time?

Maybe my own opinion will change after the credits roll, but I honestly don’t think so. Rating La-Mulana 2 anything doesn’t? do the game justice. There are issues with it and some odds and ends could be tightened up, but even if it pales in com??parison to the first (which I don’t personally believe), fans will likely still be talking about this game for years to come. This is an experience that doesn’t come around often in any medium.

So if you believe you’re ready to take the plunge on a journey that just might end you, La-Mulana 2 is ??highly recommended. Just be sure to look out for false tablets…and don’t stand still to??o often…oh, definitely listen when the game tells you to stop reading.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publis??her. No score was given as the game was not completed.]}

The post Review: La-Mulana 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

It's a console-ation, but you'll find little consolation

Everything about La-Mulana and its sequel is cryptic. This unintuitive, tough-as-hell, completely unforgiving action adventure series is re?nowned for the way it ter?rorizes players with death after death. That cryptic nature apparently applies to announcements too.

La-Mulana 2 will receive an Xbox One version. This news doesn't come from a press release, or some sort of official reveal from developer Nigoro or publishers/localizers Active Gaming Media and Playism. No, it's simply a bullet-point among a list of games t??hat Xbox will be ??showing at PAX West at the end of August.

According to Xbox, this is the first reveal of these games coming to Xbox One and it's all through the ID@Xbox program. The full list of titles is: Bot Rods, La-Mulana 2, Museum of Simulation Technology, Orphan, Revenant Dogma, Super Retro Maker, Thunder Rally, and Where the Bees Make Honey.

Console versions of La-Mulana 2 were originally a Kickstarter stretch goal back in 2014, but the crowdfunding campaign didn't raise enough money for those to happen. It seems as if Nigoro is going ahead ??with it anyway -- at lea??st for one console.

We've reached out to representatives for La-Mulana 2 to ask if there are any more platforms planned and when the Xbox port is scheduled to launch. We'l??l update this post if/when we hear back.

Regi??ster Now for the Fifth Annual ID@Xbox Pre-PAX Open Ho?use [Xbox Wire]

The post La-Mulana 2 is coming to Xbox One to t?errorize and frustrate console players appeared first on Destructoid.

Like the original, just much more young and hip

When we received a code to review La-Mulana 2, I was simultaneously excited and frightened. I greatly enjoyed the first game, but La-Mulana isn’t what I’d call intuitive. The original basically simulates what it would be like to land in an Indiana Jones situation and have to figure your way out of ancient ruins with cryptic clues??. Calling it an adventure would be putting it lightly, as completing it feels more like an exodus.

So while I was clamoring to try out Nigoro and Playism’s latest mind-bender, I also had this fear that I wouldn’t be able to finish it before the embargo. For a lot of people, conquering the original La-Mulana without a walkthrough can take upwards of 50 hours depending on how keen your situational awareness is. Was I astute enough to surpass the trials of Eg-Lana and reunite Lumisa w??ith her father?

As you may have already guessed from the title, I haven’t yet reached the conclusion of La-Mulana 2. That being said, if you’re wondering if you should grab La-Mulana 2, the answer is an easy yes depending on your tolerance for old-school game de??sign.

La-Mulana 2 (PC)
Developer: Nigoro
Publisher: AGM Playism
Released: July 30, 2018
MSRP: $24.99

For those unfamiliar with the original La-Mulana, one could easily describe it as an ultra-difficult version of Metroid. It shares a lot of similarities with Ninte?ndo’s beloved franchise, but shifts the theme from futuristic sci-fi into modern-day spelunking. You play as Lemeza, a guy clearly cosplaying as Indiana Jones, as he delves into the ruins of the titular La-Mulana to uncover the secrets that were buried within.

La-Mulana 2 does little to change the foundation of what its predecessor set before. To the untrained eye, this might come off as a gender swap mod since the art style is strikingly similar to the original. Befo??re taking a look back at the original, even I was a little shocked at how closely the game resembles its forefather.

The story this time is that you’re playing the role of Lumisa, Lemeza’s possible daughter, as she explores the ruins of Eg-Lana after receiving a ?letter from Xelpud, the leader of the tourist spot now situated on the ruins of La-Mulana. Xelpud had originally summoned Lemeza, but you’ve shown up in his place and are good enough for him. Some monsters have appeared where Xelpud is trying to build and he wants you to figure out w??hy so he can get back to making money.

