Muramasa: The Demon Blade, a 2D action game from Vanillaware (makers of Odin Sphere and GrimGrimoire), is due out in Japan next week. Considering how the company's last two games made US game freaks squeal with two-dimensional joy all throughout the summer of 2007, there is more than a bit of anticipation behind their debut Wii effort, which we last saw in December. How has it turned out? Judging by the review printed in this week's issue of Famitsu, pretty well.

As you'd expect, Muramasa received high marks on the audiovisual front. "The smooth animation, vibrant colors, and high-quality dialogue is enough to take anyone aback, and the feeling of speed matches the music well," one reviewer wrote. "It's like you can feel yourself melt into the intricately-drawn and beautiful characters and demons," said another.

Good things were said about the game's fighting system, too, where you have your choice of two characters and there's a variety of swords to collect and wield. "The fighting system, which has you switching between three swords, is clear and easy, absorbing you into play," as one reviewer put it. "There is character raising and other RPG elements, but largely it's a traditional 2D action game."

The chief complaint for Muramasa, meanwhile, is one that oughta be familiar to those who've played Odin Sphere. "The two heroes control pretty much the same way," one reviewer said, "and the game's a process of repeatedly reaching the finish line and defeating a boss, making me think the game was a little plain." Another writer agreed: "You never run into anything particularly tricky during normal play, so the game itself can feel a bit monotonous." (Another negative point brought up: "There is only a small penalty for death, undeniably making the game not that intense an experience.")

On the other hand, though, "you're still driven on by things like sword collecting and the visuals of every stage, and "it's been set up to be as fast-paced as possible, down to the incredibly quick load times, so you wind up playing for hours despite yourself."

Despite the faults brought up, Muramasa still received scores of 9, 9, 8 and 8 for a total of 34 points, putting it in the upper echelon by Famitsu standards. The game's due to hit US shores (and blow the minds of 2D fans and people into Japanese art) later this year.