Mulaka

Fun fluid combat, basic movement but it gets the job done. The platforming aspect seems a bit lost sadly. So far a pleasant exp.
After having finished the game My final thoughts are that the platforming aspect is very lost and it is very fight heavy esecpially in the final area. But everything else works well. The movement feels fluid and all the abilities I unlcoked are fun and work well. The boss fights make good use of what you unlock. The game is hard enough but not too hard.

This game has a lot in common with "Never Alone".. A game I had the opportunity to play few years ago.
Both share the same concept of introducing to you a certain culture.. They use their language, the elements of their culture, their people and their environment to create the whole game. Except for the obvious fact that this one takes place in a 3D world, unlike that of Never Alone.
The game follows a simplistic story.. You have to save your world. You do that by travelling through different regions.. Fighting mystical creatures that are the bred of Tarahumara's people imagination/culture. You meet allies along the way.. Demigods.. And absorb their power to continue on your journey.. That paves the way for new gameplay possibilities every time you unlock a new power as each power has the potential to greatly impact your game.
There is a variety of maps/environments.. Same can be said about monsters to fight. This game has its flaws but is such a breath of fresh air!
If you liked "Never Alone", I honestly can't think of any reason why you wouldn't like this one too!
If you haven’t gotten the chance to try that game before.. I would say, if games that are heavily based/inspired by cultural elements, games that would happily take an extra mile to introduce you to a certain culture.. If these happen to interest you.. Then you will be missing on a lot if you don’t get these two games asap!!!! ;)

Short and very sweet.
Mulaka feels like a hidden gem from the PS2 era. It has great controls that don't feel jittery at all, all the gameplay mechanics are exciting to use, and recieving new abilities each level gives a sense of the player becoming a stronger warrior overtime. The art style is very apealing with better-than-average model animation. All enemies are fun to fight and have a vast variety of fighting styles. The story is there if you choose to read enemy descriptions and watch the cut-scenes but are skippable, with the little I did read the lore was quite interesting. The few problems I found was at times it was a little hard to navigate where to go and one boss had minor collision issues. Besides those minor complaints, this was definately worth the money and you should get 5-9 hours of gameplay.

Mulaka
A game that highlights the often overlooked culture of the Tarahumara people who have a strong history in northern Mexico. Known for their incredible stamina, and particularly in this case for their spirituality and usage of Sukurúame, a fabled shaman of the Tarahumara people. In Mulaka you play the role of one of these wandering shaman, set out into the real world inspired regions of northern Mexico to quell the spreading of an ancient corruption.
With a diverse set of creatures taken from actual Tarahumara mythology and an outstanding soundtrack of cultural appropriateness to the region and to the period of time in history, Mulaka promises a look into the past and into the spiritual and indigenous history of northern Mexico through the eyes of one of these Sukurúame shaman. It's a low-poly adventure with beautiful natural scenery, incredible handcrafted music, and an attention to mythological accuracy with plenty of puzzles, platforming, and close quarters combat for even the most vetted of classic action adventure platforming fans.
Gameplay
The long, barren pathway of sandy desert before you with wavy dunes and strange spiritual apparitions that guide you at the start gave me some almost Journey-like exploration indie nostalgia. Different stone elk monuments along your way forward give you different tips on the world around you and how to utilize it. This area of sandy dunes turns out to be just a small introductory tutorial, and soon the player enters into a mountainous and hilly region rife with all sizes of scorpion. Your first task is to find a trio of stones scattered on the introductory map, and you quickly work your way through the ins and outs of combat and exploration.
Through the use of your spiritual vision, the impressively large and low-polygonal natural landscapes that lay before you can be thorougly examined. Current objectives as well as a plethora of fun and sometimes difficult to reach secrets open up to you while in this vision, and platforms leading to said secrets reveal themselves. Many locations are barred from you requiring a thorough scouring of the area for switches which need to be triggered from a distance with your spear. Exploration and discovery in Mulaka is simple enough to be entertaining and not a chore, and is one of the better aspects of the game. It ends up feeling a lot like an ambitious classic adventure in the same vein as the legendary Okami or even a simpler Breath of the Wild, yet its so culturally and artistically unique that it has a lot of its own thing going.
Combat is fairly simple but very fast paced and satisfying, especially when taking on the larger hordes of enemies and watching the crowds of creatures explode under the weight of your sturdy spear. You have a quick weak attack and a slower heavy attack to be used mostly for finishers or on enemies with armor. Spears can be thrown for damage or used to trigger faraway switches, and a dodge allows you to narrowly avoid the more persistent enemies. A diverse selection of enemy types offers a variety of strategies for dealing with the groups that surround you, with charges for you to dodge and punish from behind or shielded enemies that require a strong attack to break and then defeat.
There's a small amount of gathering involved to make healing potions and other tinctures to aid you in battle. This is surprisingly an engaging activity this time around, since the locations and the enviroments in Mulaka are nothing short of a joy to explore. Various plants and herbs around the world are pickable, such as aloe, and getting the required amount will give you the appropriate consumable. Using these initiates a ritual dance that takes a few moments, however, and is not ever really a good idea to use in battle no matter how wounded or inflicted you may be (as I found out the hard way).
The bosses of Mulaka are really quite a spectacle and just as fun to take down. Most of them involve using pieces of the actual stage around you to interact and strike on the weakpoint, or one of the many, of the current boss. From tricking the hulking behemoths to slam into pillars and fall into a daze to dazzling them and getting under their shields, these challenging puzzle-like titans are always a sight to behold and a seriously intense finish to each of the mesmerizing areas.
Visuals/Sound
The graphics come across as quite minimalistic with their low-polygonal presentation, but the world and the various environments you encounter are actually quite detailed. The initial deserts you start in feel quite barren but the ancient relics you come across have a mystical and powerful appearance. The deeper you get the more winding and rolling paths spread out before you, with old and decrepit stone pillars and strange landmarks with ancient symbols dotting your surroundings. The character models can be a little bit stiff and awkward, with their pointy twig legs and all, but it just serves to the classic platformer feel of games likethe aforementioned Okami and Zelda and the costume designs are not only culturally relevant but extremely cool looking.
Mulaka features a stellar soundtrack, Natural percussions and woodwind instruments of a very esoteric and ancient sound, with small bits of the modern through dreamy and almost psychedelically cosmic synth. It has an incredbly handmade quality to it, and is honestly so good I would listen to it outside of my gaming time. The sounds of ancient wind that fill your ear through instruments new and old is accompanied by the atmospheric effects of your surrounding. The whooshing of desert winds, the creepy skittering of devious insects and the fluttering of wings as they near you, and the crackling of trees in the winding forests.
Final though
Culturally and aesthetically Mulaka is a very important game and it deserves some attention because as an experience it's a very memorable one. The gameplay is fast and it delivers, keeping you engaged with a wide variety of enemies but suffers from a slight bit of stiff animations and some awkwardly telegraphed heavy attacks. That doesn't really detract from the overall awe-inspiring experience, the sights and the amazing sounds and the incredibly creative mythology inspired creatures that you fight. Mulaka absolutely holds its own amongst the greatest of classic narrative action adventure experiences, especially in regard to Okami.
This review made possible through the consideration and contribution of Review Experts(REXnetwork) and the developer. Email [email protected] for requests & game promotions

