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Title: La Mulana Publisher: EnjoyUp Developer: Nigoro Platform: WiiWare Release Date: September 20, 2012 Genre: Action/Adventure MSRP: $10.00 ESRB: E10+ |
It’s amazing to think that a gem like La Mulana almost didn’t make its way to WiiWare outside of Japan.
La Mulana is designed to be a throwback to the 8- and 16-bit eras, and as such, it delivers loads of pixelated goodness. If the original PC version was supposed to emulate the look and feel of an MSX game, then the WiiWare version would be like the enhanced SNES port. The levels make use of multiple scrolling layers and the color palette makes use of a wide variety of colors, making the entire world feel alive – even while deep inside a tomb. The game also has an amazing localization, every character and piece of text has a ton of personality.
The sound effects work perfectly within the context of the game, but the real star here is the game’s soundtrack. The music of the game is complimentary to the style of the game, and hearing the many songs and sound effects in the game reminded me of booting up an old Konami game. Each new area has its own signature track, lending its own personality to the level. And with how many areas are in La Mulana, that’s a lot of music – and it is all good.
The controls, for the most part, work well. As an added bonus, La Mulana makes use of several different control styles, so if you don’t like using the Classic Controller, you can always use the Wii Remote or the Remote plus Nunchuk, or even a GameCube controller. My one concern (and probably my only concern during the entire game) was the jump function. Jumping is smooth while your character is moving left or right. However, if your character is standing still you can only jump straight up until a second after you start your jump, then you can steer mid-air. It is nothing game-breaking by any means, but it took me a few minutes to adjust to.
All the trappings of a modern game are here: frequent save points, multiple save slots, frequent ammo recovery, health recovery. The difference is that, much like being trapped in a real booby-trapped tomb, you really don’t know what to expect until you’ve already seen it. In that sense, you will die many, many times. There are trap doors, hidden entrances, spike pits and lightning bolts that will kill you in a single hit, and you will need to pay extremely close attention to every little detail in the game.
Because the game is non-linear, you are free to approach the levels in any order you see fit. Much like Metroid, however, when you add a new item to your inventory, you will want to go back and see what new things you can discover. It will take you many hours to complete La Mulana without directly following a strategy guide step by step, and even then, you will want to give it a second shot simply for the thrill of discovering things on your own.
Overall
It’s a damn shame that modern gamers have been pampered to the point where they may well give up at the slightest hint of challenge, because La Mulana dishes up challenge by the spoonful. On one hand, it has all the charm of a 16-bit game – pixelated backgrounds and sprites and midi/chiptune music. On the other hand, the WiiWare version of La Mulana offers everything you’ve come to expect from a modern platformer. For those that grew up in a past generation or want to experience platforming perfection, La Mulana should be an instant purchase.
