Review: La-Mulana 2 (Steam)

The long-awaited sequel to La-Mulana, La-Mulana 2 follows Lumisa Kosugi as she explores the ancient ruins of La-Mulana. Desperate to find the cause of the recent slew of monsters appearing from the ruins, Lumisa discovers the “other” La-Mulana: the ruins known as Eg-Lana.

Pros:

• Pixel art graphics in the game with beautifully hand-drawn art interactions.
• 3484MB Download size.
• Steam achievements.
• Controller support.
• Game text- English, Chinese, and Japanese.
• Graphics quality preset- Low, High and Best.
• Keyboard support.
• Can rebind both the keyboard and controller.
• Tutorial/help is drip fed to you via your tablet.
• Tablet- Here you activate/deactivate apps (has a memory limit), Look at the map, Read messages etc.
• Fast travel to any discovered save point.
• An action platformer with puzzle mechanics gameplay. Very Metroidvania.
• A central camp where you can use the shops, Savepoint and Spa to replenish HP.
• Game timer.
• Seven main weapons and over ten sub-weapons.
• Save points all around and you have 15 save slots.
• Uncover the map as you explore.
• Side art on the borders of the screen.
• Really clever level design, No screen feels the same.
• Discover shortcuts.
• Gold- the currency used for shops.
• Glossary- Look at detailed descriptions of everyone/thing in the game. You add to the glossary as you meet/kill people/enemies.
• Proper adventure game.
• Hidden traps.
• Constant on edge feeling topped off with excitement.
• Difficult.
• Strong risk-reward factor.
• Treasure chests around the levels and have a strict, Solve the puzzle to get the loot mechanic.
• Well, paced unlocks.
• Addictive.
• Around 20 apps to install on your tablet like maps, text reading and so much more.
• Destroys game time.
• Boss fights.
• Strong decent story.
• Massive game world.
• Tombstones- Give clues/lore/random text.
• You play screen by screen.
• No loading screens.
• Default it is just you and your whip.
• So much depth.
• No hand holding.

Cons:

• Lacks any in-depth graphics options.
• No tutorial area.
• Buttons only show default button 1 button 2 for the controller.
• Instructions not always clear.
• Difficult.
• Slight learning curve like the way jump works, Its bit more spongey than games like Mario.
• Instances of broken English.
• Bats, in particular, are bad to fight as the path they follow isnt the best and they spend a lot of time out of shot.