Recent reviews by Ooparts

A strong update to a classic.

So close to being a good game, but lacks polish. The translation is clunky, the mechanics are not adequately explained, and occasionally breaks your file with a game ruining bug. For example, I reached a boss and after the introductory cut scene, the boss just didn't appear for the fight. I quit out and reloaded back to the arena with no boss. All progress lost. I'm just glad it happened in time to refund. Don't buy this game.

A good concept spoiled by terrible characters and an even worse combat system.

A worthy successor to the original. Solve puzzles and argue with robots that call themselves human.

A great sequel that builds on all the best elements of the original.

If you've ever wondered what a game based on the axiom "it's not the destination, it's the journey" would be like, here's your answer.

Update: This game not getting nominated for a 2020 Steam award is a crime.

A fun little bloody romp.

A great 4x with a reasonable learning curve

A city building sim for people that get bored playing city building sims. Build homes for your people, gather resources, and unlock tech all the while battling against frigid temperatures and a population ready to riot if you dare make them eat soup. Multiple scenarios and difficulty add to replayabilty and the new endless mode gives you a chance to build your own perfect little frozen nightmare town. With more content promised, this game is highly reccomended for anyone who likes resource management and planning, and it brings some much needed tension to a genre more commonly known for being relaxing.
The only thing that could make this game any better would be a custom scenario builder.

I backed this on Kickstarter having thoroughly enjoyed its predecessor. Here's what I think are the major improvements over the original:

+Tight controls. Lumisa has much smoother handling and mobility than her dad including greater mid-air control, the ability to crouch and crawl, and a general improved responsiveness to button presses. If you take a hit, miss a ledge, or botch a wall grab, it's your fault, which wasn't always the case in La-Mulana.

+Lore galore. The story of the original La-Mulana was spooled out slowly and indirectly with only occasional exposition from Xelpud or Mulbruk. In contrast, La-Mulana 2 has a huge cast of NPCs, an in-game encyclopedia, and flavor text on every item that enriches the journey through Eg-Lana. I often revisited NPCs just to see if they had a reaction to an area I unlocked or the boss I just killed.

+"Hit Deborah cliff with your head to make a hole". As much as I loved La-Mulana, many of its puzzles were obscure to the point of being almost unsolvable. If you could complete La-Mulana without ever consulting a walkthrough, I salute you. La-Mulana 2 is not without its mind-benders, but, for the most part, if you're paying attention, you can solve most of the mysteries of Eg-Lana on your own. Just remember, you'll find hints in the very beginning of the game to help you solve puzzles hours later - don't be afraid to backtrack and re-read a few tablets once you have the benefit of context.

Here's where I think La-Mulana 2 fell short, but none of them were deal-breakers for me:

-Poor boss variety. Other reviews pointed this out, but most of the boss fights didn't feel as interesting or rewarding as the original. Somewhat related, the boss music wasn't very memorable. One of the cool things La-Mulana did with its soundtrack was that, while each boss had its own theme, they were all variations on a single track. Every fight had a familiar soundtrack, but with a twist based on the cultural inspiration of the individual boss. That wasn't the case with bosses in La-Mulana 2.

-Marionette mini-bosses. I think this is a by-product of the Unity engine, but all the larger enemies are composed of what look like separately modeled body parts that are overlayed. As a result, mini-boss movement in particular looks like they are being moved by strings with individual parts showing jerky, disconnected motions.

-The last field felt like it was put together in a hurry without the care and attention given to all the other areas. It's a stripped down version of the Hell Temple from La-Mulana. Credit to NIGORO, though, for the terrifying flashback I had when I entered and heard the first few beats of "Treasure Sealed Off."


On the whole, if you liked La-Mulana, you'll like La-Mulana 2. I'm looking forward to my next playthrough, where, maybe I can finish in less than 39 hrs.