La-Mulana

The game was later remade from the ground up in a 16-bit style for the Wii, and later PC, Mac, Linux and PlayStation Vita. The protagonist of the game is Lemeza, a whip wielding adventurer exploring the tomb within La-Mulana. Although there is only one ending in the game there are many ways to get there, in that completing objectives in the game is not linear, nor is there an obvious recommended path to take. Many powerups will allow the player to reach new areas, but the game gives no indication of where to go. Since the game was intended as a tribute to the MSX games of the 1980s , it uses the 16-color palette and low resolution typical of those games. The opening sequence parodies the typical load screen of the MSX, displaying the amount of available video RAM and a copy of the MSX logo. The protagonist has a laptop MSX in his possession throughout the game, and can collect or buy ROM cartridges for it; many of these can be combined to produce various special effects. Initially, the protagonist is equipped with a whip, and has a small amount of vitality. Other items, however, do grant the protagonist abilities, and some are required to access new areas of the game. Most non-boss enemies in the game will not cause a lot of damage to the protagonist, however there are very few ways to restore life, and in many cases getting hit will cause the protagonist to fall off a hard-to-reach ledge and lose progress. An item in the game is available early on that enables teleportation back to the start in addition to various waypoints. As explained in the game's manual, the general strategy of the game is to explore and solve as many puzzles as possible before getting low on life and teleport back when the risk of death becomes too great. However, actions taken in certain rooms can make it very difficult to return after warping out, so warping out is not always the wise action. One of the principles behind the game's design is difficulty: as described in the game's manual, the developers were disappointed in the lack of difficulty prevalent among many games, and sought to help create a sense of tension in the game—the example they gave was that, if one were a real-life archaeologist, one might think twice before jumping into a dark pit, but in many videogames, it is too easy to simply attempt the action, suffer the consequences, and reload. The game explains these traps as existing in order to protect the sacred ruins. Lemeza Kosugi, a professor of archaeology, receives a letter from his father Shorn Kosugi, who claims he has discovered the ruins of La-Mulana, supposedly the birthplace of all civilizations and carries the secret treasure of life itself.