La-Mulana

Returning to the Ruins

For some reason, I had an itch to return to La-Mulana and figured... why not?

La-Mulana is a very retro metroidvania known for its difficult puzzles and labyrinthine ruins, which are complex enough to warrant keeping your own notes and maps and rotated saves. The game has a really fun sense of humor (I laughed when that shopkeeper said she'd mess me up) and cool pixel art.

The last time I played this game, I mucked around for a few hours and enjoyed my time but didn't get too serious with it. This time, I started off a bumbler. Didn't listen to the old man, and 30 minutes in got "stuck." I decided to Get Real and started over.

I followed the old man's advice and went to the trial area above the ruins to get the sea shell, which emits a tone when puzzles are solved. I also grinded a bit in the village area until I could buy the hand-scanner, which is absolutely essential, and the map and glyph reading software (also essential). I died so many times I started forgetting where I'd been and what I've done. I'm gonna be more cautious now, and stick to one area for as long as possible before moving to the next. After a few hours, I decided, fuggit, let's do it live, and I got a notebook and pen. IDK how long this will last but I'm in the mood to "dig in" and take my time with it, for now.

I can't remember the last time I had to physically map out a game. I know I drew a map for the original Legend of Zelda for NES and Metroid many years ago, and I vaguely remember jotting down clues for more recent games, but this is a game where people recommend writing down EVERYTHING, and treating the game itself like an archaeological ruin that needs to be mapped out and studied. Right now, really digging into a game like this is very appealing for some reason.

2026-06-14

I mapped out most (all?) of the Gate of Guidance, which is the first area in the ruins. My map is a hot scribbled mess but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.

It's important to explore this area until you find the holy grail in the pit area, because the grail lets you teleport to any previous save spot (including the village) from the pause screen, which is obviously a game changer. I also picked up the shuriken, which allows ranged attacks and is probably the only way to beat those damn red skeletons.

I was able to solve a few secrets (I'm most proud of my d'oh moment in the Room of Courage lol), but there are a number that need to be solved later when I get items alluded to on stone markers, like the red light.

I fussed around in Spring in the Sky, which is a northern area, but quickly realized many areas were impassable to me due to water. I need a helmet evidently. I accidentally fell into Temple of the Sun, also a nope. Tomorrow, I will head into the Mausoleum of Giants, which is southwest from the Gate. There are a couple of goodies in that area I got on my brief earlier playthrough, but kept dying, then getting them again, then dying... well obviously, the grail will solve that problem.

Mausoleum of Giants

I was able to map out about half of the mausoleum of giants, I think, I won't be sure until I find an actual map. My previous game, I kept dying when I went to get the hermes boots. This time I grabbed 'em and yoinked back to a save point. They allow you to walk twice as fast.

I'm piecing together the story of the giants and started taking screenshots of every text bit to look over later if needed because my handwriting is muy terrible. Those rolling worm things piss me off, but I think I've finally figured out the timing to let them jump over me.

Mausoleum of the Giants Part 2

Continuing to explore the mausoleum. I finally found the map (I managed to circle around in such a way it was in like, the last room I charted), and have been messing around with the Nebra Sky Disk. I also nabbed a sweet, sweet health upgrade. I sometimes botch the timing on the jumping enemies so the extra buffer is much appreciated.

In this area, you have to piece together the story of 9 giants, which means examining a lot of stones and statues. At once point I got crushed by a statue, which was actually awesome because it allowed access to a new area. I think I've mapped out this entire level, so it's a matter of going back and forth between the sky disc and different statues.

Giants and Fairies and Helmets

Finally set aside some time to continue La-Mulana. I uncovered some more secrets in the Moon Palace, but couldn't figure out what to do beyond that, so I briefly explored the endless corridor and unexpectedly met a fairy. When I was wandering around in the Twin Labyrinth I found... drumroll... the helmet! Which makes navigating Spring in the Sky possible. So I spent the rest of my session exploring that area and fortunately I found a save tablet, so I can warp back there in the future.