La-Mulana
A tribute to MSX games with punishing exploration and puzzles.
La-Mulana (written as La•Mulana) is a platform-adventure game that mimics the style and feel of MSX titles. It came out in Japan for Windows on June 27, 2006, and was originally Japanese-only; an English translation patch was later made by Ian Kelley of AGTP. A full 16-bit remake was later developed for the Wii, and then for PC, Mac, Linux, and PlayStation Vita.
The player controls Lemeza, a whip-wielding archaeologist exploring the tomb inside La-Mulana. Though there is only one ending, the path to it is non-linear: completing objectives—gaining power-ups and reaching new areas—has no set order or obvious recommended route. Many power-ups unlock new areas, but the game offers no hints about where to go.
As a tribute to 1980s MSX games, especially *The Maze of Galious*, the game uses a 16-color palette and low resolution. Its opening sequence parodies an MSX load screen, showing the amount of video RAM and an MSX logo. Lemeza carries an MSX laptop throughout the game and can collect or buy ROM cartridges, many of which can be combined for special effects.
Lemeza starts with a whip and low vitality. Some items advance the plot without granting abilities—they simply open new areas or allow other items to be taken—while others give abilities and are required to access new zones. Most non-boss enemies deal little damage, but there are few ways to restore health, and getting hit often knocks Lemeza off a hard-to-reach ledge, wasting progress. An early item lets him teleport back to the start (the only save point) and to various waypoints. The manual advises exploring and solving puzzles until life runs low, then teleporting back before risking death. However, actions in certain rooms can make returning after warping difficult, so teleporting is not always wise.
The design emphasizes difficulty. The manual explains that developers were disappointed by the lack of challenge in many games and wanted to create tension. They gave the example that a real archaeologist would think twice before jumping into a dark pit, whereas in many games it is too easy to try, die, and reload. The game creates tension with traps that can easily catch reckless players, plus several complete dead ends from which only teleportation offers escape. These traps are explained as protecting the sacred ruins.
In the plot, Lemeza Kosugi, an archaeology professor, gets a letter from his fat
- Release date
- June 27, 2006 (original Windows version)
- Developer
- GR3Project (later Nigoro)
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows, Wii, PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation Vita
- Genre
- Platform-adventure
- Inspired by
- The Maze of Galious and MSX games of the 1980s
- Notable feature
- Non-linear exploration with many traps and dead ends
Lore & Background
The game follows Lemeza Kosugi, a whip-wielding archaeologist exploring the ruins of La-Mulana, which are revealed to be the body of a being called 'the Mother.' The Mother fell from the sky and created various races (her 'children') to find a way to send her back to space. When each race failed, she destroyed them. The seventh generation concluded that the only solution was to grant her a merciful death, so they arranged for the eighth generation (humanity) to grow up ignorant of the Mother, giving them the will to destroy her. Lemeza must draw out the Mother's soul, give it physical form, and defeat it. After the battle, Lemeza's father Shorn steals the treasure, and Lemeza chases him into the sunrise.
Reader's Guide
La-Mulana is significant as a deliberate homage to the MSX-era games, particularly The Maze of Galious, using a 16-color palette and low resolution. Its design philosophy emphasizes difficulty and tension, with few life-restoration options, many traps, and complete dead ends. The game's non-linear structure allows multiple paths to the single ending, but provides no guidance. The original 2006 release was only in Japanese, but an English patch expanded its audience. The 2011 WiiWare remake toned down difficulty and updated graphics and music, and later versions on PC, Mac, Linux, and PlayStation Vita reached over 600,000 copies sold by July 2016. The game's legacy includes influencing later indie titles that embrace retro aesthetics and challenging exploration.
Did You Know?
- The game's opening sequence parodies the MSX load screen, displaying available video RAM and the MSX logo.
- The protagonist carries a laptop MSX throughout the game and can collect or buy ROM cartridges that combine for special effects.
- An open testing version released on August 17, 2005, was mistaken by many websites as the final release due to language barriers.
- The PlayStation Vita version sold over 300,000 copies worldwide within its first seven months, surpassing 600,000 by July 2016.
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