Nigoro really knows their shit when it comes to level and puzzle design. La-Mulana 2 while a significant step down from the previous game (I mean seriously, how the hell do you match the world design of La-Mulana 1) still holds the same pillars of incredible area design in terms of a metroidvania, each room still holding secrets and significance in the overall puzzle box structure. Biggest highlights were Heaven's Labyrinth which was a rotating area completely in your control, as well as the whole mantra system in general which makes for some interesting riddle deciphering, and Ancient Chaos which can go fuck itself (but also it's just a fantastic challenge).
La-Mulana 2 also asks for the same amount of attention, traps and punishing platforming requiring your upmost engagement lest you get completely destroyed. It unfortunately has more of an emphasis on combat this time around to match the warring conflicts in Eg-Lana and I really believe it is to its detriment, since LM2's combat isn't deep enough to justify being fun on its own and relies solely on its enemy design, of which for the most part La-Mulana 2 fails at in miniboss and boss design. There's a couple highlights of course, but I found a lot of it to be really dull going through the motions.
The one thing La-Mulana 2 improves on its predecessor however, is in terms of lore and storybuilding. It's not a particularly deep story, but every single enemy, boss, and tablet ties neatly into the lore of the 7 past children of the Mother. It ends up combining several different cultures to make a ridiculously cohesive whole, with everything from Norse mythology to Egyptian, Hindu, and Japanese. There's even some Babylonian DNA here, giving LM2 a real cultural mythos highlights feel. It works really well atop of LM1's lore, which makes sense considering the simplicity of the previous game's story, where as LM2 is kneedeep in generational conflict and quest for power.
Overall, La-Mulana 2 is still an amazing experience even if it is inferior to its predecessor in most ways. Still one of the best metroidvanias I've played, and a worthy recommendation for anyone looking to spend time taking 32 pages of notes and looking like you're attempting to find Pepe Silvia. (9/10)
La-Mulana 2 also asks for the same amount of attention, traps and punishing platforming requiring your upmost engagement lest you get completely destroyed. It unfortunately has more of an emphasis on combat this time around to match the warring conflicts in Eg-Lana and I really believe it is to its detriment, since LM2's combat isn't deep enough to justify being fun on its own and relies solely on its enemy design, of which for the most part La-Mulana 2 fails at in miniboss and boss design. There's a couple highlights of course, but I found a lot of it to be really dull going through the motions.
The one thing La-Mulana 2 improves on its predecessor however, is in terms of lore and storybuilding. It's not a particularly deep story, but every single enemy, boss, and tablet ties neatly into the lore of the 7 past children of the Mother. It ends up combining several different cultures to make a ridiculously cohesive whole, with everything from Norse mythology to Egyptian, Hindu, and Japanese. There's even some Babylonian DNA here, giving LM2 a real cultural mythos highlights feel. It works really well atop of LM1's lore, which makes sense considering the simplicity of the previous game's story, where as LM2 is kneedeep in generational conflict and quest for power.
Overall, La-Mulana 2 is still an amazing experience even if it is inferior to its predecessor in most ways. Still one of the best metroidvanias I've played, and a worthy recommendation for anyone looking to spend time taking 32 pages of notes and looking like you're attempting to find Pepe Silvia. (9/10)