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Mulaka Review


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5aabe98118b8e_Mulakalogo.png.74c298e4aa333d34b18d55ae7397d347.pngThere are plenty of games based on cultural mythologies—Greek, Roman, Norse, and of course numerous Japanese games draw from Japanese folklore. So why not one based on Native American beliefs and culture? Mulaka from developer Lienzo is one part action/adventure game and one part anthropological study thanks to the authentic details that tell the story of the Tarahumara people, a culture from northern Mexico that still exists today. Don't think this is some dry edutainment game though—Mulaka does a fantastic job of emulating the greats of the action/adventure genre and puts its own spin on exploration and combat. Best of all, you'll learn a thing or two about a culture you probably haven't even heard of.
 
All of the storytelling and world-building details in the game draw from Tarahumara culture, but it's totally possible to play Mulaka as any other adventure game. You begin by learning something is amiss with the land, and as a shaman—or Sukurúame—it's your job to commune with the local demigods and put things right. That broad narrative may not be anything particularly unique in video games, but knowing that all of the details about the gods, people, monsters, and beliefs are authentic reflections of the Tarahumara people gives all of the writing in the game a whole other intriguing dimension. This is definitely the type of game where you'll want to talk to everyone and read every description—you may even want to check out Lienzo's behind the scenes videos detailing their journey to faithfully represent and Tarahumara, they're worth watching. Plus the side characters you meet in Mulaka are pretty dang adorable; the style and tone of the game is very reminiscent of Okami (perhaps appropriately, since Okami draws so heavily from Japanese Shinto mythology).
 
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It's even more fitting that both Okami and Mulaka are action/adventure games, though this game relies upon a pretty standard formatting from one region to the next: in each area you explore to find three stones that unlock the gate to the boss. Of course, there's a bit more to it than that since there are different tasks you might need to complete to find a stone, and Mulaka does a great job of making the environments interesting and engaging. Every time you enter a new area you'll be raring to go exploring, especially since the game gives you a sort of radar ability that lets you know where collectibles or items of note are. When you start a level and see all of those icons just enticing you, you'll be ready to run immediately (one of the fun facts you'll learn about the Tarahumara in Mulaka, they are excellent runners). The one downside to exploration is the lack of any kind of map. The regions aren't very big but a map or mini-map still would have gone a long way toward keeping yourself oriented in the game world.

And even if each region follows the same "find three keys" pattern the game gives you new tools in each area to mix things up. You can collect herbs to create potions which can heal or grant useful abilities to progress, and when you meet a new demigod you earn a piece of their power and can briefly transform into an animal. Both potions and transformations allow you to explore in new ways, so it's always exciting to see what new nooks and crannies open up to you with each ability. The transformations are a lot of fun, even if it's a bit of a shame that their use is limited by your magic meter, but this just creates more gameplay opportunities to challenge your exploration abilities. Herb-gathering though can be little bit tedious. You need to collect multiple herbs to make a single potion—for example, three aloe plants make one healing potion—and you have to collect plants one at a time. Thankfully they grow together in little batches, but that really just makes the process seem more unnecessary: if three aloe plants almost always grow together anyway, why make the player pick three to make one potion? It's not terribly difficult but it seems like a pointless extra step. More annoying though is the way plants seem to grow randomly. Sometimes I was low on healing potions and could not find aloe anywhere, but then returning to that same level later I found plenty. Thankfully I was never in danger of completely running out or dying from a lack of healing potions, but the inconsistency was still a bit obnoxious.
 
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The action half of this action/adventure is the combat system. Mulaka wields a spear and right from the beginning you have a decent set of options for fighting the various monsters and malevolent spirits in the game. The best and worst aspect of combat is how fluid it is—it's easy to strike out at opponents and quickly move or dodge around them, but it's just as easy to overshoot your movements and stab right past them, especially small enemies. Mulaka features a slight auto-aiming system that lets you focus on one enemy but the game desperately needs a more solid lock-on system. Without it combat feels too chaotic half of the time, especially once you encounter trickier enemies like those with ranged attacks. It's a shame too since there are plenty of great monster designs here but the loose combat doesn't give them an opportunity to really shine. On the brightside boss fights manage to be epic and intense even without lock-on, and all of them present a unique, engaging challenge.
 
Additionally, the game features a sort of experience points system. You earn points by defeating enemies and opening treasure chests, and by visiting a helpful old woman in the second region of the game you can upgrade various abilities such as magic regen speed, attack strength, or defense. Don't think that makes this an action RPG though—grinding experience points off of enemies is a painfully slow business so you're better off just gathering them naturally and not worrying too much about it. The upgrades are useful but there's little sense going out of your way for them.
 
As mentioned the controls are in dire need of a lock-on button and the auto-aim can be a little too slippery, but otherwise the controls are pretty easy to pick up. In addition to swinging his spear Mulaka can throw it, and here the awkward aiming can be a bit hard to deal with as well. On one hand you can use motion controls which can be useful for more precise throws, but on the other hand enemies rarely give you a window of opportunity to really aim, so a quick lock-on throw would have been much more preferable.
 
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Mulaka's unique low-poly art style helps give the game a visual flair all its own. It's simple, but combined with the sprawling environments and small bursts of color from people, plants, and monsters the art style becomes beautifully eye-catching. The simple design probably helps give the game that sense of fluidity as well, which extends to the charming—sometimes bordering on goofy—animation. The soundtrack is delightful as well, and also draws influence from authentic Tarahumara and regional music. Regardless of the source it adds a perfect backdrop for a great action/adventure: catchy, energetic, at times mysterious, but always driving you forward to keep exploring. All that said, the game could have used another round of polishing just to work out a few kinks—nothing gamebreaking thankfully, but there are various typos found throughout the game, and at one point I fell straight through the ground while attacking (the game eventually corrected itself).
 
Even with the variety of locales to explore though Mulaka isn't a long game, especially if you don't take your time exploring. Each area of the game has a number of hidden collectibles which add to the story of the Tarahumara people, and they're definitely worth finding. Beyond that though there are no real replay incentives. Mulaka is a great experience while it lasts but it'll be over before you know it—the game could have been twice as long and just as engaging.
 
The developers at Lienzo have clearly treated the Tarahumara culture and their mythology with a great deal of love and respect, and in turn their culture has inspired a fantastic game. Mulaka is a delightful and all-too-short action/adventure that leads players through beautiful vistas and introduces them to fascinating bits of lore peppered throughout stylish environments. Not all of the gameplay is perfect, with the floaty combat as a particularly awkward aspect of the game, but the artwork, music, and unique storytelling will easily pull you into the engaging world of Mulaka, and the world of the Tarahumara people.
 
Rating: 8 out of 10 Shamans
 
Mulaka is available now on the Switch eShop for $19.98.
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