Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii) - Review by Chris

Introduction

With a 2d revival going on at the moment and developers seeing that you don't need to create a 3d game to make it worthwhile and enjoyable, several genres have seen new iterations or entirely new IPs released on today's consoles. With developer Vanillaware specifically focusing on creating engaging and beautiful 2d games on other consoles, many had hoped to see their efforts elsewhere and luckily, that hope wasn't in vain as they present, courtesy of Rising Star Games, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, a 2d, old school, side scrolling action title blended with some impressive visuals. Does this one turn out to be more than a case of style over substance?

Gameplay

From the outset, Muramasa's story mode is split between two characters, with both campaigns being unlocked from the start and you being able to play through each of them interchangeably whenever you want. Both of the stories involved within each of the campaigns focuses on main characters Kisuke and Momohime, and both set out on their own path but at many times, you'll cover the same ground but there are obvious differences between the stories other than their plot. The story for Kisuke relies on themes of love and the game begins with Kisuke giving his life to save the woman whom he is in love with but is given a second chance at life thanks to the spirit of legendary swordsman Muramasa. This is in contrast to the story of Momohime, which relies on themes of revenge and has a torn spirit named Jinkuro possess the princess and head out into the world seeking revenge on the person who separated him from his original body.

Both of the plots provide an emotional journey with enough character evolvement to ensure that the characters and the story stay interesting throughout. The telling of much of the stories is told through the periods before and after a boss battle, with little else mentioned in between. It does mean at times that the story can be rather top heavy and the game piles it all on at once instead of spreading out across the entirety of each chapter. Each of the plots contains many references to Japanese folk lore or legend and as a result, many Japanese terms have been brought into the game meaning that you won't really know the specifics about certain elements of the story until nearer certain events.

Gameplay across both of the campaigns is similarly presented. You'll be able to explore a vast, side scrolling, open world at your own pace, although certain areas such as the challenge sections remain closed off until you have to right blade to destroy the barrier and there is a lot of backtracking, and at times, the screen will bookend into an arena for you to take on a collection of enemies. Each major chapter of the stories are accompanied by their own boss battles and although both can be seen to tread similar ground at times, the boss battles are unique to each of the individual plots with bosses ranging from the small to the gigantic all the while testing your skills as a ninja.

Combat initially reveals itself as being incredibly simplistic, allowing just about anyone to get to grips with it. Primarily, you have one main method of attack, with changes in the analogue stick's position changing the dynamic of the attacks you can unless. And it is through these analogue changes that the game begins to show some depth. You can only get away with button mashing for so long but as you progress, the game's difficulty will sharply increase and so you'll need to learn to string together combos of attacks and deflections to make it through the tougher enemies collections, with there being enough variety in the enemies to keep you on your toes right until the credits role. There are of course secondary attacks, with each of the game's 100 plus blades containing a specific skill for you to utilise.

While the combat might seem basic, it is through those 100 plus blades that the game develops some depth. As you play and battle your way through enemies, you'll gain experience points, level up and gain spirit and soul points. With these latter two items, you can enter into the game's forge area and craft a wide selection of blades, with there being two distinct types from the offset: long blades, which deal large amounts of damage but are slow to use, and standard blades, which are faster but deal less damage. Through the forge, you'll gain access to increasingly more powerful blades, with you being able to carry 3 at a time. The interchange between these in battle is a key element of the combat, with blades being able to be shattered if you don't pay attention to their energy bars at the top of the screen. This adds an extra layer of depth to the proceedings and with there being so many blades on offer, completionists will spend far beyond the 6 hour playtime for the main stories in the hope of acquiring them all.

Controls

There are 3 control options offered, all of which work well ultimately but some work better than others. You've got the choice of using the Wii-mote and Nunchuk, Classic or Gamecube controller and while the first setup works, the use of a more resilient controller for the style of gameplay is definitely something many gamers will opt for, although with there being no motion controls implemented whatsoever it doesn't really matter at all which setup you use. Pulling off attacks and combos is simple enough, thanks largely to the accessibility of the controls and an exacerbated tutorial at the beginning of each of the campaigns, but mastering them and putting them together in a meaningful way will be a showcase of true skill. The only issue that occurs from the controls is from the jumping, which is carried out in a similar way to the jumping mechanic in the Smash Bros. series. You'll have to push up on the analogue stick to jump and at first, it can be difficult to jump to where you want to go and it would have made the game and combat much easier if the action was assigned to a proper button press but it's still manageable.

Graphics

Vanillaware are renowned for their artistic temperament when it comes to creating the visuals for their games. The same pedigree that made the likes of Odin's Sphere so visually stunning is used here and really, Muramasa is an absolutely breathtaking game. A hand drawn art style is used throughout the entirety and its remarkable how much detail has been drawn into every little item and scene which you'll encounter. Environments are drawn on a multilayered display with little things being animated across each of the layers to provide not only a breathtaking location but one which feels alive, with wheat crops blowing in the wind or snow and cherry blossom falling for the trees. These are but a few examples of the loving attention to detail which has gone into the game and when you see them in motion, you'll be awestruck.

Character models are similarly done to a very high standard, being seamlessly and fluidly animated to all possible movements and attacks. The detail again is remark and while the action may be a little on the fast side for seeing any of the enemy models properly, when you do get a glimpse you'll see things like the characters breathing heavily and such and it adds a layer of vividness to an already living and breathing game world. Boss characters really show the highlights of the character design though, ranging from small single enemies about the same size as Momohime and Kisuke to beasts that can't fit their entirety onto the screen. The sheer scale of some of the foes you'll battle really does level a sense of foreboding the emulates real life and that is what this game does best through its art; it creates a living breathing world full of emotion and reality and one that will constantly wow you. It really has set the standard for 2d games not only on the Wii but on every other console.

Sound

The beauty of the game's visuals is further conveyed through an equally beautiful soundtrack. It weaves itself through the tapestry that is the game's art style and creates an astonishing level of ambience that is virtually unmatched in any other title on the console. A soothing, melodic track list will carry you through the countryside and beyond while the tune changes when entering towns or more dramatic landscapes and battles to reflect these new scenes. The attention to detail in matching the music up with the correct scenes is on the same level as the visuals and it provides a one-two punch that will constantly leave you awestruck at its paradoxical simplicity and complexity.

Rising Star have retained the Japanese voice work from the original release and while some may have liked an English dub, the original voice work is superb and easily fits the beauty and story of the game, more so than any English dub would have done. English subtitles are provided and they are well done but the use of many Japanese words throughout, hinting to pieces of Japanese folk lore and legend, may put some players off due to not understanding their proximity to the story and real life.

Final comments

Vanillaware has once again provided a remarkable title that, for all attempts and purposes, easily overshadows any of the competition with ease. As a showing of art and audio alone, this game puts to shame many attempts on the console and rivals, if not exceeds, some of Nintendo's own work in their games and some of the work on the high definition consoles. But it wouldn't go anywhere if there wasn't a decent game underneath all of the beauty and luckily, Muramasa: The Demon Blade is a fantastic action title. Yes, some of the action may begin to feel slightly repetitive with backtracking, but the game manages to throw enough new and varied content at you to make both the single player campaigns an enjoyable experience and the sword forging leaves enough room for further playthroughs for completionists who wish to gain them all. If you're a fan of action titles or of art, then Muramasa is definitely a game which wholeheartedly deserves your support.

Pro: Visuals are truly remarkable with a high attention to detail, the score is simply breathtaking, gameplay is solid and provides a good challenge
Con: Very occasional frame rate issues when things get manic, the backtracking can get tedious
Final score: 9

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