Mulaka

 Switch
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 61 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 61
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 61
  3. Negative: 10 out of 61

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  1. luiscarlospando
    Dec 28, 2018
    4
    Got this game to support Lienzo who happen to be based on the same city where I live. On this review I'm gonna leave aside the cultural aspects of the game and I'm gonna focus on the video game aspects of it. The one positive thing I can say about Mulaka is that I really like the artistic approach they took for representing the Tarahumara culture, the low-poly style really fits the theme.Got this game to support Lienzo who happen to be based on the same city where I live. On this review I'm gonna leave aside the cultural aspects of the game and I'm gonna focus on the video game aspects of it. The one positive thing I can say about Mulaka is that I really like the artistic approach they took for representing the Tarahumara culture, the low-poly style really fits the theme. I don't know if this style was chosen from a technical perspective though, but it fits really well. Although the artistic style is very simplistic, I noticed the game suffers from some frame drops here and there, which is kinda odd, maybe the game wasn't optimized for the Switch at all.

    The game received way too much praise for what it really is. I felt it like an unfinished/unpolished product, the controls were clunky, the main game play mechanics started to feel boring very soon, the music was very repetitive and really not good at all, the puzzles were very basic, almost with no real challenge, Mulaka's voice gets really annoying after a while and finally... The invisible walls, oh boy, the invisible walls... They appear out of nowhere every time, which denotes a very poor level design. Mulaka, as a video game, never felt fun at all.

    For a first attempt and for a studio the size of Lienzo I think Mulaka is justifiable, but the game is bad, no question about it. I really hope Lienzo learns from their mistakes and I really wish their next endeavor results in a better way.    … Expand
  2. StarVenger
    Apr 27, 2018
    4
    I have to wonder if the people who gave this game a 7+ played the same game I did. This is an 9-10 hour game that I wished was over by hour 2. Almost everything about this game mechanically is irritating. Potions take 2 minutes to drink, so oftentimes you start to drink one and get knocked out of it. Irritating flying sequences with orbs placed at heights where you have to start yourI have to wonder if the people who gave this game a 7+ played the same game I did. This is an 9-10 hour game that I wished was over by hour 2. Almost everything about this game mechanically is irritating. Potions take 2 minutes to drink, so oftentimes you start to drink one and get knocked out of it. Irritating flying sequences with orbs placed at heights where you have to start your bird transform at a certain height, and catch air currents just right or you'll be too high or too low to hit the orbs after 3 minutes of flying already and have to do it all over again for the ninth time, to 90's style invisible walls that prevent you from going places you can clearly get to, almost everything about this game screams low budget trash. It's one of the most irritating games I've ever seriously tried to finish. By about the third or fourth from the last level almost every few minutes I seriously debated on just youtubing the ending so I could play something less annoying, like pounding nails into my fingers.… Expand
  3. AltmullerGU
    Mar 1, 2018
    0
    I Don't know if it was my copy, but the game crashed every minute. And there were some graphical glitches, I downloaded it again and there were still problems. And the problem is not my switch I have tons of games such as: BOTW, Troll and I, Super Mario Odyssey, Doom, Skryim, XC2.
  4. Dangusse
    Apr 25, 2023
    4
    i was really liking it, but it softlocked on the 6th area because i was more easily able to access a snake puzzle without defeating the arena that was supposed to come before it than i was the intended route. the magical stone came out of the well, then went back down again and won't come out because the snake puzzle is completed and can't be reset. there was also an issue where the firsti was really liking it, but it softlocked on the 6th area because i was more easily able to access a snake puzzle without defeating the arena that was supposed to come before it than i was the intended route. the magical stone came out of the well, then went back down again and won't come out because the snake puzzle is completed and can't be reset. there was also an issue where the first time i ported to this level, it just went back to level 5, and both map slots for 5 and 6 went to the same place until i reset the game.

    before this, i was going to give the game a pretty good rating. it has acceptable combat, nice music, interesting enemies, decent level design, and challenging bosses, but it lacks the level of finish that would lead me to restart the entire (probably almost done) experience to get back to this point. there is also a big issue with aiming the spear, that the reticule is often covered by the player's body, and the game makes us attack about 75% of the time we are trying to harvest a plant (which we have to do way too often, always from the same patches of moss)

    even having purchased this game drastically discounted (for 2 dollars), i find it disappointing and am unable to get a refund.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

84
#84 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Gaming Age
    May 7, 2018
    67
    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.
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  2. Nintendo Insider
    Apr 8, 2018
    70
    Mulaka’s strength as a game comes from the painstaking effort that has been made to sufficiently portray the culture of the Tarahumara people, and, as such, there is much joy to be found in exploring the sun-baked region and learning from those that inhabit it.
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  3. Vooks
    Apr 2, 2018
    80
    Despite its flaws in some aspects, Lienzo's passion shines through in every aspect of Mulaka. It's far from perfect, and not everybody will be able to look past those flaws, but those who can will find a diamond in the rough.
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