As you start your cave-diving adventure, you quickly learn that there is a sister site to La-Mulana, a place known as Eg-Lana. This is where the source of evil is coming from. Following in the footsteps o?f her father, Lumisa is eager to jump in headfirst without stopping to ask why. It won’t be long before you’re facing down giant bosses, collecting all sorts of tools and smashing ?your head against a wall as you hit a seemingly impossible puzzle.

While there were some concerns among fans that La-Mulana 2 was going to be dumbed down a bit, I can safely assure you that Nigoro has done no such thing. While the opening couple of hours are a little more straightforward than the original, you’ll eventually hit a point where it looks like you’re at a dead end. For me, this happen?ed after around seven hours of playing, which is a remarkable improvement over the first game.

La-Mulana 2 requires you to have a keen sense of awareness as you traverse the many different areas of Eg-Lana. Clues will be hidden in plain sight and often through cryptic messages that you’ll need to refer to later. In a nice touch, Lumisa can actually record specific messages into her handy smartphone-like device, the Mobile Super X3, and pull them up at will. This will at least prevent you from needing to backt??rack to a one-off room just to remember a riddle that seemed pointless hours earlier.

Still, you’re going to reach a point where you’ll think you’ve turned over every stone and you’ll end up walking through every area multiple times with nothing to go on?. It is exactly what I feared when I took on the review and it kind of got me into a funk. With a few helpful hints from Playism’s PR rep, I was able to get back on track for a few more hours until I eventually hit another dead end. Ah?, the joys of old-school gaming.

I could have kept that going, but one of the coolest aspects of the original La-Mulana was how eager the community was to dig up its treasures. After roughly five years of existence, the guides for the original are so detailed and well written that new players are likely to never get lost, but that aspect of sharing information and lending a helping hand is reminiscent of my youth as a dumb kid. I didn’t always know how to progress in games, be it from poorly translated text or because of obtuse game design, but getting a different viewp?oint on the schoolyard would typically lead to me having a eureka moment and running home with renewed fervor.

So I thanked Playism for even helping me a little and told them I would be waiting to render a full review. La-Mulana 2 is a game made for fans and one that hardcore players will?? likely get a real kick out of exploring to its fullest. Nothing I say is going to stop them from lapping it up, so why not contribute my current knowledge and nudge people on the right path?

At least I can talk about some of the more subtle changes to gameplay that are likely to make fans happy. For one, Lumisa controls a bit better in the air. She still has the frustrating tendency to fall in a straight line should you walk off a ledge, but Lumisa can almost turn around immediately after jumping and it even gets factored into some of the platforming challenges. Within minutes from starting, I was doing backward jumps and accessing areas that would have taken several upgrades to reach in the ?original.

The inventory is virtually identical to the first game with a lot of similar items making a return. The whip still has a long animation that can see you take damage if you aren’t careful and?? your secondary items can be swapped with the L and R buttons on your controller at will. Usi??ng those isn’t required, but will certainly make enemy encounters a lot more manageable.

The boss fights are quite numerous and while I’ve only taken out two guardians (basically the “main” bosses of La-Mulana 2), I’ve encountered possibly 10 mini-bosses that have seen me invent some new curse words. In my efforts to no??t give up until the latest possible moment, I’ve actually defea??ted every boss I’ve met up to this point.

One of the best aspects of La-Mulana 2 is how open-ended the structure is. I’m not exactly sure if this was the same for the original (I definitely used a guide to finish that), but the order in which you find upgrades in La-Mulana 2 is non-linear. While you’ll ?naturally gravitate towards certain items, you can basically travel to the differen??t areas in a random order and still make quite a bit of progress.

This came to a head when I encountered Mulbruk an??d had her explore the “Annwfn” region. She then got stuck in there and I had to figure out a completely different route to reach her (which is what led to me asking Playism PR for help). If I had sent her to the “Immortal Battlefield,” she would have relayed information to me about another region and I could have gone there, first. Instead, I then set off to rescue her and ended up in the complete opposite direction.

For me, the only real issue I’ve been having is just that the clues are still overly obtuse. I know this is a huge point for fans that makes La-Mulana what it is, but I would love to just have a bit more guidance ??in-game. At points, characters will chime in with what they think is a hint only for you to realize you’re missing an item that you never even knew existed. When you eventually get around to finding that item, you’re now in some other spot?? where you’ve forgotten the room they originally told you about to use that item.

