La Mulana Update(s)

By: Brandon McCartin (BMcC)

On: February 11th, 2007

I’ve got just a few quick updates for you on the State of La Mulana:

One, White Knell’s guide has been updated and should be entirely consistant with the English version of the game now. It’s not a walkthrough, but it is an excellent place to look if you’re confused or get stuck or something.

B, the English patch has been updated to version 1.01, probably correcting spelling mistakes and such. (I know I’ve seen at least one.)

Lastly, looking at the logo, isn’t the game called “La-Mulana?” With a hyphen? Or maybe even “La-MuLana?” Perhaps?

Further Updates: This may already be solved, but if the update doesn’t translate the manual, download one here. (Thanks for havin’ my back, Derek and Shih Tzu!)

I also found this: A high quality MP3 soundtrack of the game. Made by the original creators, I think.

As for the difficulty complaints… they’re pretty justified. I think the developer may have allowed for a few design oversights by making the game so unapologetically retro. It’s particularly hard to start. But trust me, this game is a gem at its core.

This is my advice: Use the guide. It’s not so bad if you only use it when it’s necessary. If you’re having trouble starting out, get the Save ROM, Hand Scanner, Glyph Reader, Grail, and Shell Horn as soon as possible. (It shouldn’t take too long, really.) And wander a bunch, breaking pots and killing enemies for cash.

I’m not afraid to admit it took me like five tries before I got rolling. But I didn’t have a guide, did I? :P

Posted in Freeware, Platformers, Windows | Tags: NIGORO

Ugh

I was enjoying this game until i realize i’d have to play the game for hours on end just so i can get the items to start playing this game. lame
http://www.arsecast.com DrDerekDoctors

Pff! It takes less than half an hour from the start to get the Grail and once you have that you’re golden! GOLDEN!
Bobette

Sometimes games are just too hard to be fun.

The same goes for some men.
http://www.streetcornerarcade.com Faunis

For me, it’s fun BECAUSE it’s hard.
Grabladon

This game is hard, but it’s still fun. I do agree that some games are too ridiculously hard, but not this one. La Mulana is merely ridiculously hard… and AWESOME!
pragma

@BMcC: I’ve always pronounced “La.Mulana” as either “Lah-MOO-Lah-NA” or “Really f-ing hard game.” I’m not sure which is really correct.

To those who wonder what the fuss is about , it basically boils down to the best play elements, and some theme elements, of the following classics:

Pitfall
Impossible Mission
The Goonies I&II
Maze of Gallious
Castlevania I&II
Metroid
Peanut Butter & Chocolate

And it’s an MSX homage piece to boot
moi

It’s hard but it’s rewarding at least. I’ve seen worse.
Um, no

Patch returns an error and does NOT update the manual to English, only the game itself. Without readable manual, game is retarded. Deleted. Don’t waste our time with broken bullshit kthx.
Derek

Question: if the patch returned an error, then how would you know if it updates the manual or not? Take thumbs.db out of your graphics folder and try again kthx.
negative zero

oh yeh, finished it! incredibly hard. would’ve liked it better if the puzzles weren’t so cryptic. there are some puzzles that i’d never solve without the guide and forums, and looking at those kinda ruins the experience. then again, not looking at them will frustrate you to no end, and ruin it even more. it’s a good game i guess. in hell atm.
Shih Tzu

Um, no: This is an error with the patching program that was accidentally introduced in patch version 1.01. Ian has supposedly already fixed it, and I expect it’ll be available as soon as Gideon Zhi gets around to updating the site. (Or if Derek’s suggestion fixes the problem, you can do that do.)

Unfortunately, I hear it still won’t fix the bug where you act like an ass on the internet.
Crabbles

Not La Mulana Related:
Can we have some sort of reverse-time ordered comments page(newest first) where we can suggest links?

Want you to post about Platypus 2. I think a news item like that would get interesting comments on tigs ;)
http://www.arsecast.com DrDerekDoctors

I’m with Negative Zero on this, I’m finding the puzzles too cryptic as well, which detracts from how lovely I find the rest of the game.
http://www.tscreative.net BMcC

@nay-sayers: This game is good. It’s tough, yeah… but fair.

@pragma: That’s how I pronounce it too. But how should I _type_ it? :)

And unfortunately most of us Americans haven’t even heard of MSX. :

@NegativeZero: Hell already?! Sheesh. I really do suck.

@Dr. Graham Arsecast: Yeah, that’s my biggest complaint as well. I’d probably never figure out some of these puzzles on my own. But are you still digging the rest of the game as much as I?
http://www.arsecast.com DrDerekDoctors

Not at the moment, but it’s purely from a lack of effort on my part as a redirect my brain towards programming and pixelling.
Zaratus

It does not take hours to get enough money for the starting stuff – if you go by killing enemies, yes, but just get gold from pots. Just from the areas you can explore outside, you get enough for the save cartridge, and the hand scanner – the horn is found outside.

Then, progress into the ruins – early in, you’ll get a health upgrade, and there’s more money to be found in pots. Explore a bit. You should be able to get the Grail at the very least without needing the glyph reader. Just explore the first area of the ruins until you get the cash. Just watch out for traps! I’ll admit to not getting the grail right away and exploring the next area because I thought you needed an item to push blocks. You just have to wait a few seconds, and they’ll move.

