NOTE: this is a spoiler-free review.

Okay! Let's begin:

The first game was a rather unique take on the Metroidvania subset of 2D platformers. It was big, complex, full of retro charm, and difficult enough that it didn't care one bit whether the average player would ever see the staff roll or not. It was a bold experiment by a small Japanese indie team obsessed with the old MSX 8-bit system, and I found it utterly fascinating. The WiiWare remake of 2012 -the version I played first- was one of my favorite games of that year.

La-Mulana 2 is... essentially the same game, with a new coat of paint.

Let's start from the beginning. La-Mulana (and, by extension, La-Mulana 2) is heavily based on an old MSX game by Konami called "The Maze of Galious". The tiny character sprites, the way the game world is structured, the general gameplay mechanics, the character movement and jumping physics, it all bears heavy influences from that game. This is particularly true in the original release, which featured 8-bit graphics and sound design that mirrored those the MSX was capable of.

Now, La-Mulana is a pretty difficult game, especially if you go in blind. However, even though there sure is a learning curve to navigating the platform-heavy, enemy-infested ruins, what really defines La-Mulana's difficulty actually resides in an entirely different aspect of the game: the riddles.

80% of the game consists in figuring out complex riddles and puzzles (most of them mandatory) in order to progress, with minimal to no hand-holding whatsoever. Usually, the hints for solving these riddles are located in entirely different areas, and further obscured by intentionally cryptic wording. It's the kind of game that requires comprehensive documenting of practically everything. To stand the slightest chance at beating the game blind, you pretty much have to draw your own maps and take notes of every single tablet and NPC dialogue you come across, as well as having a sharp eye for subtle details and the brains to juggle it all. And even then, you're not guaranteed to make it to the end without looking up the solution to a riddle or two here and there! It's a very demanding game in that respect.

Now, everything I said so far about the first game applies to La-Mulana 2 as well. And I mean everything. If you played the original, then you know exactly what to expect here. This sequel is essentially the first game, but set on a new set of ruins, with a couple other changes and embellishments here and there. But the foundation and design philosophy of the game remain exactly the same as in La-Mulana 1. Whether that is a good or a bad thing, that depends entirely on you and what you want from this sequel. I will say this, though. When over half of the inventory is the same as the first game's, and even a few bosses and scenarios are pretty much lifted wholesale from La-Mulana 1 with minimal alterations, then a case can be made that perhaps things may be a bit too "samey" for their own good at times.

That aside, there's still a lot of fun to be had here, because La-Mulana 2 is legitimately a good game in its own right. Sure, there were some bugs and softlocks at release, but the worst ones have already been patched out, and the rest are surely to follow suit soon. The devs appear to be quite active on that front, which is very much appreciated.

With all that said, if you haven't played the first game, I'd suggest you give that one a try first. Then you can decide whether you also want to play this sequel or not. Also, there's the fact that La-Mulana 2 spoils pretty much the entire plot of the first game in the first fifteen minutes or so, so that's something else you may want to consider, depending on how much you care about video game plots.

So, in closing, I give this game a solid recommendation... provided you are the kind of hardcore retro-gamer this game was made for, of course!