The real solution was the friends we made along the way - La Mulana Part 15/FINALE

Originally streamed on September 18, 2026 at twitch.tv/jakeapus_ Editing Note: This VOD marks the longest stream I've done at this point, a little over 7 and a half hours. My usual stream length is between 4 and 4 and a half, but finishing this game felt like a worthy exception. UNASKED FOR REVIEW: La Mulana is a reminder of a bygone era of video gaming, unapologetically displaying its pride to a ridiculous degree. I like this game, but empathize with a lot of common grievances that make it so divisive. Story/Lore: The framework surrounding the Mother and each generation of children/gods is pretty captivating at times. The feeling of starting in the village and entering the ruins for the first time, not knowing what I was truly undertaking, was surprisingly tense in the best way possible. Uncovering the countless lives of those who came before you in each area and discovering your role in it all was pretty neat. I loved the blend of various religions/mythologies across the world throughout every area. Art: Finding out that the original game released in 2006, was remastered/ported a number of years later, and playing it in 2026 was surprising. I say that because I think the graphics hold up well and have aged beautifully. I'm a bit biased when it comes to "retro" art styles though! The only negative point I have to make is that I wish some of the interactable pieces where more distinguishable from the backgrounds. Gameplay: OOOOO BOY....I'm still on the fence about how this game feels to play. My biggest complaints have to be the jumping, swimming, and damage knockback. The fact that there are some pretty precise platforming sections made the stalled aerial control frustrating to handle. The developers even acknowledge that the jumping isn't easy, which sucks frankly. Swimming runs parallel with the jumping, in that momentum can't be changed if you're moving in one direction. Getting out of the water also felt incredibly weak and unruly, but thankfully wasn't a common move you had to do. Lastly, I HATE THE DAMAGE KNOCKBACK. If you so much as sneeze wrong or stub your toe, say goodbye to the next couple of seconds because you can't do anything. This is one of the most infuriating mechanics to me, which felt even worse combined with required platforming sections. The only thing that can help you is a combination of softwares that get referenced in the game manual, which increases the time you're invulnerable after you take damage. Now for the good parts! The weapons and subweapons are really cool and had a lot of surprising uses across the game. It was fun experimenting at times with different combat encounters and realizing that pistol ammo is as valuable as good. A lot of the puzzles in the game were fascinating and very rewarding to solve, albeit with a little bruteforcing here and there. You'd be surprised at how simple some solutions are; there's a lot of fun interactions to be stumbled into! However, on the other side of that same detail is my impression that a few puzzles were unreasonably obscure and downright misleading. One of the most notable is the last puzzle before the final boss, which involves cross-referencing the game manual for the solution. Yes, it can be bruteforced, but it would have been better if the explanations were more thorough/specific. This extends to a number of other places, but that last puzzle is the biggest offender in my opinion. FINAL THOUGHTS: All in all, this is a quintessential puzzle metroidvania. It demands attention to detail, adherence to form, and an open mind. Apathy and ridicule are its quips, praise and reward are its concessions. It's going to be a while before I delve into La Mulana 2, but after this experience, I feel slightly more prepared (and equally anxious) for what may await back in the ruin!