Mulaka

Giving life to Mexican legends, Mulaka tells the unique journey of the titled shaman in the form as an action-adventure game. Despite its simple structure and loose combat, it still manages to awe thanks to its pleasant art style and superb soundtrack.

Mulaka is a striking and interesting adventure with a few small let-downs.

Mulaka is a great, charming choice for the fans of action adventure genre, especially those who love the Zelda series. Filled with combat and challenging puzzles, Mulaka will unfold the myths that you may have never heard about before.

Mulaka is a treat for the eyes that’s just fine as it is, but I can’t help but feel there were many opportunities where it could have, and should have, done more.

It offers an appealingly unique setting that makes it something more than a typical adventure game.

Unfortunately lacks the originality it so desperately needs to really stand out from the pack. Even though the art style is striking and bold, combined with an inventive cultural focus, the gameplay and overall design weigh it down to be little more than a passable action adventure title.

It’s a shame, then, that such an interesting story and such fantastic designs are kind of wasted on a game that’s basically your standard action-adventure. Sure, you’re exploring a brightly-coloured desert with enemies based on creatures you’d find in northern Mexico, but at the end of the day, you’re just hacking and slashing and throwing spears and, er, magicking at them.

Mulaka offers a truly intriguing insight into the culture and mythology of the Tarahumara people, but is let down by some frustrating gameplay issues. Exploring and puzzle solving is a simple but enjoyable affair, and there are elements of the combat system that show real promise, but some oversights surrounding the game’s pacing and controls leave quite a lot to be desired. If you’re interested enough in learning about the topic it wouldn’t be unwise to give the game a go despite its flaws, but players looking purely for great gameplay might want to ponder over it a little longer.

It has a minimalist look, but is completely loaded with color and expressiveness that will make the player enjoy the story that they want to tell. On the other hand, there are small mismatches on the technical side of things and above all in the controls which makes enjoying it a little complicated.

All in all, Mulaka takes a risk that doesn't pay off. The story and goal of the game are intriguing, but the gameplay and visuals just aren't there. It certainly does things right and will appeal to a few people, but the overall rough approach is noticeable in every aspect and holds it back.