La Mulana

Overview

La Mulana From IndieGames.com description: "La-Mulana is a freeware free-roaming platformer game designed to look, sound, and play like a classic MSX game. It's heavily influenced by the classic Konami MSX game 'The Maze of Galious' and anyone who has played that title will probably recognize the similarities very quickly. You play the whip-wielding Indiana Jones-esque archaeologist Lemeza Kosugi as he investigates the ancient ruins of La-Mulana in an attempt to find its treasure and one-up his father, who is trying to get the same treasure as well." Indygamer.Blogspot announcement Aeon Genesis Translation page Direct Download

Walkthroughs

This article needs a more decisive walkthrough than the ones currently available. Please add one if you know of one's availability!

White Knell has a number of La Mulana resources at his blog, including this translated version of the maps. This map uses the standard coordinate system which are used in most walkthroughs.

There's a full Japanese Walkthrough available too. Here's a google translation of it.

SomethingAwful goon DeceasedCrab has an 85 part video walkthrough of the game on his YouTube account, the first of which I'll show here (you should be able to get to subsequent parts by choosing the appropriate "related video" at the end). He has since redone a more concise version of 41 parts, with less extraneous ROM collection.

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Starman Junior also has a video walkthrough of La Mulana in his profile, in 27 parts, without commentary. This is the first of his videos:

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Ground

• The main camp and the screen left are first shops. In order, try to purchase Game Master, Hand Scanner and Glyph Reader in that order. These allow you more quickly determine what is going on.
• You must speak with the main elder (press down on the main tent) to open the runes.
• Algol is located to the far left. Requires Serpent Staff to defeat.
• The waterfall to the far right requires a helmet and silverscale to go safely through and obtain the Birth Seal.

Guidance Gate

• Warp point at D-2.

• Life Jewel east of starting room (D-1). Press switch.
• F-2 has shurkien. Jump onto the fake spikes and use a weight to receive the weapon.
• C-3 has map. Place a weight on the pedistal.
• E-4 has a secret passage next to the skeletion. Use it and push the block to the designated location and collect the grail; this allows you to teleport (by pressing 0-9 in the F2 screen).
• A-6: Destroy the Sword, Shield, Helm and Armor, and press the button one screen to the right. Move to D-5 (accessible via the one-way door from the left), and place a weight at the new pedistal.
• E-2: Use Birth Seal and kill top three enemies with Flare Gun to get a Cross.
• C-1: Use Pepper on the stone face to obtain Treasure

• B-3 to D-3 is an Angel bridge. Jump near the angels or edges of the screen. The top exit warps to G-2. Try to put weights in the pedistals at the end of the angel bridges.

• A-6 Use Conception seal to open a shop that sells Detector

• A-3 has exit to confusion gate, but it's difficult to reach.
• G-2 exits to shrine in the sky
• A-6 exits to Mausoleum of giants.

• If statue eyes in D-4 are following you, kill all enemies on screen to create third block at E-4. Move block into position at E-4, to open guardian at E-5.

Guardian is a two-headed snake that breaths fire. Try to hit the heads with throwing stars.

Mausoleum of the Giants

• Warp is at E-3.

• Press Switch at C-2, put weight on C-1, and collect Map at C-2.
• Put weight on foot of right statue at F-4 to get Life Jewel.
• Change icons at E-6 to Stars and place weight at G-3 (on the left) to unlock ankh jewel in same room.
• At A-2, defeat two masked men without harming ghosts to get Throwing Knife.

• E-6 has three symbols. Three to stars to get pedistal for Ankh Jewel. Three to Suns to create a pedistal at H4. All three to moons to prepare the guardian at C-5. You need to leave the room at least once in order to get all three symbol combinations.

Guardian is vulnerable only to melee attacks to the head. Dodge its ranged attack by jumping; it fires two volleys before using it's other ground punch. When it punches the ground, climb up the arm and strike the head.

Temple of the Sun

• Warp point at C-1.

• Map at C-1; press switch to open, and push statue into the corner to restore the ladder.
• Life Jewel at D-4; kill both bats.
• Ankh Jewel at B-5. Stand under eye for five seconds. (You may need to enter the room at C-5.)
• Knife at D-2. Toss a Shiruken over the wall at the top face.
• Boots at G-4. Destroy the pot and place a weight. (Inaccessible?)
• Bronze Mirror at E-6, available after killing the guardian.
• Talisman at F-4, available once Sphinx is destroyed.

• Conception rune at G-4.

• Miniboss at A-4. Enter the first building near the start, and hit the generator at B-2. The switch to exit is at B-1 on the left wall as you fall. Secret alcove at the top of the screen next to the ladder in C-2.
• The platform in A-1 leading to the miniboss is aligned with the raised platform in B-1.

• In the sun pyramid, you can walk through the wall under the sun. Exit left and press the switch to open the exit at the bottom of the pyramid (and reveal a pedistal at the tip.
• You need a Flare Gun to open the sun, and jump into it.