Repost x 9: La-Mulana

By: Tim

On: May 27th, 2007

La Mulana is a sprawling sidescrolling adventure which can be both brutally difficult, yet immensely satisfying. Tons of puzzles and traps abound, along with all sorts of goodies.

It’s rather difficult at the start, but it gets a bit easier when you get some health upgrades and the Grail so you can teleport out in a sticky situation, and teleport back, once you’ve read certain tablets. Refer to the first three La-Mulana LPs for instructions on getting the Grail.

The graphics were done completely retro, in the style of an MSX game. And one of your most important items, is your handy MSX computer. Now, with your trusty whip, journey into the ruins of La Mulana.

Screenshots, game, and translation patch available here: http://agtp.romhack.net/project.php?id=lamulana

Getting the horn from outside the ruins will let you know when you’ve solved a puzzle – more helpful than you might think, since a puzzle on one screen might change something multiple screens away.

Starting advice – first things first, get money to get the Game Master cartridge, to be able to save your game at the village elder, and a hand scanner. Break pots on the surface to find some money, but the money in those pots doesn’t respawn – and it’ll take too long to get money from the enemies – it’s best to head into the ruins once you’ve gotten all the money available on the surface. Money and items in pots inside the ruins will respawn when you load your saved game, and each pot always has the same thing in it, be it money, weights, or weapon ammo. The Glyph Reader is important to get as well.

(review by Zaratus)