Mulaka

About

"Mulaka is a single-player fantasy platformer game featuring ingenious visuals and immersive gameplay. The game highlights the rich history and unique culture of the Tarahumara indigenous people of northern Mexico, weaving their mythology and creatures throughout the game. Listen to the full cultural experience with its traditional soundtrack available on Soundcloud."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

87%

Audience ScoreBased on 142 reviews

story13 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

The game offers a rich narrative that immerses players in the mythology and culture of the Tarahumara people, providing a unique perspective rarely seen in gaming.
The art style is visually appealing, utilizing a minimalist low-poly design that enhances the game's atmosphere and complements its cultural themes.
Combat mechanics, while simple, can be enjoyable and engaging, especially during boss fights that showcase distinct challenges and require strategic thinking.

The controls and movement mechanics are often clunky and imprecise, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences, particularly during platforming sections.
The story feels shallow and lacks depth, with minimal character development and interactions that fail to engage players meaningfully.
Many gameplay elements, such as side quests and exploration, are underdeveloped, resulting in a linear experience that can feel tedious and repetitive.

story
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
73%
6%
The story of the game is rooted in the Tarahumara culture and mythology, presenting a simple yet intriguing narrative about a chosen hero combating corruption with the aid of demigods. While some players appreciate the cultural representation and artistic storytelling, many criticize the plot for being shallow, poorly presented, and lacking meaningful character interactions, leading to a mixed reception overall. Despite its simplicity, the story offers a unique perspective and can be engaging for those interested in indigenous themes, though it may not satisfy players seeking depth or complexity.
- “Playing this game, seeing the folklore act as a story, gave me a new perspective on my home state.”
- “The story tells very well about the tarahumara (rarámuri) culture, an original tribe of Mexico where the protagonist, being part of the tribe, has to face various enemies with forms of animals, insects, or elements to save the world from incarnate corruption, which is guided by demigods who grant different abilities to the protagonist.”
- “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.”
- “However, some of the controls and animations were clunky, especially the puma animation, and overall the story felt shallow, not helped by the lackluster and anticlimactic ending.”
- “There are barely any meaningful interactions with characters and the story is barebones and cliché.”
- “Ultimately, Mulaka succeeds in the story it wishes to tell, but it falls short in two of its primary gameplay tenets: action and adventure.”
gameplay
58 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
57%
10%
The gameplay of Mulaka is a mixed bag, featuring smooth combat mechanics and engaging cultural elements, but marred by cumbersome mechanics such as long potion animations, frustrating platforming, and invisible walls. While the game offers intriguing powers and exploration opportunities, many players find the overall experience hindered by technical issues and a lack of depth in gameplay. Despite its flaws, the game is still considered enjoyable, especially for those interested in its cultural narrative.
- “This game is an incredibly fun action-adventure 3D platformer with smooth combat mechanics.”
- “Great puzzles, lots of room to explore, quick and easy fighting mechanics, and a better understanding of an indigenous culture from Mexico.”
- “You meet allies along the way, demigods, and absorb their power to continue on your journey, paving the way for new gameplay possibilities every time you unlock a new power.”
- “The potions mechanic seriously sucks because using a potion locks you into a 5-second animation, praying to not get interrupted by anything.”
- “Many of the mechanics of the game are extremely cumbersome: levels that look open but are full of invisible walls and slippery hills, 3 out of 4 potions have excessively long dance animations to use making them not feasible in combat, the magic vision is something you have to activate ten thousand times and can only sustain for brief periods, the platforming elements are bad, you have to go to a specific old woman in a village every time you want to upgrade instead of being able to do it in a menu, invisible enemies that only exist to make you have to use spirit vision because they will shut off your magic mid-jump, save points exist in each level but you often have to trek long distances to reach them, enemies who can stun lock you super easily, tedious harvesting of crafting ingredients, long animation times for when you lose a soul that allow enemies to pile in on you, and the water puzzles that are tedious at best and very frustrating at worst.”
- “Ultimately, Mulaka succeeds in the story it wishes to tell, but it falls short in two of its primary gameplay tenets: action and adventure.”
graphics
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
45%
5%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a striking minimalist art style that pays homage to northern Mexico's indigenous culture, featuring unique environments and versatile enemies. While some players appreciate the low-poly aesthetic and its nostalgic nod to PlayStation 2-era visuals, others find the execution inconsistent, with issues like phasing through walls and dated animations. Overall, the visuals are described as beautiful and atmospheric, complementing the game's engaging soundtrack and lore, making for an enjoyable experience despite some gameplay shortcomings.
- “The landscape views are quite pristine for a sleek, minimalist aesthetic.”
- “But it has an absolutely gorgeous minimalist art style.”
- “The graphics are simple and beautiful, and the music really fits the areas you explore within the game.”
- “I can see why the developers decided to use that PlayStation 2-era graphics with a minimalist twist.”
- “The choice of graphics is strange with you phasing through walls and having a detailed face while everyone else has theirs drawn on.”
