A brutal masterpiece of a game. La-Mulana is a game with uncompromising vision, with little regard as to how accessible or playable it makes the game, and that vision is a game in which the player feels fully immersed in a hostile, divine, cryptic and labyrinthian set of ruins. This game wants you to hesitate with every step, knowing full well that not so far into the game you're able to easily save progress. And yet, the prospect of dying instantly from simple lack of judgement could be and is most certainly around the corner. That and, the game is utterly indifferent and uncaring as to whether or not the player can overcome it. It is simply a challenge for its own sake, as would any ruins containing ultimate power, guarded by traps and beasts and cryptic riddles alike. Strangely enough, La-Mulana is also fine with punishing the player for doing what they are meant to be doing; exploring and whipping the wrong thing will hurt you and set you back in progress as to heal. Sometimes the game feels there is no rhyme or reason to its logic, it's hard to even call it fair or fun.

And yet, think it is exactly this why La-Mulana is such an incredible game. Once you understand the kind of game it is being, you cannot help yourself feel utterly immersed in its challenge and mystery. You will need to write notes, record everything you've read, draw maps and remember anything that could be a lead based on whatever keys you have available to you. No other game has captivated the very feel of venturing into the unknown for me like La-Mulana, or one that simply does not care if I can solve its riddles or not. While the game has parts and riddles and leaps of logic that I simply cannot think most reasonable player should expect to understand or figure out besides blindly stumbling around, there is a certain admiration towards its experimental nature to simply have its flaws; it tries so many things and what works is so memorable.

This game means an awful lot to me, both in terms in how unique and uncompromising it is its vision. But also in just how much love and care went into crafting this experience, from the music, the environmental design, the drawing of inspiration from nearly everything, its puzzles and even its story and lore. A truly passionate game that replicates what I can only imagine how it'd really feel to be Lemeza: The game will not tell you the answer, you simply must figure it out. The game is happy enough to kill you at any point, like it has done to countless others. It is meant to feel unconquerable and yet with every step of progress you make, and every step deeper into the ruins of La-Mulana is made deeply satisfying and rewarding. Whether it be the final piece of the puzzle that clicks into place, uncovering the last hint to make you understand what exactly to do, or even pushing forward and besting its more powerful enemies and traps, La-Mulana makes every bit of progress feel earned and rewarding. Never have I felt a game so indifferent to the player, made so clear in both gameplay and story, and yet so engrossing to try anyway.

There is no other game like La-Mulana. It is so sure in itself, even when it stumbles. It's uncompromising in how it feels it should be to experience. That is why I consider it one of the greatest games ever created. Once you understand the beast La-Mulana is, and everything it does to achieve it, there is nothing else but to be enchanted and compelled by its very nature. A true testament of what the medium is capable of, La Mulana is the story that cares not if you can understand it. It uses its gameplay to the fullest extent to make you feel like Lemeza. I'd be hard pressed to change a thing about this game, even its most ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ and unfun aspects.

It has forever changed the way I look at the medium as a whole, I can simply only love and revere its braveness to be the game it desired to be.

A brutal masterpiece of a game. La-Mulana is a game with uncompromising vision, with little regard as to how accessible or playable it makes the game, and that vision is a game in which the player feels fully immersed in a hostile, divine, cryptic and labyrinthian set of ruins. This game wants you to hesitate with every step, knowing full well that not so far into the game you're able to easily save progress. And yet, the prospect of dying instantly from simple lack of judgement could be and is most certainly around the corner. That and, the game is utterly indifferent and uncaring as to whether or not the player can overcome it. It is simply a challenge for its own sake, as would any ruins containing ultimate power, guarded by traps and beasts and cryptic riddles alike. Strangely enough, La-Mulana is also fine with punishing the player for doing what they are meant to be doing; exploring and whipping the wrong thing will hurt you and set you back in progress as to heal. Sometimes the game feels there is no rhyme or reason to its logic, it's hard to even call it fair or fun. And yet, think it is exactly this why La-Mulana is such an incredible game. Once you understand the kind of game it is being, you cannot help yourself feel utterly immersed in its challenge and mystery. You will need to write notes, record everything you've read, draw maps and remember anything that could be a lead based on whatever keys you have available to you. No other game has captivated the very feel of venturing into the unknown for me like La-Mulana, or one that simply does not care if I can solve its riddles or not. While the game has parts and riddles and leaps of logic that I simply cannot think most reasonable player should expect to understand or figure out besides blindly stumbling around, there is a certain admiration towards its experimental nature to simply have its flaws; it tries so many things and what works is so memorable. This game means an awful lot to me, both in terms in how unique and uncompromising it is its vision. But also in just how much love and care went into crafting this experience, from the music, the environmental design, the drawing of inspiration from nearly everything, its puzzles and even its story and lore. A truly passionate game that replicates what I can only imagine how it'd really feel to be Lemeza: The game will not tell you the answer, you simply must figure it out. The game is happy enough to kill you at any point, like it has done to countless others. It is meant to feel unconquerable and yet with every step of progress you make, and every step deeper into the ruins of La-Mulana is made deeply satisfying and rewarding. Whether it be the final piece of the puzzle that clicks into place, uncovering the last hint to make you understand what exactly to do, or even pushing forward and besting its more powerful enemies and traps, La-Mulana makes every bit of progress feel earned and rewarding. Never have I felt a game so indifferent to the player, made so clear in both gameplay and story, and yet so engrossing to try anyway. There is no other game like La-Mulana. It is so sure in itself, even when it stumbles. It's uncompromising in how it feels it should be to experience. That is why I consider it one of the greatest games ever created. Once you understand the beast La-Mulana is, and everything it does to achieve it, there is nothing else but to be enchanted and compelled by its very nature. A true testament of what the medium is capable of, La Mulana is the story that cares not if you can understand it. It uses its gameplay to the fullest extent to make you feel like Lemeza. I'd be hard pressed to change a thing about this game, even its most bullshit and unfun aspects. It has forever changed the way I look at the medium as a whole, I can simply only love and revere its braveness to be the game it desired to be.