So I saw a trailer for this game a while back, thought it was another one of those pixely indie games that bank on their gameplay more than anything, like Mutant Mudds. Thing is, I really like Mutant Mudds, but I'm getting tired of the whole "retro" look, even though I did find the sprites of this game appealing. Ironically, I just spent an hour playing Mega Man 9 again, but that was mostly because, after watching Game Grumps play Mega Man 7, I decided to use what I learned from those videos in Mega Man 9, and my newly bought Mega Man 10 (because dammit, I still care Capcom! 
)
..But, anyway, about LA-MULANA. I recently saw this trailer, which detailed the history of this game... Not like, the in-game history of it's world, like the history of the making of this game:
Dang, this thing had a long history... I decided that this was worth a look, so I bought it (along with Mega Man 10 and Super Mario World, when my Shop Channel decided to start working), and I've only played the first few minutes of it (I was hungry so I went and made dinner for myself), and here were my initial thoughts:
So yeah, overall, KIND of a bad first impression, but I'll give it more time to fully judge it. Also, for some reason, I can't help but be reminded of Cave Story... and how more easily accessible it was in comparison...
)..But, anyway, about LA-MULANA. I recently saw this trailer, which detailed the history of this game... Not like, the in-game history of it's world, like the history of the making of this game:
Dang, this thing had a long history... I decided that this was worth a look, so I bought it (along with Mega Man 10 and Super Mario World, when my Shop Channel decided to start working), and I've only played the first few minutes of it (I was hungry so I went and made dinner for myself), and here were my initial thoughts:
I first started out playing with the Wii Remote, until I realized that, in the dumbest move I've ever seen in a game, the confirm and back controls were reveresed! Button 1 (usually the B button) confirms while the 2 button (usually the A button). After trying to go through menus and dialogue using this bullcrap, I decided "screw it" and switched to a GameCube controller (already plugged in, as I was playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl earlier) and while that problem was solved, a new one came about; namely, to access the menu with all the items and stuff, you had to press up on the C stick, then up on the C stick again to exit the menu. I switched between the Wii Remote and the GameCube controller while on the menu, and it took me a minute to figure out how to exist the menu. I thought the start button would access it, like the + button did for the Wii Remote, but instead, the game just pauses. Why have a separate button to pause the game, doesn't the other menu already do that?! GEEZ!
The controls... Take a big of getting used to. The jumping is like the retro games of old, in that you can't change direction in mid-air, or at the very least, if you're jumping in one direction, it's VERY difficult to move in another direction until you've reached the height of your jump. The biggest load of bullcrap when it comes to this, though, is when you're standing still and jump, you can't move in ANY direction at all, you just jump straight up, THEN move after you're reached the height of your jump!
These two things might sound like minor nitpicks to a veteran gamer, but everything else seemed pretty self-explanatory, so this definitely was a set-back for me. Of course, since I've only just started the game, only time will tell if I'll get used to it.
As for everything else... Well, the Indiana Jones theme seems... alright. Kind of played out, IMO, but still, it's cool. The first old guy I talked to talked in a way I wouldn't expect him to... He used words like "ain't" and seemed very improper. The fact that he knew about e-mails and would send some to you as the game went on was also kind of funny. I received a scanner, but I'm not sure how to use it, or where. I was told once I run into some skeletons, scan them and see if I find a map, but I'm not sure what to do when I arrive. Given how the controls in this game works, I can't trust my own instincts. There are also people in the village, I'm not sure if I can talk to them or not. I can go into tents, though, and talk to people there, but that's about it.
The controls... Take a big of getting used to. The jumping is like the retro games of old, in that you can't change direction in mid-air, or at the very least, if you're jumping in one direction, it's VERY difficult to move in another direction until you've reached the height of your jump. The biggest load of bullcrap when it comes to this, though, is when you're standing still and jump, you can't move in ANY direction at all, you just jump straight up, THEN move after you're reached the height of your jump!
These two things might sound like minor nitpicks to a veteran gamer, but everything else seemed pretty self-explanatory, so this definitely was a set-back for me. Of course, since I've only just started the game, only time will tell if I'll get used to it.
As for everything else... Well, the Indiana Jones theme seems... alright. Kind of played out, IMO, but still, it's cool. The first old guy I talked to talked in a way I wouldn't expect him to... He used words like "ain't" and seemed very improper. The fact that he knew about e-mails and would send some to you as the game went on was also kind of funny. I received a scanner, but I'm not sure how to use it, or where. I was told once I run into some skeletons, scan them and see if I find a map, but I'm not sure what to do when I arrive. Given how the controls in this game works, I can't trust my own instincts. There are also people in the village, I'm not sure if I can talk to them or not. I can go into tents, though, and talk to people there, but that's about it.
So yeah, overall, KIND of a bad first impression, but I'll give it more time to fully judge it. Also, for some reason, I can't help but be reminded of Cave Story... and how more easily accessible it was in comparison...
