Hello again. Welcome back to Let's Play La-Mulana. Last time, I saved my game. This time, I've loaded it up again. There's a high piched sound that plays when you pick your save file, followed by some static. Kind of reminds me of a modem, but perhaps it's supposed to simulate loading from a cassette? Dunno. Anyway, this being a silent LP, I've cut about six seconds of the file selection screen sitting there while it plays out from the GIF. You're welcome.
Lemeza has lost his EXP, but regained all of his VIT. Since filling the EXP gauge just refills the VIT one, that's a good trade. Now, there are a few things on my to-do list today, but first:
It turns out the pause animation isn't just Lemeza eating. Neat!
Down to business. I equip my new Hand Scanner in the Sub-Weapon slot and head for the treasure chest I haven't been able to open yet. I've got a new, obvious idea for how to open it: kill all the enemies. I start by killing the two snakes and the lower bird. Now for the other one:
Aww, nuts.
When I leave the screen and re-enter, the bird reappears. On the fourth attempt, I get it and the chest opens. I score the Shell Horn:
User's Manual:Along with forgetting how to open this chest (I think I must have been standing next to it when I killed the second bird the previous time I opened it, and so thought that the whip hitting the chest had opened it), I was misremembering what this did. I thought it played the melody when a screen had an outstanding puzzle to be solved, not when you solved one. Because of that I went to the trouble of getting sound to work on my video capture, greatly increasing file size and possibly causing a crash that fortunately didn't lose me the video but did make it harder to work with. I'm gonna turn it back off.
Shell Horn: Plays a mysterious melody when you solve a puzzle.
I take a look at the Horn on my item window, then head back up the mountain to the signpost near the top. Now that I have the hand scanner, I can interact with it. The fourth screenshot is the result. It's... disappointing. I feel like I'm missing something, possibly the Glyph Reader cartridge:
User's Manual:But would a signpost have ancient glyphs?
Glyph Reader: Instantly decodes any ancient glyphs.
2020 Comment: I was in fact missing something. When 2005 La-Mulana is played on more recent versions of Windows, the text on scanner screens does not appear. This is an absolutely game-breaking bug, because you need to read these things to get anywhere. Fortunately, someone in the thread told me of the bug and how to fix it. Unfortunately, I'd already recorded the update after this when they told me, so it'll be a couple of posts before I can read anything. I'll explain the fix when I get there.
I head back to town and stop in on the elder again. He's got a new tip for me. I'll have to check back in whenever I reach a new Field. I think in the Wii version he sends you emails.
I rebreak the pot in the first screenshot, but it doesn't drop ten coins this time. I guess I won't be able to cash myself up quickly by saving and reloading to respawn drops. Oh well. I carry on to the left and learn that there's another pot with ten coins in it over here. I could have had the Hand Scanner before entering the ruins! Oh well. There was a question in the thread about going left from this screen. Let's give it a shot:
No go.
I head upwards and check out the signpost near the algol. Again, it seems to be blank. I head back to the right. Can I go further right from here?
Nope.
I stop by the Elder's place to save and head for the ruins. Scanning this skeleton gives me the same blue screen. I'm coming to dislike it. I guess it means there's nothing to be found?
I get the same result from the stele, but this time the computer takes some time to think about it first. There's also a beeping sound that obviously doesn't come through in the GIF. The signposts and skeleton had the "Ok" appear instantly. I'll definitely be trying this again once I get Glyph Reader. The broken stele up above also has a delay, but it's shorter.
I take the lower path right, finding ten coins in a pot and Athletic Land on the corpse in the corner. I checked the skeleton on the higher level as well, getting neither software nor an "Ok" screen from it. Athletic Land is a 1984 MSX platformer by Konami. Kind of a strange thing to find on a body in the ruins, but Xelpud mentioned other people going in to explore, perhaps they also use the Super Notebook Computer MSX:
User's Manual:I stuck Athletic Land in the cart slot, but it didn't seem to do anything.
A bunch of die-hard enthusiasts continued to use the MSX computer, but because of its simple design, its use spread throughout the world among adventurers, mountain climbers, and spies, who wanted them for its speedy operation and reaction. In response to the wishes of these hard-core users, the manufacturers released the new standard Super Laptop MSX. All software is provided on cartridge and disk, and as soon as you open the computer, it starts right up. It remains quite expandable and old MSX cartridges and external devices like the Hand Scanner work without needing any sort of setup.
Its storage medium is still just tapes and disks, but that hasn't changed its rave reviews from the enthusiasts.
Unit type: Super Laptop MSX F2-XV
Maker: S.ONY
CPU:Z99000 Memory: 8Kb, additional memory contained within the cartridges
HDD: None
Options: Waterproof case/Heatproof case (Sold separately) Advanced models with 2 cartridge slots and an internal disk drive also exist.
