Thread 723132558

Some games leave a lasting mark while others just vanish into the sea of releases. I think the key is: a game has to commit fully to what makes it unique instead of playing it safe halfway.

Take La-Mulana for example. It stands out because it goes all-in: brutal, cryptic puzzles that demand real dedication from the player, and a design that doesn't just imitate 8-bit aesthetics but pushes that spirit into overdrive. It's uncompromising, and that commitment makes it memorable. Or Rain World, which commits just as hard in a different way: a hostile ecosystem where survival feels alien and unfair, yet unforgettable. I don't understand why more games don't try to stand out like this.

Compare that to the flood of metroidvanias on Steam right now. So many of them blur together: same side-scrolling maps, same light RPG mechanics, same art direction. They're "fine," but they're interchangeable. Do you really wanna play another one where you can instantly spot the “obvious double jump area” and already know how the design will unfold?

A game doesn't need to please everyone. It needs to own its identity so strongly that it couldn't be mistaken for anything else.

What do you think: is it better to go extreme and risk alienating some players, or to stay middle-ground and risk being forgotten?

la-mulana is one of the best metroidvanias ever made and will remain so, it's inately anti-midwit, the gameplay is sick, the puzzles are good and devilishly satisfying to solve, and the ost (both versions) are incredible

cool thread

>>723132558 (OP)
Buy an ad.

Why didn't Hornet just behead Seamstress, jumpstart her balloonship, and fly directly to the citadel ? Did she hit her head on the way down ?

agreed, too many games try to satisfy too many people instead of committing for their intended audience. either that or the identity is just a blur of common trends rather than unique ideas.

>>723132816
The main reason why La-Mulana is like how it is is because it was effectively made in a vacuum. Naramura had never played any Metroid games or any metroidvanias. He had never played any Nintendo games period and had limited exposure to pretty much all of modern gaming. He was completely ignorant to modern design philosophies and the standard Nintendo templates of each genre that everyone typically draws from. He had no interest in learning about those, he just wanted to make a game like the MSX ones he grew up with as a kid. You'll never have another genuine La-Mulana again because we'll probably never again have someone who is this much of an outsider to the gaming world while still being intimately connected to it. You would need someone who is either completely alien to modern design philosophies like Naramura was, or is able to perfectly understand which ones need to be rejected in order to achieve their vision.

>>723133330
I'm not surprised hearing it was made in a vacuum, some games are like that. also isn't there a sequel?

>>723133528
There was indeed a La-Mulana 2, and it's the closest game there probably ever will be to matching La-Mulana. He since got hired by Konami to make a Maze of Galious remake and he posted teasers of a brand new game idea based on ancient history similar to La-Mulana, but I haven't heard about either in years.

>>723132558 (OP)
I don't know why everyone harps on La Mulana's puzzles when they just amount to "write shit down". One guy tells you what to do if you're in a dark room and then woah shit, 3 zones away you find yourself in a dark room, no way.

The healing system and wimpy hitboxes on your weapons, the pure RNG on enemy patterns, now that's fucked up. Making subweapons not even work on problems. There are many things to be filtered by in La Mulana and the puzzles aren't one of them.

>>723132558 (OP)
This but Soulsborne is the forgetable safe slop. And Shadow tower 1998 is the well crafted uncompromising masterpiece.
/v/ isnt ready for that black pill though. They may never be

>>723134002
>And Shadow tower 1998 is the well crafted uncompromising masterpiece
I'd rebut it with something about godawful hit detection but I'd probably have to hug your post for 30 seconds trying to attack it for it to land.

>>723134171
Unironic skill issue, once you lean you have to be nearly touching and how fast you move it becomes the best Kingsfield combat there is

>>723134535
>skill issue, once you're aware of how shit it is, it's good
You move fast in Eternal Ring too, you know. They do that in the games that suck because they know you're not going to have any patience for them.

>>723133330
>Naramura had never played any Metroid games or any metroidvanias.
Wait, seriously? He at least played some of the classic Castlevanias, surely?

Not responding to a bot. Come back when you learn to speak English.

>>723136303
He played Castlevania. MSX Castlevania, which is very different from NES Castlevania. He also hadn't played Symphony of the Night, the game that birthed the "metroidvania" term. The game La-Mulana is inspired by is Maze of Galious.

>>723136303
>>723136547
Also just to add: Naramura was one of the devs that IGN or whoever gathered together to make levels in Super Mario Maker as part of a promotion. Naramura admitted that that promotion was the first time he ever played a Mario game.

I agree, games should have balls and a bit of bite to them. Pic related is completely unlike the usual safe Betheslop because the world and the mechanics both feel harsh and inhospitable. A game shouldn't be forced to appease player at every turn, it should just be itself.

>>723136879
>added a quest log, didn't have the balls to make players write their own like old rpgs
Casual pandering slop.

Has anyone ever beaten this game without looking anything up? I mean anything, no matter how little. Be honest.

>>723136484
>Trusts an AI to tell you who's an AI
They are colluding and trying to cause a rift between humans..

>>723137076
There has been recorded cases of youtubers accomplishing this, so it is indeed possible.

>>723133330
>La-Mulana was made in a vacuum
>One of the greatest metroidvanias ever
>Citizen Kane was made in a vacuum
>One of the greatest movies ever
Huh.