Am I the only person who hates La-Mulana?

[mnoki]

When reading reviews or forum discussions it seems that everybody absolutely loves La- Mulana. I could not find single bad word on this game. It's described as true gem and one of the best indie game ever. I was so hyped for this game. I love puzzle-platformers and adventure games. I though it would be a great mix of games that I love since I was a kid - Preliminary Monty, Rick Dangerous, Lost Vikings, Another World, Tomb Raider, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Shadow of the Collosus etc. I wanted to love this game. I spent 5+ hours trying to play La-Mulana, visited few areas and it was the worst and most frustrating gaming experience I had in long time.

I hated jumping mechanic and "whip lag". I hated constant backtracking + enemies respawn when re-entering the rooms. I hated the save system. I hated the clunky menu. I hated unfair puzzles. I hated constant "stuck feeling". The whole game was one big frustration for me.

I don't want complain about game's quality (I know the game is deep, lenghtly and created with love) or discuss it's good or bad - I just wanted to ask if someone had similar feeling after trying the game?

[GeminiSaint]

There sure are others. La-Mulana isn't for everyone.
Anyway, did you find the Holy Grail? That makes everything easier and it's found in the first area of the ruins. Also, try and check the developers' help videos. They have one with Mulbruk explaining how to get started in the game.

[thejuiceweasel]

Well, I do love the game, but I absolutely can understand your problems with it.

It's particulalry frustrating if you don't like the controls, which are an integral part of the game. It controls like the old Castlevania titles, with a stiff jump and a lot of "slow timing". If you're more into twitchy controls, then it's easily going to piss you off.
Also the puzzles. They require a lot of backtracking and you are forced to write tablet texts down to remember the harder clues. It's less puzzle platforming and more translating the hints into graphic solutions, then managing all that within the huge open world full of respawning enemies. That can be tedious.

Basically, it's a very specific game and appeals to a very specific type of person, like Dark Souls. It can't appeal to everyone.
Not your fault for not seeing that beforehand, I mean, how could you? You're even admitting to its quality (and you do know what good games are, for sure). I mean, I know Miles Davis is a great musician, but I simply can't stand trumpets. Sometimes that's just how it is. ^_^

[Hidden Distance]

Publicado originalmente por thejuiceweasel:

Also the puzzles. They require a lot of backtracking and you are forced to write tablet texts down to remember the harder clues. It's less puzzle platforming and more translating the hints into graphic solutions, then managing all that within the huge open world full of respawning enemies. That can be tedious.

Yeah. Maybe I'm a bit weird like that, but it was something that drew me to the game - I kept a journal in my first playthrough where I wrote down clues I thought were important, cross referenced ideas, sketched tablet drawings.. it made me feel like I was acting out an archeological fantasy. When I started to solve the riddles and have revelations that led to huge progress in the game, it was intensely rewarding. Of course with that, not everything is flash and glamour; sometimes I was really stuck, but that was part of the fun for me. I can definitely see where people would not appreicate those features.

[thejuiceweasel]

Man, and some of those abstract riddles that need real symbologic knowledge, like an upside down pyramid representing a woman... that's really not fun for everybody. It's amazing when you get it, but if you are wandering around for hours in search of that "woman", that's reeeeally frustrating, especially if you just want to have fun playing a game.

[mnoki]

Thanks for answers.

Publicado originalmente por GeminiSaint:

Anyway, did you find the Holy Grail? That makes everything easier and it's found in the first area of the ruins.

Maybe the problem was I missed the grail (I read that it's hard to miss but I still missed it. I also read that it allows you to teleport between savepoints). Maybe I should read manual and watch tutorials before playing - I usually don't do that because I hate any kind of spoilers.

But still it would not help with strange moving mechanic and imho unfair puzzles.

[MGN001]

Publicado originalmente por thejuiceweasel:

Man, and some of those abstract riddles that need real symbologic knowledge, like an upside down pyramid representing a woman... that's really not fun for everybody. It's amazing when you get it, but if you are wandering around for hours in search of that "woman", that's reeeeally frustrating, especially if you just want to have fun playing a game.

To be fair, there was a tablet detailing that.

In a completely unrelated area.

[Dentorhedge]

LA-MULANA was not made for everybody. Perfectly normal. In a different discussion I wrote down spoiler free tips (strategy wise). They might help you get into it. I played a bit into the original three times, deleting it every time, but then I re-downloaded it again every time till' I was used to it.

[LennaLeFay]

One thing you should know - and note that I'm sure this won't affect your opinion but it is something worth knowing - is that the movement and whip lag mechanics are actually intentional and are done to put a sense of realism and danger in the game. This was mentioned on a developer blog around when the original game came out. Now, it is worth noting that there are other primary weapons in the game besides the whip, some of which have far less or even no lag. And yes, finding the Grail makes things a lot easier. The game is frustrating at times, yes, but often intentionally so, and it's not for everyone, but nice to see someone lodging criticism while still being accepting!

[Garlyle Wilds]

Publicado originalmente por Neurasthenic:

Thanks for answers.

Publicado originalmente por GeminiSaint:

Anyway, did you find the Holy Grail? That makes everything easier and it's found in the first area of the ruins.

Maybe the problem was I missed the grail (I read that it's hard to miss but I still missed it. I also read that it allows you to teleport between savepoints). Maybe I should read manual and watch tutorials before playing - I usually don't do that because I hate any kind of spoilers.

But still it would not help with strange moving mechanic and imho unfair puzzles.

Movement is a thing you'll get used to. It's supposed to be a little limiting and punishing when you screw up, but in a practical sense only in the completely optional bonus area does the game ever expect anything close to perfect mastery of it.

And if you haven't found the holy grail I'm not sure you'd even have encountered any of the puzzles that qualify as 'unfair'. Yes, some get pretty nuts later on - but literally everything in the game is told to you somewhere in the game. This isn't a game where you can just kind of crash your way through it, you need to pay the utmost attention to everything.

I'm not going to pretend La-Mulana's for everyone - it's really not. If you don't like the feeling of being challenged or having to stop and think or go digging, it's not for you. But the updated release fixes a lot of the completely absurd-level nonsense of the original.

[Ǵ̶͓̂͑lí̴̤̀̄́tcĥ̸]

Mind if I ask - When did you start playing games? As in, what year.

[Sicris]

La- Mulana has been one of my top 3 favorite games of all time ever since the original (other 2 being pretty much any touhou game or about half the original NES megaman games). I don't have the same feelings you have (everything that you listed that you didn't like is what made me fall in love with the game).

[an Aki]

It's ironic that you are critizing the orignal version of this game. The whip is not only faster in this version, but the save system is more user friendly.

[Sicris]

Publicado originalmente por Akimaye Hiroyorih:

It's ironic that you are critizing the orignal version of this game. The whip is not only faster in this version, but the save system is more user friendly.

Actually I don't think he knows about the upgrade to make the weapons faster is probably why he said that. 5 hours is not enough time to get that upgrade if it's blind run.

[an Aki]

Is the whip really that slow by default? It never seemed that way.
For some reason I'm thinking he's talking about the original MSX styled version.

[Guy Incognito]

if your really having trouble getting the hang of things i would suggest watching a playthrough video on youtube of the first area of the ruins, then try it yourself so you can get a handle on the gameplay elements.