I return to the lower level and drop to the floor below, reaching the raised area I couldn't get to last time. The skeleton gives another "Ok" screen, and I notice for the first time there's a "ting" sound when you whip a statue. Nothing seems to come of it, though. The pot at the top doesn't drop anything.
The altar gets another delayed "Ok". I'll be coming back to this, I'm sure.
All the steles in these rooms give the delay then "Ok". The skeleton in the lower left of the second screenshot has Konami Tennis, and the one at the right of the fourth shot has nothing, not even an "Ok". I put the tennis game in my cart slot, but again nothing obvious happens.
Striking this statue seems to have annoyed it. Its fire goes over Lemeza's head, but I have to be careful with my jumps.
On the other side of the sacred block, I take down a skeleton. Then:
This place is just full of traps, isn't it? This gives me a chance to scan the skeleton, at least. It's an instant "Ok".
I head right to reach a ladder back up. There's also a vertical corridor that I can't climb yet. The manual mentions a Grapple Claw that lets you grab walls, and I'm guessing that'll get me up this shaft. For now though, I head back left, jumping over the trapdoor, and get 10 coins from the pot on the left. But now I'm faced with a dilemma: do I leave the dais below for later, hoping to get something that lets me walk through spikes, or should I just take a hit and hope to get by on post-damage invincibility?
I decide on the latter, perhaps foolishly given my current VIT, and it turns out the spikes are fake. I can fall and walk through them without incident. Putting a weight on the dais gives me an escape ladder and gets rid of the sacred block, leaving what looks like a shuriken in its place.
And indeed, that's what it is. I open my inventory and equip it, but just like in Galious, getting the weapon doesn't mean I have any ammo for it. Given this is a throwing weapon and each piece of ammo is a complete weapon, I'm not sure what exactly Lemeza has just picked up, but it doesn't matter for long. I head back left and go down to the room with the falling jaw trap, and the first pot I break drops Shuriken ammo. Handy!
Again like in Galious, you press M to use a subweapon. The Shuriken seems to be pretty much the same as Galious' Arrow. Annoyingly, the Hand Scanner counts as a subweapon, so I'll have to switch back and forwards if I want to use projectiles and also examine things. I think this is true to Galious, but would it have killed them to put it on its own button?
Here's a case in point. I jump down to the stele and press M to scan it, instead throwing a Shuriken. Then, being me, I press F3 and bring up the MSX Window instead of pressing F2 for the Item Window to switch to the scanner. Of course, once I've made the change I get a pause and then "Ok". The result of this is I pretty much stop using Shurikens. I guess once I've scanned everything it'll be less of an issue.
The seated skeleton doesn't scan, and the other two both give and immediate "Ok". I move to the next screen, where the pot which dropped the ten coins I needed to get enough cash for the Hand Scanner again drops ten coins. That's odd... the surface pots didn't refill after reloading. Still, I'm not complaining. Glyph Reader, here I come!
I attempt to walk past these spikes, thinking they'll only hurt me if I land on them from above. I'm wrong, and instead have to jump over them.
Placing a weight on the dais on the left opens the chest, and Lemeza scores a map. Unfortunately, without a Ruins RAM cart, I can't see it. One little touch I like in Lemeza's spritework is the way he holds his hat when he's descending, seen in the second screen here. Anyway, I kill the myrmecoleo at the lower left and score some Shuriken ammo and a touch of EXP. Speaking of which, my VIT is pretty low. Give me a second here:
Yes, I'm grinding for a health refill.
User's Manual:To get the full experience, watch the above GIF for two minutes, and then:
If you find yourself running out of VIT, find a safe place to defeat enemies and build EXP. If you've gotten something extra good, you might want to return to the surface and save your game too.
We're back in the blue. Onwards!
The next screen has a cool backdrop and a pretty simple puzzle: push the grey block onto the grey patch of floor. Unfortunately, the bats that fill the room have other ideas. After getting knocked away a few times, I decide to try to kill the bats first. Unfortunately, I manage to hit the sacred block with my whip in the process.
The trick to it turns out to be waiting until the bats are on the other side of the room before acting. The sacred block disappears, revealing a dais. Now I just have to figure out how to get up there. Maybe if I get to the other side of the room I'll be able to figure something out. But can Lemeza jump that far?
With a little help, sure! I pull off a damage boost that a speed runner would be proud of, and then:
Ah. Turns out, I'm no speed runner. Pretty much the opposite, in fact. Now, how am I going to get out of this pit and back to town?
