| paleface [sys=PC; cat=Platformer; reg=NA] |
| | | Japanese-made freeware Metroidvania non-linear exploration platformer game with a sort of Indiana Jones-ish theme where you play an explorer going into a cave system or something; you start at a base camp with tents set up like classic Zelda-style shops and from there just scroll either left or right and find new areas and crows and snakes and temples and then there was a giant golem.
I love the MSX-styled graphics and chip tunes.
But I still--since trying NES Metroid back in the day--seem to hate feeling lost as I wander around; La Mulana is infamous for difficulty and how much time you can take to explore everything. There's also a modern remake and sequel available on GOG/Steam/consoles but I really dislike the blurry lighting modern pixel art style.
So I guess I'm still off the Metroid half of Metroidvanias. Wikipedia says Koji Igarashi of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night says it should be "Zeldavanias" since he was inspired by Zelda rather than Metroid. I really am digging original Castlevania though (see entry 1571 and entry 1583).
Getting 2006 La Mulana running in Windows 11 takes a little tweaking. There's a translation patch available along with the game from archive.org. Then you gotta install a graphic utility to create a DirectDraw wrapper. And supposedly to use a controller you also need a DirectInput wrapper--but this didn't work with my arcade stick anyway so I just used Joy-2-Key.
Notes and copied notes from pcgamingwiki:
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https://archive.org/details/La-Mulana
https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/La-Mulana_(2006)
( http://dege.freeweb.hu/dgVoodoo2/dgVoodoo2/ )
Use dgVoodoo 2[4]
Download the latest stable release of dgVoodoo from its official website or Github, then extract the contents of dgVoodoo2_*.zip to its own folder in a convenient location on your computer (e.g. Documents).
Run the dgVoodooCpl.exe, then configure the following settings from the General tab:
Adapter(s) to use/enable: <your video card>
Scaling mode: Stretched, keep Aspect Ratio
Miscellaneous: Uncheck Capture mouse (the game does not use mouse controls)
Now go to the DirectX tab and configure the following settings:
Videocard: dgVoodoo 3D Accelerated Card
Filtering: Force point sampled
Resolution: Unforced (use the game's default resolution) or Max (use your system's highest native resolution)
Behavior: Uncheck Disable Alt+Enter to toggle screen state
Antialiasing (MSAA): Off (this game uses bitmaps)
Miscellaneous: Uncheck dgVoodoo Watermark and Force vSync (forcing V-sync causes slowdown on certain transitions)
Click Apply. dgVoodoo 2 should save the configuration file to where you have it installed by default, then copy the dgVoodoo.conf to <path-to-game>. Alternatively, click the Add button and point the program to where you have the game installed to save it there.
Go into the MS/x86 folder from your dgVoodoo 2 installation folder, then copy the DDraw.dll file to <path-to-game>.
Launch the game. It will appear that the game's graphics are corrupted when wrapped with dgVoodoo 2, but this is caused by the game's conflict with its hardware/software stretching mode. Simply press F6 and it should fix the graphics.
(couldn't seem to get this working, used Joy-2-Key)
(used Google Translate for https://sites.google.com/site/0dd14lab/xinput-plus )
Instructions for XInput Plus[1]
Download and run XInput Plus, and then set the Target Program to lamulana.exe.
Go to the Key Assign tab, then go to Left Stick and assign it to Multiple Key, then check Left Stick and DPAD.
Go to the DirectInput tab, check Enable DirectInput Output, change the Guide button function to Button13 and LT/RT functions to Button 11/12 from their drop-down menus.
Go to the Setting tab, uncheck Enable Init Beep to disable XInput Plus' confirmation beep sound and then click Apply to save the settings and install the XInput Plus *.dll files into the game's installation folder. The game should be able to register XInput D-pad and analog triggers as DirectInput buttons.
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| | | Forgot to mention your explorer uses a whip a-la Castlevania. That's the only gameplay button, I think; the rest is d-pad: up to jump, down to enter/exit shops; I also mapped Up to a button w/ Joy-2-Key and that worked fine as a Jump button. Jumping is floaty and kinda clunky, probably intentionally so.
The game is said to have been inspired by Konami's 1987 MSX game The Maze of Galious. It got a Famicom port called Majou Densetsu II: Daima Shikyou Gariusu but I vastly prefer the original graphics; anyway, in both the character flashes red when hit so that's no good. |
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