Is this better than first?

[XxX GH0ST XxX]

I played the first one and it wasn't bad, but seemed a bit clunky. Is this one any better?

[Northgod]

It's difficult to say. In some ways it's better, in some other it's not. More or less it's the same quality. I still prefer the first one, but maybe for nostalgia.

[Northgod]

But right now it has many bugs, so better wait for a few patches.

[Lyart]

It depends on what you like and dislike in the first one. I really loved both for two differents things actually, they have both things I love and some things I like less, but they are still two very nice games. As Northgod said, there are some bugs and softlocks that could be annoying and ruin your experience. If you are not in a hurry to play this game, you should wait some fixes before.

[Broso]

Puzzles in this are generally a little less cryptic and hints a little less vague, some lategame stuff is still very cryptic though. But you can't mess up es much stuff permanently as in the first.

Enemy loadout on hard mode is borderline insane but that too becomes manageable as you get more upgrades.

As for it being "clunky", I'm afraid that hasn't really changed. Especially swimming mechanics still feel completely busted.

Overall I'm leaning towards liking this one more so far.

[Russian Sly]

No.

[Sakura Hana]

actually there's slightly like 10% or 20% a little bit more jumping control than the first one (you couldnt turn around with a normal jump unless you had a wall in front of you in the first one), puzzles are a bit less cryptic yes, but you're still bound to get lost for a while, i dont think it dissapoints and i feel it's nicer than the first one in terms of puzzle gameplay, there's... probably 100x more death traps tho.

[Citronvand]

Hard to say, haven't finished it yet. So far the puzzles has been a lot more straightforward. Otherwise it feels more of the same, which is not a bad thing. Like others have said, some things are better, some things are worse. If you like the first one, you are probably going to like this one and vice versa.

[astromyxin]

i think the jump control is way better than 10-20%. being able to turn around mid-air is pretty huge for a platformer. that said, having simple jump mechanics is one of the perks of the original game. it's not like the controls were really bad in the original; you just had to work with a very limited range of what you can do in the air, and it's part of what made certain puzzles interesting.
i do prefer the way jumps, etc. control in la mulana 2 though, and i think basically everything in the sequel is better aside from guardian fights, which don't quite seem as epic.

[astromyxin]

honestly my favorite part of la mulana was when i first started and was figuring out all of this weird sh*t, like software, etc., without a guide. i think that would be a similar experience if you started with la mulana 2, but i associate that "wow, what is even going on in this game?" aspect of the game with my experience with the first.

[Triggerfisk]

I think it's worth mentioning that it's probably much more similar to La-Mulana 1 than you think. People are always going to talk about the differences, but honestly, it's basically more of the same, which is great for those of us who have been excited for this game for years.

[Tritoch]

It's similar to La-Mulana 1 except with better controls, and I'd say there are more unavoidable death traps and fake floors in this.

[zaku_zelo]

No. Level and boss design are a lot worse, there's way more ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ instant-death traps, and the lack of certain quality of life things is even more baffling than in the first. It's still alright, but definitely not better.

[XxX GH0ST XxX]

Thanks for all the feedback, especially about the jump controls. That was one of the things I meant by "clunky" from the first one. May give this a shot once they work the bugs out.

[astromyxin]

I just went back and played the original game for a bit, and I can unequivocally say that I vastly prefer the sequel now. Everything looks and controls so much better in the sequel, and I love the amount of NPCs and lore that are crammed in, and honestly, Lumisa dressed as a valkyrie, swinging a katana around, looks way cooler than Lemeza hopping around like a nick jr. character. I think the devs did an amazing job of making a game that is exactly in the style and spirit as the first game, but just polishing everything nicely.

[El Rey de la Karnov]

+ Platforming is much better, you have much more control mid air and level design takes this in consideration. You can also grab from stairs during a jump. Can also crouch to evade stuff and use in puzzles.
+ Amazing character designs and artwork
+ More involved use of mantras

= Puzzles are still great
= Lore still great
=/- Text saving still bad

- Worse presentation in general. Boss design and level visuals are not as good as the original.
- Bosses also significantly easier
- Little invulnerability post hit leads to silly enemy+spike combos
- Music still good but not as memorable
- World design not as cohesive and unique among levels, most areas look samey
- Lots of bugs as of now
- Translation is wonky. Some hints are unclear and make certain puzzles harder, and seems to be more a translation problem than the developer's fault. Also, for some reason everyone talks super casually and swears a lot. Dunno if this was in the Japanese text, but the first La Mulana wasn't like this, and doesn't look good now.

All in all, it's a worthy sequel, but not a better game IMO. Lots of rough spots and bugs. I'd love to have this game's controls in LM1 though.