Developer Vanillaware brings a truly immersive experience to the Nintendo Wii with Muramasa: The Demon Blade. The game takes place in the Japan of yesteryear where demons, woodland creatures and shogun warriors run amuck. Players can choose between two characters: Momohime, a young princess who becomes possessed by the soul of a deadly samurai warrior, and Kisuke, a master ninja who loses his memory and searches for the ultimate blade in hopes to remember his past. Muramasa is an action-RPG game, so all the fighting is real time and done like old-school 2D shoot 'em ups in which the player uses directional buttons and an attack button. Various button combinations allow the player to execute some truly destructive and flashy moves.
The RPG elements of the game will surely please RPG fans, as there are the usual merchants who provide the player with life-restoring items and gear to improve strength and defense. The two playable characters in the game can also cook, which can almost been seen as health spells of most RPG titles. The characters; however, can only eat and drink things when they are hungry enough for them; all foods add to their fullness gage and, depending on what they ate, determines how long it will be until they can eat again.
The characters wield swords, three of which can be equipped at one time. One may wonder, though, how to go about collecting more swords. This is where Vanillaware goes the extra mile. Money is gained along with experience points after every fight, but blades can not be bought. They are only rewarded after defeating a boss or forging. Forging is, in itself, a type of leveling up. Particular swords can only be wielded once a certain strength and defense level has been reached and to forge swords, the player needs previous swords. So it ends up as a large, connected chain beginning from the very first three blades down to many more. Another way to unlock blades is to do challenges. Enemy lairs are survival matches against ninjas, monks and sometimes mini-bosses, as well as other enemies. Access is only granted to these areas when characters have reached a certain level.
Vanillaware's past works, Princess Crown and Odin Sphere, had unique looks, and Muramasa follows the trend. Ringing with ancient Japanese drumming and cymbal clashing, Muramasa is just as pleasing to the ears as it is to the eyes. The characters speak in Japanese with English subtitles. There's the clashing of cymbals and beating of drums for a little melody to accompany the mayhem your character causes.
Most importantly, the game play is full of win. First of all, the HUD needs to be explained before you can mastering combat. There is the usual health bar, which is measured in HP (just like in an RPG), but each blade has a Soul Meter. The Soul Meter is what determines whether a quick draw can be performed, parrying is possible or if the sword's at full strength. There's also a special move attached to every blade, like a lightning storm or homing energy waves, which drains the Soul Meter, but whenever an enemy is defeated souls can be collected to refill the meter. The bosses in the game, which range from the Japanese ruler of the underworld to a gigantic centipede to a totally outrageous and insanely outlandish giant that turns into a giant boar, are quite a sight to see.
On a side note, the bosses can be very unforgiving at times. They have a rather lengthy life bar that can be very misleading at first, leading to some premature celebrations if things get too out of hand. Vanillaware really puts the player in a position to unleash a barrage of relentless attacks and special moves that'll make the gamer in all of us say, "Wow" with an unhinged jaw.
At the end of the day, Muramasa: The Demon Blade is a great Wii exclusive that should not be overlooked, despite its lack of advertising. For any gamer who has dreamed of fighting hoards of evil monks, gigantic demons or shogun warriors while cooking rice balls and drinking liquor in between unleashing tornadoes, fire balls and poison from magical swords, this is the game to get.
Rating: A
Platforms: Nintendo Wii
Price: $49.99
ESRB: Teen
Pub: Ignition Entertainment
Dev: Vanillaware
Players: 1
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