- “The game appears to look rather poor in terms of graphic quality, but the game uses a low-poly visual aesthetic and it is portrayed in a wonderful way.”
music
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
59%
31%
9%
The music in the game is praised for its beautiful integration of indigenous and modern orchestral elements, enhancing the unique environments and overall atmosphere. However, some players noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive due to a limited number of tracks. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's immersive experience and cultural representation, particularly of the Tarahumara people.
- “Each theme song of the stages perfectly fits, as they combine indigenous music with modern orchestral music without being overblown.”
- “The art style, music, and even the level geometry itself pay tribute to northern Mexico and its indigenous people, the Tarahumara.”
- “This is a really well-done game, considering its background and development, with a pretty nice low-poly art style and an atmospheric soundtrack that goes well with the overall setting of the game.”
- “The music feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged during longer play sessions.”
- “While the soundtrack fits the atmosphere, it often feels too subdued and doesn't enhance the gameplay experience as much as it could.”
- “The music, although atmospheric, tends to blend into the background and fails to leave a lasting impression.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
25%
13%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its low-poly art style and atmospheric soundtrack, which complement the overall setting effectively. Reviewers highlight the captivating landscapes and engaging graphics, although some note that shallow NPCs can detract from the immersive experience. Overall, the combination of art and sound creates a memorable ambiance that enhances gameplay.
- “This is a really well-done game, considering its background and development, with a pretty nice low-poly art style and an atmospheric soundtrack that goes well with the overall setting of the game.”
- “It has a really cool soundtrack, lovely atmosphere, and the hand-drawn style of the graphics makes it stand out.”
- “Great art style, brilliant atmosphere, fun boss fights.”
- “Targeting airborne enemies can be frustrating; shallow NPCs weaken the atmosphere.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often feeling that collecting items and upgrading is pointless due to cumbersome mechanics, long animations, and the need to navigate through poorly designed levels. The repetitive nature of tasks, such as harvesting crafting ingredients and dealing with invisible enemies, detracts from the overall enjoyment and leads many to avoid post-story content.
- “I beat the main story but did not go back and collect all the things because it felt tedious and pointless to do so.”
- “Many of the mechanics of the game are extremely cumbersome: levels that look open but are full of invisible walls and slippery hills, 3 out of 4 potions have excessively long dance animations to use making them not feasible in combat, the magic vision is something you have to activate ten thousand times and can only sustain for brief periods, the platforming elements are bad, you have to go to a specific old woman in a village every time you want to upgrade instead of being able to do it in a menu, invisible enemies that only exist to make you have to use spirit vision because they will shut off your magic mid-jump, save points exist in each level but you often have to trek long distances to reach them, enemies who can stun lock you super easily, tedious harvesting of crafting ingredients, long animation times for when you lose a soul that allow enemies to pile in on you, and the water puzzles that are tedious at best and very frustrating at worst.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features humorous achievements and enjoyable dialogue, contributing to its overall charm. While the humor is appreciated, some players noted a lack of variety in the comedic elements. The original setting and respectful incorporation of cultural lore add depth to the humor, making it a standout aspect of the game.
- “Always a fan of humorous achievements too.”
- “Magnificent game, from a small publisher, with an extremely original setting and lore, a lot of easter eggs hidden in the lore itself, like peyote named jikuli and being referred to as a divine plant. The dialogue is funny and enjoyable, but it lacks variety. Overall, I really hope to see more games from this developer, about other natives from Mexico, or adaptations of the old legends.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been noted for its stability issues, with users reporting various glitches and bugs that detract from the overall experience. While not overwhelmingly problematic, these issues suggest that the game is not fully polished and may require further refinement.
- “A bit buggy, not perfect, not super challenging.”
- “It definitely had its share of glitches here and there; my Xbox controller didn't help much in the long run.”
- “It definitely had its share of glitches here and there; my Xbox controller didn't help much in the long run.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
67%
The game features no microtransactions, giving it a nostalgic feel reminiscent of older titles without the modern monetization tactics often seen in contemporary games.
- “The game has no microtransactions, which is a refreshing change in today's gaming landscape.”
- “I appreciate that there are no hidden costs or paywalls; everything is accessible without spending extra money.”
- “It's great to see a game that prioritizes player experience over monetization strategies.”
- “The monetization in this game feels outdated, like I stumbled upon a PS2 game from 2005 that I never played and never saw advertisements for.”
- “Microtransactions: none.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's optimization has been criticized for poor pacing and overall performance, failing to meet player expectations in these areas.
- “It just doesn't deliver on many accounts with the pacing and general performance.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews indicate a lack of replayability, with multiple users expressing that the game does not encourage repeated playthroughs.