Eventually, the stuff inside the pots inside the ruins comes back, though I’m not sure what triggers it – if saving and loading does it, or a certain amount of time passed… Not sure there.
Prio

You can push the red “doors” open (but only from one side, they’re one-way) much the same as you push the blocks. I refuse to apologize for blatantly spoiling that particular “puzzle.”
You need the glyph reader to make sense of the tablets. You DON’T need the glyph reader to read a dead explorer’s journal. You can limp along pretty decently for awhile leeching off of their notes.
Monsters drop 1 coin when dropping money. A money pot drops 10, and doesn’t fight back.
Loading a saved game magically sets your life to maximum, but sets your “experience” to zero.
Outside the first ruins area, you risk getting trapped with no way out besides the grail. So, yeah, bringing the grail with you is a good idea. On a related note, if you’re underwater and have no waterproof case, you can’t use the grail! (F2 stops working.)
Keep a notebook. A real notebook.
Bats exist to make your life a living hell. If you find a scroll of genocide lying around somewhere, you know what to do.
Much later in the game: there is an easier way to reveal the serpent staff than what the guide says.

If you’ve gotten the third seal and have read a tablet in Confusion Gate talking about “daisies” and have the feather and the axe and the ice cape and have like totally read the guide for everywhere you’ve visited and it isn’t helping you, I can’t help you, ‘cuz that’s where I’m hopelessly stuck.
Prio

I totally meant to do that.
Prio

Never mind figured it out ARGH I HATE THIS GAME.
http://www.TScreative.net BMcC

Hey, awesome posts Zaratus and Prio!

Yeah, I’ve got a real love/hate thing going with this game too. I’ll quit out and shut down my computer in disgust, then be back in the game five minutes later.
klez

This is really a love/hate game for most people; I love it just because of the old-school feel, and a lot of people hate it because of the old-school feel. You really need time to get “into” the game: the pacing, the mechanics, the puzzles are all old-schooled when compared to the recent generations of games.

And don’t be afraid to ask questions and clues about the game; I mean, that’s how old-school games worked (more-or-less): you’ve got rumors and hints from friends, magazines etc. Who can finish the original metroid and zelda without any hints or guides at ALL anyways?

Also: pots always contains the same thing and they only regenerate when you save & reload. It’s a good habit to remember what pots have coins (tons @ the enterance gate) so you can come back for them everytime you reload.
jessthemullet

I’ve found the first gem, and the room where the boss is, but I don’t know how to make the boss appear. I’ve got the reader, the translator chip, the horn, and the grail. I’m not sure what to do now. I’m sure it’s something obvious that I’m overlooking, but I don’t know what.
Zaratus

There’s also a pot in a room with the crocodile things in the twin labyrinths with a respawning 30 coins. (I think the first time you get it, it’s worth 100 coins)

I’m currently stuck on the final boss. Fourth form. I’ve figured out part of the riddle for it, working on the “endless sound of waves” part. Original idea for that wasn’t right. Trying one of two other ideas now. Sheesh, it’s a pain to get back there though, since that one Grail spot doesn’t work anymore. =/

jessthemullet: Use the red jewel in front on the Ankh to summon the boss.
Zaratus

Hah, success! Was quite close there on the final form.

Was hoping for a bit more from the end sequence, but then again, from the style of the game, what else can you expect. =P
jessthemullet

I can’t find the ankh, though, that’s what’s bugging me. I might have just over-looked it somewhere, or missed the switch to make it appear.
Ian Kelley

Hey all, just want to drop a big apology for the 1.01 patch. I really dropped the ball on that one.

For those wondering about the manual and why it was all wonky, the La-mulana “unpatched” and the “patched” files had the manual in a different directory, making the patch about 500k larger than it needed to be. I tried to fix it by putting the manual of the “patched” and “unpatched” versions in the same directory, and while it seemed to work on my PC…well, the result is history. Sorry. :P
matt

play it cool
matt

hi
matt

n
matt

yo
matt

hehe
matt

30 ya
Seth

This is probably hopeless, as I’m not really sure if anyone checks this anymore, but if anyone does and can help me….

How EXACTLY do I get into the Confusion Gate? I mean, I can access it from the Temple of the Moon, and I can walk through a lower section of it and head out to the Graveyard of the Giants, but I can’t seem to access it from any other point!

Now, I know there’s a tablet one on screen that’s up a ladder between two doorways that if you read it, it goes on discuss some stuff about people being fools for various different reasons, and that each type of fool took either the left or right path, and then tells you to make the wise choice. I’ve tried looking at other sources online, and I’m hearing something about having to wait at a certain spot in the room for a certain amount of time. My question, then, is where EXACTLY do I stand, and for how long?
Blip?

Can’t help you.

Haven’t played the game.

LOL
Blip?

Anyways…

Your comment appears on the main site under the three most recent comments.

I’m sure if you keep posting your question, someone will probably notice you there who can help you. Maybe.
Seth

You probably have a point there. Hopefully.

*crosses fingers*
Derek

_”The part you are probably stuck at in the Confusion Gate as well (it’s the part that messed me up) is the invisible ladder, to the right of the tablet that mentions ‘Fools’.”_

I read this on some other website.
Seth

That would be it.

How do I get it to appear, is the question. Or can I just climb up it without having to worry about it becoming visible?
Seth

Er…scratch that. It’s just there. Whatever.

Thanks, though. :)