Mulaka

A magical setting and engaging gameplay make Mulaka a worthwhile adventure.

For anyone looking to scratch that nagging Okami itch, even if it never quite reaches the same heights, you're going to have a good time here. It may feel a tad familiar, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, it's just great to lose yourself in a goofy world for a bit.

Ultimately, Mulaka succeeds in the story it wishes to tell, but it falls short in two of its primary gameplay tenets: action and adventure. Controls are fiddly, environments a little sparse, and combat inadequate. It excels in using the video game format to widen knowledge of a culture that admittedly many around the world will know very little about, but as a game to interact with, its deficiencies outshine its ideas and make it somewhat forgettable.

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.

Games like Mulaka strongly prove that Video games are not "just" for entertainment and fun, but sometimes they can be used as a tool to teach us about many different things like history and myths. Mulaka's Story, gameplay, level design, Enemies and NPCs are all massively affected by the Myth and Legends about tarahumara. Gameplay is fun, art design is admirable and music matches the atmosphere of the game. Although Mulaka suffers from some gameplay issues, but in the end, it is a successful achievement for its developers and a valuable action-adventure game that worth to try.

Mulaka attempts to present a worldwide audience with the culture of a legendary Mexican tribe. For a game to be successful in this respect, it must be above all else a good and likable game, and Mulaka fails fails to accomplish this. There is nothing particularly appealing about Mulaka's visuals, and its combat tends to get repetitive very quickly. Mulaka can serve as an excellent example for developers who would like their games to reflect a particular culture. It is important for game developers to understand that they cannot use a cultural factor to persuade gamers to play their game, at least not until it is a good game in general.

Mulaka excels at just about everything a good adventure should excel at: interesting and fun exploration, a simple but well-constructed story, and direct and effective combat. As if that were not enough, they bring us closer to a culture that is surely unknown to many of us. Quite an achievement.

Overall, the game provides a very refreshing take on action/exploration genre. The variety it gives and the many places you can travel provides enough entertainment to keep you playing for hours. The story is definitely not it’s strongest aspect but it does make up for it in terms of gameplay. The puzzles were also entertaining for the most part but they can get repetitive along the way. The reason why I say this is because it’s as basic as collecting three stones to unlock a door and then defeat the monster from within that door. Although there are segments where the game gets creative with how you obtain these stones.

Mulaka feels deeply personal. A true passion for the Rarámuri culture shines through, as does an equal appreciation for games like Ocarina of Time.

Tarahumara mythology is fascinating—just the break I needed away from the Skyrims and World of Warcrafts of the fantasy genre. I might never have learned about the Tarahumara and listened to an indigenous language for the first time. But, Mulaka stretches a bit too long for my taste.