I had a chance to see Mulaka at PAX and was excited to pick up a copy on release day. The action is fun and the character's vision feature helps keep you moving from place to place without unecessary guesswork. The gameplay incorporates familiar third-person mechanics (jump/dodge/sprint) with combat abilities (light/heavy attack). The camera system is pretty seamless and it never feels like you're fighting for control of the camera. Visuals are great as the flat shading approach works really well with the source material. I really like what I've seen so far.

This is one of those games where if you know what you're getting into, and you're a fan of adventure hack'n'slash, you'll enjoy your time with it. Honestly, though, this should be a $15 game for the length and level of polish. Not to say that it isn't good, i actually find it very endearing with the art style and mechanics, but a few things could have been better.
Combat isn't actually bad, as it's deliberate, just in need of a bit more attack diversity (i explain further in). People complaining about it not feeling right don't seem to be approaching it the proper way. It's more Dark Souls than it is Zelda, at least in terms of feel. I DO feel a Lock On function should at least be an option (easy mode? maybe?) for a Zelda playstyle.
The heavy attacks should be tweaked a bit more, dealing way more damage. As it stands, it doesn't make much difference if you manage to land one, so you can technically get by using it just to guard break
Spear throwing, for how fast everything is happening, should lock on a bit faster, giving priority to flying enemies. Even when you play strategically and place yourself outside of a cluster, aiming for the one flying enemy tends to take too long and the mob encircles you again.
I loved the look and style of the game, it really feels unique, and it's refreshing to see more games take on the folklore of other cultures. I hope the developers produce a sequel or a spiritual sequel, with more far reaching game play concepts.
P.S. I love spear users in games, and it's frustrating that there aren't more games that utilize the weapon more. So this also gave it an extra boost in my review.

I gotta cleanse my soul after writing a negative review for Hunter's Legacy. Mulaka is SO MUCH better of a game, and I'm happy to recommend it unequivocally and at full price. It's a fast-paced action game with light platforming and even lighter RPG elements (there's a linear skill "tree"). The art style, music, and even the level geometry itself pay tribute to Northern Mexico and its indigenous people the Tarahumara. It plays somewhat like a modern Zelda (one of the game's achievements even nods to Zelda explicitly), as it's level-based ending with bosses that have a slight "gimmick" to them, along with light puzzle elements. There's collectibles, NPC's, a bestiary to fill out, all the hallmarks of a game of this style. It doesn't reinvent the wheel but it's really solidly designed and built, and it's an absolute blast to play. The story may not seem like much on its face, but it's the Tarahumara creation myth playing out in front of you, so you can even say you learned something by playing this game. And do. Do play this game.