La-Mulana EX

 PlayStation Vita
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. NZGamer
    Mar 19, 2015
    90
    Small victories will have you grinning from ear to ear in the face of ever greater hardship.
  2. Multiplayer.it
    Sep 30, 2015
    85
    La-Mulana EX brings back great feelings of previous iterations, ongoing challenges and complex level design. This title is a must have for all 8-bit era fans.
  3. 4P.de
    Mar 6, 2015
    83
    Challenging, ridiculously old-school platforming with puzzles that challenge your brain as well as your hands – I like it.
  5. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    May 26, 2015
    80
    A little tomb raiding may sound fun. But there's nobody here to hold your hand, you dig? [May 2015, p77]
    All this publication's reviews
  6. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    May 20, 2015
    80
    If you're a brave soul hunting a hard game to treasure, you'll find what you seek in La-Mulana. [May 2015, p.87]
    All this publication's reviews
  7. Gaming Nexus
    Apr 28, 2015
    80
    La-Mulana EX is a frustratingly difficult action/adventure that mixes The Legend of Zelda with Castlevania. Unfortunately, many will be scared away by the obtuse puzzles and confusing level designs, but those that stick with it will discover a lengthy adventure that is full of hidden treasures.
  8. Hardcore Gamer
    Mar 30, 2015
    80
    La Mulana EX is a fantastic throwback designed by a team with an intense passion for the retro games. It captures the spirit of old-school NES platformers, right down to the “Nintendo hard” difficulty, but also manages to forge its own identity.
  9. Meristation
    Mar 11, 2015
    80
    Like Fez and others of same type, La-Mulana is something more than an exercise of retro-pixel-love. It's a beast of the exploration and puzzles, taking the concept of Metroidvania to a challenging level of difficulty. Not just your typical Indiana Jones 2D clone, but one game that really make us feeling like explorers resolving cryptic clues in a gigantic meta-puzzle scenario. And with a soundtrack totally MIDI that could be signed by Chris Huelsbeck himself.
  10. Vandal
    Mar 6, 2015
    80
    It still is a great mix of platforming and adventure, challenging and deep, and this is probably the best opportunity to try it.
  11. 3DJuegos
    Mar 5, 2015
    80
    La-Mulana is a brilliant title. Pure gameplay based on exploration and old-school action.
  12. Gaming Age
    Mar 11, 2015
    75
    I recognize, of course, that criticizing a game that sells itself as a tough as nails platformer for being too tough as nails is the very definition of missing the point. La-Mulana EX never pretends to be anything other than that, so whatever dislike I have for the game comes down entirely to my own gaming failings, not any failure on the part of the game itself.

Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best PS Vita Game of 2015
20
#20 Most Discussed PS Vita Game of 2015
12
#12 Most Shared PS Vita Game of 2015

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 28 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 28
  3. Negative: 3 out of 28
  1. MrFlankster
    Mar 14, 2015
    10
    This is one of the best handheld games of all time.... who knows, maybe even THE best. The more I play it, the more I'm blown away by it'sThis is one of the best handheld games of all time.... who knows, maybe even THE best. The more I play it, the more I'm blown away by it's complexity and depth. Just for kicks, I downloaded Shovel Knight for the 3DS. That got me itchin' for a platforming game with RPG elements. I downloaded Castlevania, Dust, rogue legacy, and many more. I came across this gem of a game and can't stop playing.... meaning "Dark Souls-can't-stop-playing."

    It's that good. Exploration? Check. RPG? Check. Action? Check. Addicting gameplay? Check. Hidden secrets? Check. Difficulty? CHECK AND CHECK. This game has it all. If you liked 2d games with Metroidvania aspects. This is a great game. If you like the feel of Dark Souls exploration. This is the game for you. It's crazy that this game is so unknown by the majority of the gamer community.

    TOTAL SLEEPER HIT. This is one of those cult classic games that could come out of nowhere and get GOTY nods.

    LOVE IT. For $20, this game is a steal.    … Full Review »
  2. Dentorehedge
    Oct 8, 2015
    10
    Huh. This game has been out for a while, and the professional reviews all do it justice for the most part, so I won't detail any of theHuh. This game has been out for a while, and the professional reviews all do it justice for the most part, so I won't detail any of the reasons here why this remains my favorite game ever (so far).

    What is strange, is that the original Wii version, with the least content, received an 87 on Metacritic, while the PC version, that contained huge additional content, less than half of the few bugs the Wii version had (at the time of launch now less), was scored at 80, even though it is almost objectively better. This last version, which has the benefits of being on a current gen console, almost no bugs, all of the previously added bonus content, re-balanced game-play, and an expanded story-- has a 77. ?
    This game is popular enough to be one of the first greenlit titles (and the first one developed in Japan), be picked up for a humble bundle, be the #1 seller since the launch of a a distribution service, inspire a cult of fans (such as myself), and have a sequel funded on kickstarter~~~ so why on earth is this pattern on Metacritic so strange?

    Likely it is due to the standards of each of these reviewers who specialize in certain consoles, but the fact that there is not a positive trend always flabbergasted me. Well, I know they are fair, and professionals for a reason, so their reviews function in place of mine (I reviewed the last two iterations anyway).    … Full Review »
  3. Richard_chronos
    Sep 8, 2015
    9
    This is without doubt my favorite game of all time, I play the original version on the PC, the remake on Wii and then on PC again, and nowThis is without doubt my favorite game of all time, I play the original version on the PC, the remake on Wii and then on PC again, and now once again I played and finished on the Vita, the same beautiful and challenging game that I love

    seriously if you love challenge and hate hand holding like in most modern games, this is for you.

    but this time I can't give it a perfect score, I found some really annoying problems with the music looping or stopping before time in some areas that includes special effects , especially in the final boss battle which honestly, breaks a little the immersion but out of that is really good I also noticed some changes in the game but I understand that they tried to make more simply some puzzles for the newbies, which is perfectly fine, out of that everything remains the same and I personally love it    … Full Review »
See all user reviews »