The original La-Mulana released 10 years ago back in 2005, and it was a love letter to the classic MSX action adventure games from that era. Years later in 2011, it was remade with a more modern look on the Wii for Wiiware. Although it wasn't originally localized, it did make it's way to the West about a year later on Windows, before finally making the jump on the Wii. Albeit it was missing the Hell Temple content due to NOA's strict requirements regarding DLC. Now, the game has been ported as a Playstation Vita Game. In it's new EX form, the game now has a portable solution. While it doesn't add much new to the game, it's still a great way to play it, and the additions are a nice bonus.

For those who are unfamiliar with the gameplay, the game is about an explorer and archaeologist named Lezema Kosugi. He's discovered the lost city of La-Mulana, which is supposed to house the ultimate treasure, the Origin of Life. Once there Lezema will have to venture through ruins that have many traps, that will kill the player. A lot. It's an action platformer that one can't just rush into. Even if you are good at other games in the genre, you will still need to learn how to properly play this game before mastering it. It also has plenty of secrets, and plenty of obtuse puzzles to solve. Thankfully the remake makes solving these puzzles a bit easier, and the elder Xelpud will send you emails offering advice. 

Lezema'a primary weapon is a whip, and he can acquire several more melee weapons, as well as some ranged sub weapons. Many of the sub weapons are situational, but they each have some good points. Bosses are huge and difficult to defeat, and there no healing items in the game, save from a fairy which can regen health, but you can't really bring them into battle, so that's not really an option. The strategy is to just learn the boss patterns and learn their weaknesses. You could go into fights with different gear or more health if you want to brute force it though. Although that's not really recommended. The music was fantastic in the original release, and the remake also does a very good job at remastering the chiptune soundtrack while still sounding modern. The quality of the localization is also fantastic. The Elder and Mulbruk have plenty of hilarious lines. 

The EX version of the game does add a few new features. Outside of being able to play the game on the go, there is a new bestiary that players can look at. The bestiary also covers the various NPC's you will meet in the game. Each entry usually has some concept art for monsters, and pixel art for NPC's, but they all have little descriptions that help flesh out the world more. Monsters also have lists for what they drop and where they are found. The layout of the maps has changed slightly, with mostly cosmetic touch-ups. One minor issue with this port would have to be the fact that the game was not refitted for widescreen support. As a result, the game is displayed in 4:3 with border art. This makes for a smaller screen to see things at times. The game looks good on a PS TV though, and the button layout on either a Dualshock 3 or 4 is a godsend. Hitting either the start and select button is a much easier task than it is on the Vita, and you will be hitting them a lot to swap out items and software. But the screen size issue is very minor, and La-Mulana EX is still a solid game worth the twenty dollar asking price.   

The Bottom Line: It's the same same as before, only now with some nice tweaks. Still an amazingly good time to be had, and now on the go. 

Acquisition Method: This game's review copy was a digital code provided by Rising Star Games via David Bruno