La-Mulana (also written as La•Mulana) is a platform-adventure video game that is designed to look and feel like games from the MSX system. It was first released on June 27, 2006, in Japan for Microsoft Windows computers. The game was originally only available in Japanese, but an English translation patch was created by Ian Kelley of AGTP. Later, the game was completely redesigned with a 16-bit style and released for the Wii, followed by versions for PC, Mac, Linux, and PlayStation Vita.

Gameplay

The main character in the game is Lemeza, an adventurer who uses a whip to explore the tomb in La-Mulana. Even though the game has only one ending, there are many different ways to reach it. Completing tasks in the game, such as collecting special items or exploring new areas, does not follow a single path, and the game does not show players a clear route to take. Some items allow players to access new parts of the game, but the game does not explain where to go next.

The game was created to honor the MSX games from the 1980s, especially The Maze of Galious. It uses a 16-color palette and low-resolution graphics, which were common in those older games. The game’s opening scene copies the loading screen of MSX games by showing the amount of video memory available and displaying the MSX logo. Throughout the game, the main character carries a laptop that runs the MSX system, and players can collect or buy game cartridges for it. Some of these cartridges can be used together to create special effects.

At the start of the game, Lemeza has a whip and a small amount of health. Some items in the game help move the story forward by opening new areas or allowing players to collect other items. Other items give Lemeza new abilities that are needed to reach certain parts of the game.

Most enemies in the game do not cause serious harm to Lemeza. However, there are few ways to restore health, and being hit can cause Lemeza to fall from high places, leading to lost progress. A special item allows players to teleport back to the game’s only save point, as well as to other locations. According to the game’s manual, players should explore and solve puzzles as much as possible before teleporting back when health is low. However, some rooms are designed so that returning after teleporting is difficult, making teleportation risky in certain situations.

A key goal of the game’s design is to challenge players. As explained in the manual, the developers wanted to create tension by making players think carefully about their actions, similar to how a real-life archaeologist might avoid dangerous situations. Many parts of the game include traps and dead ends, which are described as being there to protect the sacred ruins. These features make the game more difficult and require players to plan their moves carefully.

Plot

Professor Lemeza Kosugi receives a letter from his father, Shorn Kosugi, who claims to have found the ruins of La-Mulana, a place believed to be the origin of all civilizations and to hold the secret treasure of life. Following his father’s clues, Lemeza travels to the ruins and discovers that they are made up of a mixture of structures from different parts of the world. As he explores further, Lemeza learns about a being called "the Mother," who fell from the sky and crashed onto Earth. The Mother wished to return to space and created different groups of people, called "children," to help her. These groups tried to find a way to send her back to space but failed, which made the Mother angry. She destroyed each group and started over with new races.

The seventh generation of children realized that it was impossible to help the Mother return to space. They discovered that the ruins of La-Mulana are actually the Mother’s body. To avoid being destroyed, they decided to give the Mother a peaceful end. They ensured that the eighth generation of children would grow up without knowing about the Mother, giving them the chance to succeed where others had failed. This eighth generation became humanity. To complete this task, Lemeza must remove the Mother’s soul and give it a physical form to destroy. After a difficult battle, Lemeza succeeds in stopping the Mother before she can create the ninth generation. He takes the treasure of life and escapes the ruins before they collapse. When he returns to the surface, his father, Shorn, appears and steals the treasure, forcing Lemeza to chase him toward the sunrise.

Development

On October 28, 2001, one month after completing their first game, GR3Project discussed what game they would make next. They decided to create something similar to The Maze of Galious, and development of La-Mulana began. A version of the game based on a sketch by director Naramura was created on November 6, 2001, and kept private until the game was released.

On April 28, 2002, a demo of the game was released, but it only included the first level. In 2003, when GR3Project updated their website, they shared progress updates through screenshots on the main page and a special section for La-Mulana. By early 2005, the team announced they had completed 70% of the game.

In August 2005, the game entered a testing phase with the release of an unfinished version. Many websites mistakenly believed this was the full release, partly due to language differences and the game being playable, even though it still lacked features like extra items, keyboard controls, MIDI mode, and the opening cutscene. A note on the download page listed these missing elements. The complete version of La-Mulana was finally released on June 27, 2006.

Reception

After the English translation patch for the game was released, gaming websites 1UP.com and Joystiq played and reviewed the game. They described it as a fun game, with 1UP.com stating it is "a great exploratory platformer similar to Metroid or Castlevania that closely matches the graphics and music style of an MSX game." Both websites noted that the game is very challenging.

The PlayStation Vita version of the game sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide in the first seven months of release, as reported by Pygmy Studio. By July 2016, the total number of copies sold had exceeded 600,000.

Legacy

The game was completely redesigned, with development beginning in 2007. It was released on Nintendo's WiiWare service by Nigoro on June 21, 2011, in Japan. The WiiWare version includes several changes. Some changes were made to make the game easier and improve its design to attract more players. Other changes were intended to give players who played the original game a new experience. Some changes were also required due to copyright issues. The graphics were updated to a smoother style, and the music was arranged in a more detailed musical form.

Major changes include:
• Bosses are completely different from the original game's bosses.
• The in-game map has minor changes, such as new rooms added and some rooms removed.
• Some puzzles were removed, while new puzzles were added.
• The game's engine was completely redesigned, along with new code.
• The MSX computer system was renamed "Mobile Super X."
• The melody of "Curse of Iron Pipe" was revised to avoid similarities to a track from the game Ashguine II.

Plans for releasing the game in North America and Europe were canceled by Nicalis, its original western publisher. In June 2012, EnjoyUp Games expressed interest in publishing La-Mulana. The game was released on September 20, 2012, in North America and Europe. It did not include downloadable content that was available in Japan, which was supposedly the reason for its initial delay.

A Windows version, based on the WiiWare version, was released on July 13, 2012, on Playism and in October 2012 on GOG.com and Desura. It was also released on Steam. This version includes multiple language options (Japanese, English, Spanish, and Russian), USB gamepad support (including Xbox 360 controller support), and additional features compared to the WiiWare version. These include Hell Temple (which required downloadable content on the WiiWare version) and a revised Time Attack mode.

A PS Vita version was announced at a Japanese indie game event sponsored by Sony and Playism in September 2013. Developed by Pygmy Studio, this release was titled La-Mulana EX and included a Monster Bestiary and gameplay adjustments. The game launched in Japan on December 17, 2014. Rising Star Games published the English version in North America on March 3, 2015, and in Europe on March 4, 2015.

In January 2014, a Kickstarter campaign was launched to fund the development of La-Mulana 2. The game was released on July 30, 2018, and focuses on Lemeza's daughter as she searches for her father. The sequel includes a greater focus on Norse mythology compared to the first game. It was released on Nintendo Switch in Japan on June 27, 2019.

A version containing both the first game and the sequel, La Mulana 1 & 2, was released on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One on March 17, 2020, in North America, and on March 20, 2020, in Europe.