That one is intentional. But you can do it if you are fast and time it right (and have Hermes' boots too). In fact, I did it on my first try, using the left pillar. The item you find there is optional, but totally worth it.

They really need to give you the Holy Grail from the start. I've found one seemingly impossible trap so far, and it just spoils the whole experience. I couldn't even kill my character so I had to reset. Now that I have the grail I can just warp if that happens again, but that is completely thoughtless design.

The designer actually has thought about that and made those situations intentionally. The Holy Grail isn't only an item to teleport between places quickly but it's also an item of amazingly high relief. Aquiring and using that item is way more satisfying when there can be truly harsh conditions without it.

The original version didn't even give an option to save early. In this version you can save immediately but the original had you buy some quite expensive stuff before being able to save at all, and the money didn't come as "easy" as in the remake, so the player had to be truly brave to go into the ruins. All of that was made with a clear thought and intention to make the player to really explore carefully and to think before doing. It wasn't even possible to save at the Grail Points. The only place to save was in the tent of the elder at the Surface. I'm somewhat glad that they made it easier in the remake, but I can fully appreciate the thought behind it, and I enjoyed the feeling of truly earning the possibility to save when playing the original.

I think you can dislike that logic and the design but to call it thoughtless is just thoughtless

So no nasty glitches! That's very nice to hear! I guess I'll download it pretty soon then!

Thanks for the answer!

No, I thought about it, and it is thoughtless. It adds value to an item that is already highly valuable while making the game not fun at all if you get caught in a trap before finding it. If any decision leads to situations that ruin the fun of a game, I consider thoughtless an apt description, personally, much like the sign that permanently activates hard mode without explaining what it's doing. I get that you disagree, but that is my view.

In fact, I've found a lot else I'd describe that way, but no need to go into detail. Suffice it to say, my opinion of the game changed a lot in my play after the first boss. Oh well, it was fun enough to be worth trying.

There seems to be one fatal design flaw which GeminiSaint pointed out in message 158.

I too went through it in correct order so I didn't have any problems with it, but as I read that thread in GameFAQs, I saw an image someone had posted which explained the situation. It indeed seems to make proceeding impossible. It was fixed in the PC versions but for some reason that fix didn't end up in the WiiWare version.

It is discussed in this thread:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/972053-la-mulana/64154552
The picture in question is this (don't open it if you don't want to see a possible minor spoiler):
http://edyics.eecafe.net/gamescreens/lamul25.png

So, in that screen there are two things to activate. If you activate the wrong one first, you can't get into the other activation point anymore and it also makes it impossible to get into the Grail Point of that place and apparently you have to use every Grail Point in the game to be able to finish it. I'm not sure if there is another way to the Grail Point, but everyone seems to point out there isn't. The PC version had an update which changed the place you can use to get to the Grail Point, but in the WiiWare version it's the old one and can make the game unwinnable.

That's the only "glitch" there seems to be. All the other "mess up situations" are thoughtfully designed traps that, when activated, lock you in a "prison" and might make you force to reset the game if you don't have a certain item but they will never make the game unwinnable (and there really aren't THAT many of them). A good rule to follow in this game has always been that whenever you find something valuable or open ways to new places, try to save the game as soon as possible. It makes getting killed by an enemy or launching a horrible trap way more tolerable. Every treasure you find and every puzzle you solve should be a great achievement so by saving you guarantee the ownership of them for good.

This is factually incorrect for reasons already explained. Now, if you want to say "this is unnecessarily unfair and annoying because the creators are obsessed with their nostalgia for unfair old games" you would have a valid point. Like, I love the game but that is the best description for it.

Oh yeah, I love that thing!

You can't say it didn't warn you though.

Oh damn...... I love that whole idea soooo much... And it's really cool how it happens too. I have to admit though that I have never dared to do it myself (I obeyed the warning like a scared sheep) but I looked it up on a Youtube video and it seems that there happens some kind of a horror noise, a skull or something appears for a second and you are doomed for the rest of the game (unless you reload the latest save of course). A curse is a curse and it should be horrible.

