La-Mulana - The Problem with Faith.

The Folks at Nicalis have put up a new blog, this time discussing the games' development. If you've gotten far in the original La-Mulana, it's not hard to see the mash-up of various cultures and faiths in the game. It's pretty tough to bring such content overseas to non-Japanese countries and Nicalis knows that. Check out the entry below.

- Kyle K.

"Today I’d like to talk about a story separate from the development status of La-Mulana.

One of the difficult things when Japanese make games for foreign countries is the problems with faith.

From the historical background of Japan the interest in faith has been weak.
It’s difficult to understand the feeling of things such as making vows with a hand over the Bible during the presidential inauguration; or how Islamic faith views the absolute moral.
This may be obvious when you look at how Japanese games borrows names for monsters and items from various beliefs, civilizations, and myths.

Still more, La-Mulana is further created with an absurd theme that its roots are from all ancient civilizations all around the world.



There are tons of India and Egypt gods in the background of the maps, as well as Sumer and Mexico’s folklore in ancient writings.

here, I’d like to briefly explain the view of faith in Japan.

Japan is a civilization separated from the continent and because the land is small and there are few open fields.
Japan’s people have prospered by efficiently obtaining food as farmers.
There are are many earthquakes and, because of few resources, there are only a few ruins created from large stones.
I believe that the sense of “not wasting” came from utilizing the limited resources.

In the faith born from within the continent’s culture exists a “God”.
Even though there is a difference between monotheism and polytheism, thinking about the many existing fears, living beyond a vast continent, and harness of nature could have brought forth the “absolute existence”.

In Japan’s “MOTTAINAI (do not waste)”, this thought was never born, nothing can be wasted, a God dwells in everything, and everything living needs to be appreciated which is where the thought of “multitudinous gods” was born. In Western terms, it could be close to “spirits” dwelling in things.

Meaning, even if ancient writings in the game have “God” written in it, the way of thinking between Japan and the West are different.
That’s why it’s also difficult to translate.
Once, the priests of Christianity had come across to Japan but were having difficulty being unable to explain the concept of “God”.

Meaning, there is no harm meant when Japanese games add elements from the beliefs of foreign countries.
And it can’t just end there, so what’s OK and what’s bad needs to be thought out, but there is no such rule existing.
What’s the best is to have the world’s religionist check, but that would not be possible.

In the parts of La-Mulana that are complete, when Bahamut appears, using the hexagram to make an evil monster appear is not good.
To Judaism the hexagram is a symbol with such important meaning, so it was changed to a pentagram.

Currently, we’re lost as to draw the image of Hindu Gods between the Births or to create different designs.
Other than problems with beliefs, we’ve been contemplating about things such as covering the Goddess statue’s breast in that Goddess tower with a cloth and what to do with the blood displayed when the girls dive in to the needles of the Gate of Illusion."