| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| Wii | 7.90 |
| Overall | 7.90 |
|
Muramasa is one of the few games where I have more negative aspects to talk about yet I enjoyed the game so much that the few things it does get right outweigh the bad. If you don't know, this is a 2D action "RPG", or it claims to be, it has very little RPG elements like leveling up. The world is a series of screens connected together with a few branching paths that lead to boss areas. It's a large world but you never really feel like you are traveling because backgrounds get reused a ton. Screens you see in the first areas of the game you will see in the final area. By the midway point you have probably seen every background the game has to offer, which leads to feeling like you are not exploring, just progressing. The backgrounds the game does have are beautifully hand drawn and animated just enough to make the world feel alive. You will come across a beautiful sunrise on a grass field that may make you pause and enjoy the view. The art style in general is fantastic, it feels like the natural evolution of 2D art work. The game is a stunner, if only they didn't copy paste so much of the game world. The player may choose between a male or a woman, each have different storylines, boss fights and swords. Other than that they are pretty much identical. They travel the same world and have the exact same move list so any chance of gameplay variety is thwarted, it feels like an extension of the game not a whole new quest. Most RPGs strengths are their storyline, someone forgot to tell this team, I have no clue what the hell the game is about. The goal is understandable but references to Chinese (or is it Japan, I dont know) mythology and history are scattered throughout leaving most western gamers scratching their heads. The only redeeming aspect of this game is the action, I say if you are going to get one thing right it might as well be the core gameplay. It doesn't really play like any 2D action game I have played but it works. At first you will get your ass kicked, give it a few hours and you will be slicing through loads of enemies like a ninja. Your character only has a few basic moves all of which are available from the start, you do not earn any moves as you play. Yet somehow someway the action feels like it has depth, it must be the enemies increasing in difficulty they keep the action fresh. Complimenting your basic moves are your swords, this is where most RPG elements come into play. As you level up you gain EXP which can be used to forge new swords which of course give you more attack power, a special move and sometimes bonus stats. The swords are arranged in a massive tree with branches that open up as you forge swords. They dont really change the gameplay much but its fun to have in a collect-a-thon kind of way. The highlight of the combat are the many bosses you face, each unique from the last and all requiring your best efforts. I did find that the difficulty is generally unbalanced, I felt the start of the game was harder than the end as you become better equipped. For the very best challenges there are locked caves around the world that open as you defeat bosses. These caves hold tough challenges like fighting 100 enemies in a row, not easy but fun as hell. Outside of combat there is basically NOTHING to do. There NPCs in certain areas but they are pointless as they offer no side quests nor are the relevant to the plot. Many times after a boss fight you are required to run all the way back across the level you just fought through, this time with no enemies, it's utterly pointless backtracking. I think I found one mini game, it involved catching fish while on a raft, not that great. The combat is good but its not DMC good enough to have the entire game focused on that one aspect. Expect about 10 hours of gameplay with each character with multiple endings to find. The games length felt right even though you end up seeing the same backgrounds and fight many of the same enemies over and over again. The music is standard oriental sounds which matches the action perfectly. I feel like Muramasa could be so much more than what it is. As as a 2D action game it works and feels unique enough to make this a memorable game. At one point I had a wave of nostalgia crash over me, I felt like I was back in time playing 2D action/adventure games of old but with far better graphics. I think has an old school appeal and that is what I loved about it. |
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Posted by Dvader Fri, 24 Dec 2010 20:47:10
Recently Spotted:
robio (2m)
How the fuck do you think it is Chinese? Yeah, I know the game is very difficult to follow, but you did not even try.
Dammit, I need to explain the references soon. Because gods knows you need them.