It's no secret that 2D platformers often turn to the past for inspiration. A followup to the famously difficult original, La-Mulana 2 is looking to embrace its own history as well as the "Metroidvania" tag as it hunts down support through a recently announced Kickstarter project. That the first game is sometimes called a 2D Dark Souls should also give us a clue about what to expect from the sequel.
In this case the "Metroidvania" reference seems entirely appropriate in that the platformer, like its predecessor, will feature non-linear exploration, according to the developer NIGORO. Players are on the lookout for clues to help solve puzzles, overcome the game's bosses, and understand the many monuments that dot the archaeological ruins. And all this needs to be accomplished without the help of a tutorial or otherwise chatty and informative sidekick who holds your hand along the way, according to the developer. This echoes the situation players might remember from the first game which saw release in 2006 and then was eventually remade and launched on PC six years later. La-Mulana is currently a daily deal on Steam, on sale for $1.50 , but NIGORO wants the sequel to stand well on its own.
"It's true that La-Mulana 2 is a sequel, but we want to make it enjoyable both for people returning to the series and newcomers alike," writes the development team on Kickstarter. "While 'You don't need to have played the prequel!' is a horribly overused cliché, we feel it's appropriate here. We want all players to be able to play and enjoy our work."
La-Mulana 2 is set to feature at least 20 - 30 hours of gameplay and sees the debut of a new explorer, Lumisa Kosugi, who may or may not be the daughter of the original game's protagonist, according to NIGORO. The Kickstarter project has a base goal of $200,000 and a funding period that runs through February 22. You can hear more about the project in the developer's announcement video below.
