La-Mulana 2 Reviews
Those who worked on the pixel art, on the aesthetics, or on the music, hats off to you. You did great work. I wish the game I played was of the same caliber.
The environments and especially their backgrounds are very nice to look at, and the story plus lots of lore and vague hints add tons of depth. However, it also creates an information overload problem for players. The first game had this issue too but not as much. I spent about 50 hours in the Eg-Lana ruins on this Indiana Jones-style adventure. La-Mulana 2 is available on Steam for $24.99. The game will also be coming to consoles, with physical editions in the plans, too. Can you survive the very deadly Eg-Lana ruins, or will they be your grave?
I still enjoyed this game for the way it offered some youthful nostalgia. It delivers a definite challenge. But LA-MULANA 2 is cut from the same cloth and does very little that's different from the first. While that doesn't make the game bad, it does make it frustrating.
It's overall a breathtaking game, but it's clearly not something for everyone and as I found out, it's not for the 2020 version of me. Now, introduce time travel and 2012 me is probably super into this game. But I can only confidently recommend those who want the sternest of retro-fueled gameplay challenges tackle this behemoth.
If you are looking for a deep Metroidvania game that will challenge you with hours of gameplay, La-Mulana 2 is worth checking out. It is a faithful recreation of the classic genre while telling a fresh story. The characters within have a fun sense of humor that will keep you entertained in the midst of the action. Even though the controls are not perfect, after a few hours of play, I found them less frustrating over time.
Naturally, this makes it a hard sell, something the pixel art does not help with, resulting in an experience that really caters to a specific demographic. You have to understand what you're getting into and your enjoyment will hinge on whether you picked correctly or not. Even with a guide, things can be rather confusing, as the presentation of the map doesn't quite make a ton of sense with the maps shown online. It's entirely possible to follow a guide or figure it out but La-Mulana 1 & 2 requires a bit more of an investment that most are likely willing to give.
Considering La-Mulana 2 released a handful of years after the remake of the original, I was expecting it to be a huge improvement. In many ways, it definitely is, but not as much as I had hoped.
But let me serve as a cautionary tale for those who want other things out of video games. If this game is for you, then it is absolutely incredible. Sadly, with its high difficulty and demandingly complex puzzles, it is most certainly not for me.
La-Mulana 2 builds on its predecessor's legacy and improves on nearly every aspect, the result being a Metroidvania-type of game with a very demanding difficulty level but also a very rewarding experience. With a visual environment that brings back memories of the 16-bit era, a marvelous soundtrack and a more detailed plot, La-Mulana 2 may not appeal to those who did not enjoy the original but anyone else will easily be all over it quickly enough.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
La-Mulana 2 is exactly the sequel that all fans waited for. Level design and puzzles are really astonishing, but frustration (a lot) and general confusion make La-Mulana 2 so difficult to play for the majority of players.
Review in Italian | Read full review
These portings are definitely the best chance for the toughest players to enjoy these games, if they couldn't play them in the past. Not recommended to players with little patience.
Review in Italian | Read full review
La-Mulana 2 is an absolutely solid sequel. Even though there are a few additions to the core gameplay loop, they don't dilute how unforgiving the game can be. The level of difficulty doesn't feel cheap, and obtuse puzzles can feel very rewarding when solved. The game is long enough to feel like you've squeezed more than enough value out of it, but it never drags on. The game has a few flaws here and there, but anyone who's looking for a tough platforming experience will be pleased with what they find in La-Mulana 2.
La-Mulana 2 is a hardcore metroidvania that can crush you everytime. Try to be patient and to learn from your mistakes and you'll be rewarded: it is a masterpiece.
Review in Italian | Read full review
La Mulana 1 & 2 return in a pack that will delight metroidvania lovers. Despite having some flaws, the adventures presented by these games are so iconic that it is very difficult to ignore them. A difficult game, but very well calculated to be tremendously satisfying.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
La-Mulana 2 is an excellent sequel to the original masterpiece. The combat is still just as satisfying as before, the puzzles aren’t nearly as cryptic but are still fun to solve, and the adventure is a fun one overall! My only real gripe is that it does have a slow start, unlike the first game, since it tries to ease the player in before opening up to the same sort of glorious open-ended exploration that made the first game magnificent, yet it’s still a great adventure with lots of different ways to replay it.
Overall, La Mulana 2 is a great successor to La Mulana, much to both my joy and chagrin. With gameplay improvements that don't make me still want to throw something out the window and more reasonable puzzles, to harder platforming, enemies, and enough instant death traps to make me flip a table, La Mulana 2 really didn't trade out any of the difficulty, just shifted it. I can't express just how great this game is to play, especially for those looking for a bit of nostalgia for those tough as nails old-school games.
For players who enjoy complexity and depth, there’s an ocean of possibility here which makes any other Metroidvania look like a puddle by comparison.
La-Mulana 2 doesn't reinvent compared to its predecessor, but it doesn't have to. The foundation left behind by the original La-Mulana is strong enough to justify a sequel that, on the whole, follows the same beats as the original. Exploration is deeply satisfying as Eg-Lana is one of the finest crafted worlds in a Metroidvania; puzzles require genuine use of critical thinking more than not; and, while the curve perhaps isn't as refined as in the original, the difficulty provides a consistent challenge from start to finish. La-Mulana 2 is more of the same, in the best way possible.
Your inner child who was willing to suffer through the hardships of NES platformers will thank you for buying this game.
The original La-Mulana was a masterpiece in its own right, but we’d contend that it’s been edged out by the sequel.