Muramasa: The Demon Blade

Developed by Vanillaware and published by Rising Star Games in Europe, Muramasa: The Demon Blade is a side-scrolling action game with RPG qualities. With its recent nomination at the Inside Gaming Awards for the Best Art Direction category, let’s see why this game is gaining such attention.

The game starts off by asking which playing style you would like to use. Muso seems to be the easier option; with enemies being weak and progress steady. Shura on the other hand, requires evasive, defensive, and Secret Arts manoeuvres to be used. “Only for the brave”. After you’ve chosen your difficulty setting, the game asks you which protagonist you want to play as. Momochime the princess that’s possessed by a demon, or Kisuke the young renegade ninja.

From the get go, this game is visually stimulating on so many levels. The game is a side-scrolling action adventure with lots of combat. The levels are hand drawn by the creators of Odin Sphere and they look absolutely stunning. With multi-layered animations, the environments look invitingly expansive for what is essentially 2D graphics. Blades of grass wave in the breeze like someone’s just turned on a fan inside your TV. The 3D backgrounds compliment the action that’s taking place in the foreground, and the mixture of hand drawn layers gives this game a look that is both vibrant and fresh.

As it’s a combat game, there’s naturally a variety of attack and defensive moves to learn and execute. There’s a tutorial at the beginning which runs you through several attack manoeuvres, as well as how to use items, and changing blades.
Which brings me onto the weapons. Your character can equip three types of blades at any one time; when brought out during battle situations will perform a flashy attack on all enemies on-screen. Each blade will have its own special attack that can be executed when the meter is full. With over 100 blades to find, this should be music to collectors’ ears.

Improving your character’s skills can be done by gaining XP points from fights; reaching set intervals will level you up. All blades will also carry their own attack points, and require you to have specific levels in strength and vitality in order to be able to use them.
Three blades can be equipped, along with an accessory at any one time. There’s also an in-game currency which you can earn and spend on various items.

There’s enough of an RPG base in this game to make you want to develop whichever character you play as. Asides from the combat-orientated levelling up; you can also develop your cooking skills. Being able to put the ingredients that you find to good use will certainly pay off when you need to replenish your health; an alternative to spending money at the various stores/merchants. Cooking will also earn you Spirit points; which coupled with Soul points acquired from defeating enemies, will enable you to wield new and stronger blades.

Which leads me onto the blade forging aspect of the game. As well as getting your hands on new blades after defeating bosses, there’s also the ability to forge your own weapons. By opening up the Forge menu, you will realise how much choice there is. Each blade requires set amounts of Soul/Spirit points and a minimum combat level; so if you have your eye on a particular weapon, you’d better keep training.

Within the same game file, you can play as either character; each with their own different routes and enemies to fight. This is a very nice feature as it further enhances their individual experiences. Momochime and Kisuke cross paths at certain points, and face different enemies and bosses along the way. Your choice of hero is not an exclusive one; as you can switch between the two in the start-up menu.

The sound design is almost as rich as the visuals. Asides from the soundtrack, the game has been preserved with its original voice acting. Like my films, I always prefer things in their original form. No American substitutes have been used, and we hear the original Japanese dialogue; with subtitles at the bottom of the screen. Simple and tastefully done.
The soundtrack is as beautiful as the visuals. Ambient, yet energetic East Asian music brings the whole folklore element to life and enhances your enjoyment of the game significantly.

Okay, so I love the aesthetics of this game, fine. What about the actual gameplay? Well, it’s enticing, yet slightly repetitive. As you progress through the game, you realise it happily becomes a case of “go here, go there”. Naturally, you’ll want to grow in strength, as well as possess more, powerful blades; and all this is ultimately done by frequent training.
Getting from one place to another; in a relatively expansive map, is hindered by these battle moments, and although the fighting does require skill and tactics, sometimes you just want to get to your intended destination.

The pace of cooking is a also a bit slow for my liking. Everything about this game is exquisitely designed, but sometimes you want to just do something the quickest way possible. Every food dish you make from scratch comes with a series of short animations; fine, but at least give us the option to skip through these quicker. Despite this minor preference, I love this element of the game. Not only can you collect recipe books, it acts as a brief breakaway from the running and slashing.

Whether you’re into arcade-style games, or you prefer to savour your gaming experiences; Muramasa: The Demon Blade should do the job. For me, it’s the perfect blend of hardcore and casual. Don’t take that last sentence to mean “diluted game that appeals to everybody”; because that’s not what I mean at all. What I mean is, the fight scenarios is the yin to the character-building’s yang. On top of all that, throw in some memorable boss battles and you have a hell of an action game.

As good as it is, the game isn’t perfect. Signs of repetition are further expressed with all the back-tracking you’ll eventually make. I don’t mind revisiting places in a game due to my profrssion unlocking new areas, but doing that in Muramasa: The Demon Blade is a bit of a chore because there’s very few short-cuts. The map is relatively large, and I have a sneaking suspicion that Vanillaware uses this as a way of “forcing” you to encounter as many enemies as frequently as possible to toughen you up.

Having said that, just when you start thinking “I’ve been doing this for a while, now”, you usually get a sense of satisfaction from levelling up, or finding a hidden item, or stumbling across a place you meant to re-visit, and various other reasons as to why it is you continue to play. Put simply, this game is a joy to play; despite its flaws. The game will also throw in some nice surprises to keep things lively; but sadly these are few and far between.

This title is very capable of providing you with over 25 hours of gaming. As with most RPG-style games, you more you put in, the more you’ll get out of it. Featuring two protagonists; with their own narratives, two difficulty levels, and a wealth of blades; this game is sure to offer gamers something special whether it’s their first run of the game or not.
This is what the Nintendo Wii needs more of. Quality third-party games that offer something that satisfies the mind, as well as the eyes. I can see Muramasa: The Demon Blade gaining a loyal underground following, but unfortunately, probably less-than-impressive sales because of the lack of marketing. If you want a beautiful 2D action RPG, you won’t be disappointed.

+ Stunning visuals
+ Arcade-style fighting
+ Solid RPG elements serves as a good backbone
+ Excellent sound design (Japanese voice-acting/soundtrack)

- Back-tracking could have been designed better
- Gameplay is slightly repetitive

Score – 8.5/10