Mulaka is an action platformer starring the Tarahumara, a tribe of indigenous people who live in northern Mexico. You play as a Sukurúame, a Tarahumara shaman, on a quest to cleanse the land of corruption with the aid of godly powers, some good old-fashioned knuckle sandwiches and, critically, peerless endurance.
"The Tarahumara have been called super athletes, super humans, and even the greatest race the world has ever seen," developer Lienzo says. "All because of one thing: their running." In the first episode of "Behind Mulaka," a three-part video series exploring Tarahumara culture and its role in the game, Lienzo notes that the Tarahumara are said to have hunted deer by running them down—literally chasing a deer until it's exhausted and then tackling it. This legend is reflected in-game via infinite stamina.
"Mulaka was designed hand-in-hand with renowned anthropologists and Tarahumara leaders to capture the true essence of the culture in the game," Lienzo says. "We have unearthed old books, crumbling texts and forgotten diaries and gotten the most playable elements, as well as the coolest myths and stories, and recorded authentic Tarahumara dialogue."
Lienzo will donate up to 10 percent of Mulaka's earnings to "the strengthening of the culture and the preservation of the Tarahumara Sierra."
Mulaka has a fascinating setting, and it sounds like the devs have done their homework. It's certainly one to watch as it approaches its February 27 Steam release.