Fast travel still exists like in the original, but the points often require you to backtrack through a bunch of tough platforming sect??ions that can be littered with sudden traps or instant death. To say it gets annoying is an understatement. At least teleporting around to the various areas triggers a quicksave, but it still sucks to get a plan in your head and have it immediately crushed when you plummet into a pit of lava and perish.

Even with that frustration, though, I still want to play La-Mulana 2. I think the dread of trying to race through it for review triggered the worse parts of my brain, but I really do want to conquer the challenges that Nig??oro has concocted. The refreshing lack of guidance is a real joy for me since it reminds me so much of the games that I cut my teeth on. That and the music is just fucking incredible, which makes me want to sit around and simply listen when I get utterly lost.

It may be a while before I ever reach that finale, but La-Mulana 2 is every bit as engaging and well-crafted as its predecessor. In a lot of ways, I prefer it over the original for the added level of polish it h?as. I think by the time I do conclude Lumisa’s journey, I ??may have my personal favorite metroidvania game to return to.

_{[This review in progress is based on a retail build o?f the game provided ??by the publisher.]}

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Eg-Lana awaits!

La-Mulana 2 is coming very soon, so developer Nigoro is going to be holding a live stream straight from Akihabara, Japan to celebrate the occasion. The entire development team behind the sequel will be present and ready to discuss anything and everything La-Mulana. The team is teasing a bunch of never before heard anecdotes and development insights into both titles, though the big news will likely be a release date for?? the game and possibl??e footage.

??The stream will start at 7:30 PM (PST) and will be broadcast on YouTube. I've included the embed below so you can just come straight here when it starts.

The La-Mulana 2 LiveStream Party! [Steam Community]

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Mulbruk is best waifu

It has been a couple of months since we last heard anything about La-Mulana 2. The kickstarted sequel to the original cult hit was given the vague release date of "this summer." Now, out of the blue, developer Nigoro has posted a Steam community forum titled, "La-Mulana 2 Coming Soon." Holy cow!

Going for $24.99 and coming to Humble, Steam, GOG and Playism's website, La-Mulana 2 is probably right around the corner. To hype people up, Playism will be hosting a live stream event on July 29. Maybe they'll be showing off a fin?al build of the game or possibly springing the release on u?s. Whatever happens, though, I love when games randomly release out of the blue.

La-Mulana 2 Coming Soon, Special Event Planned! [Steam Community]

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Archaeological action exploration game

La-Mulana was regarded by some as the hardest game ever. ??This isn't going to change, though Nigoro's Takami Naramura wants ?it to be slightly more intuitive so perhaps all those deaths don't lead to warranted frustration and quits.

Other than that, La-Mulana 2 seems like more of the same, though it will run in a new engine with wide screen support. And, as the daughter of the first's?? main character, y?ou'll be gallivanting through ruins with a Norse twinge rather than Aztec and Mayan.

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Break out the curry

Over the weekend, La-Mulana 2 broke $200,000 in pledges?. That was the amount needed for Nigoro to develop this thing. It's happening. With time to spare, no less.

The studio has also released the Tokyo Game Show demo of La-Mulana 2 and it is playable even if you aren't a Kickstarter backer. You will, however, need to create a Playism account which takes about ten seconds. Check it out! I knew I should??'ve stayed away from that boulder. Couldn't resist.

There's still a great deal of unfunded stretch goals, many of which are out of reach at the current pace of funding. I mean, half of 'em don't even have prices associated with the goal -- only question marks. At least we got two important goals funded: Curry Party and Curry Hell. "Curry is the soul of La-Mulana, and curry will be the soul of our team."

The Big Update [Kickstarter]

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The 'Curry Hell' stretch goal is a must

If you weren't already sold on the existence of another La-Mulana, watch this Kickstarter pitch video for the game -- equal parts silly and informative, it's one of the best I've seen. Developer Nigoro is back with the help of Playism, who is publishing and localizing La-Mulana 2 as well as running the crowdfunding campaign for the action-adventure title.

While this is a sequel, playing La-Mulana beforehand isn't necessary. The???? new game stars the original protagonist's daughter, Lumisa Kosugi, and her journey through the Eg-Lana ruins.

Nigoro is primarily targeting PC (and Stea?m) however there are quite a few stretch goals, some of which have to do with members of the development team eating curry, and others relating to handheld and console ports. The base funding goal is $200,000 which is entirely feasible.

Oh, and La-Mulana is $1.49 (90 percent off) on Steam for the next 48 hours (thanks, Scuffles).

La-Mulana 2 [Kickstarter]

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