But yeah, I understand if you don't like things like that. After all there must be a reason the difficulty was toned down a bit for the remake. We who enjoy ideas like that must be a minority.

Yeah, the Holy Grail is one of the first items you can get, so all this stuff about getting stuck in traps can be avoided after 30 minutes of play.

I guess I took the most hardcore route possible, activating VERY HARD mode the first time you have access to it (before the first boss), and then playing 10 hours into the game without Holy Grail. Playing another 10 hours into game without knowing you can warp elsewhere besides the Surface. I played it like the MSX version of the game. 25 hours in I read here my game was on VERY HARD mode. Restarting all over, played again until 50% of the game, then realized I messed up a shortcut and get sad, well no problem, then get to know I messed up the whole game at ca. 60% again because of an old glitched and extremely important puzzle NIGORO has not updated for the EU/NA WiiWare versions. I could play on and make progress here and there, but I'll never be able to see the ending.

Some people surrender these days too easily, and way too early at that... well, no game is for everyone.
I need to go back into these ruins for a third time.. too much explorer spirit dragging me. I take a glitches/missables FAQ with me though, because I'm not sure I can take it a 4th time.

I think enough has been said about traps, but for those interested in semantics, the word "thoughtless" does not mean showing no thought whatsoever. It's just an opinion, nothing factual. Carry on.

I started to turn to a guide but couldn't find a good one. Any recommendations? I feel like using a guide is surrendering in itself, but I figured it'd be better than quitting completely on a game I just bought. Got to bosses two and three but found them way too tough. Got the giant to his second form and could barely touch the other one.

if you went into this game expecting it to be fair and not difficult as hell, you bought the wrong game. I'm thankful I've only needed help once so far, and that's only because I overthought a puzzle.

Look up a guy named Deceasedcrab. It's not done yet but he's doing a Let's Play of it. And he's LPed the original version TWICE and I can assure you he knows what he's doing.

I don't know where I said I expected it to be easy. I don't really want to watch a Lets Play of it, at least not at the moment, if you suggest it in lieu of a guide. I would need something in text to search through.

http://lamulana-remake.wikia.com/wiki/La-Mulana_Remake_Wiki

The original Wiki stopped working and all was moved on that site. There are full maps too but the pictures are small because the big ones were lost when the original crashed down.

There have been quite a few parts where I've used a guide. It's sort of a bittersweet experience as it's nice to have progress but each and every time I use a guide, I seriously feel the bar lowering for seeking help to the next problem, and it's always harder to have the patience to try things without help. This is a game that is really fun to play with help too, although it would be way more fun if I'd be able to solve everything by myself.

Yea, I know what you mean regarding the bar lowering. That's why I usually refuse to use guides, but I couldn't even find the second boss of this game without help, so the bar is already low. Thanks for the link!

I can't even find the first boss. Or anything...

Also you might have already seen this, but this one's for Wii: http://www.gamefaqs.com/wii/972053-la-mulana/faqs/62747

whipping stuff is the answer in the first area. The puzzles are somewhat easy if you know that.

I've been whipping those sarcophagi that make noise and shoot at you for_ever_, and nothing's happened. Thanks for the hint, though.

Another hint: Bottom-left corner of the map: If they don't break, you aren't whipping them enough...

To all of those having trouble finding out what to do next in the game, I've been watching the speedrun video below whenever I get stuck. It has helped out a lot.
BEWARE: TONS OF SPOILERS

• Wii LA-MULANA RTA(SPEEDRUN) 2:13:21 (Japanese WiiWare version)
  

Just beat two more bosses, though I'm now out of pistol ammo and the guide linked to above seems to presume it is possible to beat Bahamut, which I find suspiciously optimistic. I'll have to skip through this speed run to verify.

Edit: ok, forget this fish. Some questions. I saved in twin labyrinths and some moon temple. I can't warp to either though. Is there a way to? Also, I got the grapple things, and the description says I should be able to scale walls, but I can't actually scale them, just cling and then either fall or jump straight across, never gaining height. Am I doing it wrong?