There are a heck of a lot of enemies in this room, and I lose quite a bit of health trying to explore it. I do score some Shuriken ammo and ten coins. The skeleton is another instant "Ok". The faces on either side of the room spit out a stream of the yellow sludge lizards, and the bats are as challenging as ever.
User's Manual:Very true, user's manual. I don't manage to reach the stele at the upper right, which probably doesn't matter in the abscence of Glyph Reader, and I head up the stairs to start trying to get back to town. The next screen has more bats and more sludge lizards. Great.
BAT
Ordinary bats that fly about the ruins. There are a lot of them, and they will prove a lot tougher to deal with than you might expect.
Eight souls rest in this land. The souls are those of the Guardians that protect these lands. When the Ankhs holding the souls shatter from a shining red light, the souls will awaken. The Ankh in this land is beyond the path of Angels, and the Jewel is at the foot of a long wall.This room has a mysterious grey block: how can I get behind it to push it to its resting place? There's also a doorway leading to a... person... who tells Lemeza about the Guardians.
User's Manual:I.E. the bosses. The manual says there are nine, but here I'm told eight. Hmm. Anyway, it seems I need to find an Ankh and a Jewel for each. The path of Angels I think I remember from the Wii version: if you look at the map at the end of this update, at -1/-2 and 1/-2 there are angel-shaped gargoyles which face each other through a platform in 0/2. I think I need reach that platform and the ladder on it. The long wall I'm not sure about yet.
Guardians (9 in total)
These are gigantic monsters that are said to be the protectors of the ruins of La Mulana.
Their presences and attacks are overwhelming!
I attempt to jump to the other side of the room and mistime it, getting hit and thrown back to the floor below.
Climbing back up I manage another beautiful damage boost to reach the other side of the room (I think you're probably supposed to just jump from one of the higher platforms), and get another ten coins from a pot. The skeleton is another instant "Ok".
I head right and finally get something from one of these stele. But what does it mean? Let's take a look at a still of it:
It looks like it's depicting a room: there's a ladder at the bottom, a waterfall at the upper middle, and two platforms underwater in the middle. And maybe a dragon at the upper right? But where is it, and what am I supposed to do when I get there? The room Lemeza is standing in is also interesting: the face in the background has a jewel in its mouth and an arrow pointing up to it, the floor creates a funnel to the room below, and there are more snake pictures in the walls.
I don't seem to be able to collect the jewel.
I'm not feeling brave enough to drop through the floor, so I head right. One neat detail in the next room is that the eyes of the faces in the background follow you. Creepy! I don't stick around to investigate this room. My health is low and I want to get out and save, so I take the stairs back up.
Back in town I still can't afford Glyph Reader, but I pick up the Ruins RAM 8K (" If you have the right map, displays the map of the Field you are in."). I try it out in town, but I don't have a town map. Back to the ruins!
The map is pretty simple. According to the manual, there's a 16K version that gives more information, and something unnamed that gives "Full Map display mode." For now, this is a quick reference to where I am. It also shows the full layout, not just where I've been. Having taken a look at that, I head back to Xelpud's place, save, and quit.
Map:
Clues:
-"Eight souls rest in this land. The souls are those of the Guardians that protect these lands. When the Ankhs holding the souls shatter from a shining red light, the souls will awaken. The Ankh in this land is beyond the path of Angels, and the Jewel is at the foot of a long wall."
To-Do:
Village:
-Kill the blue Algol at -5/1, probably with the Serpent Staff.
-Read signposts at -4/1 and 3/3
-
-Explore beyond the waterfall at 3/4
-Purchase:
--Buckler (0/0) 80 Coins
--MSX2 (0/0) 150 Coins
--Waterproof case (0/0) 80 Coins
--Glyph Reader (-1/0) 100 Coins
--
Guidance Gate:
-Do something at altar at -1/1
-
-Open treasure chests at -1/-3, 2/-1
-Get past barrier at 0/-2
-Get past holy rock at 1/-2
-Climb narrow shaft at 4/-1
-Take ladder to other Field at 4/-1
-Put weights on daises at -1/-2, 0/-2
-Use Hand Scanner with Glyph Reader on:
--Steles: -1/-2, -1/-3, -1/-4, 0/0, 0/-3, 1/-2, 2/-1, 3/-1, 4/-1
--Skeletons: 0/0,
-Push the grey block at -1/-3
-Get the Jewel in the mouth of the face on 0/-3
-Find the Ankh
--"Beyond the path of Angels"
-Find the Jewel
--"At the foot of a long wall"
-Awaken the Guardian
Unknown:
Do something in the room depicted on the stele in Guidance Gate 0/-3
Birth Locks:
-Guidance Gate 2/-1
Life Locks:
-Village -4/1
Next Time:
Part 04: Puzzle Solving
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