Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii) Review

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 by Jonathan Wahlgren

Gorgeous, engrossing, flawed.

A lot of Muramasa: The Demon Blade's pre-release hype hinged on its art; while you could get a good impression of the beauty of the game, it isn’t until you have it in motion on your own screen that it hits you. Vanillaware has delivered a visual and aural feast in its portrayal of feudal Japan; Muramasa is truly a painting in motion. Sun beams glistening through the forest and over mountain tops coupled with serene music will make you stop dead in your tracks to soak it all in. Not only is it one of the best-looking games this gen on any platform, the game belongs among a select group of titles whose true potential is held back by the Wii’s HD inadequacies.

In short, it’s beautiful. And it’s a blast. With two playable characters each with their own story, you’ll traverse Japan slashing up all sorts of samurai, beasts, giant bosses and folklore critters while cooking and forging blades. Throw in some Metroid-style map exploration and it’ll take you a good while to fully explore all of what the island has to offer.

Possessed by the spirit of fallen samurai Jinkuro Izuna, Momohime is forced to flee her comfy life as Princess of Narukami and complete Jinkuro’s quest for the titular Muramasas, blades that, once removed from their sheaths, require blood be drawn before they can be returned to their scabbard. The other story follows Kisuke, an amnesiac fugitive on a quest to find out why his former samurai clan wants him dead. The tales are interesting and occasionally the two characters cross paths, but their climaxes are fairly underwhelming and you can’t shake the feeling of “that’s it?” after eight or so hours of sticking with them. You’re also required to do a lot of backtracking throughout, which feels needless at times and artificially extends the game. Quick travel is available upon completion for explorers, but it’d be nice to have that available in the main game.

Combat is pretty simple and hinges largely on (A) and moving in any direction; you can bust out all sorts of slashes, combos, blocks and Crouching Tiger-style acrobatics in doing so. There are a few other moves, such as whatever special attack each of the 108 blades has or unsheathing a blade for a full-screen strike, but it ultimately all amounts to a lot of button-mashing.

Each blade has a “soul” meter that acts as a health bar for it, which is depleted by blocking and using its special attack. If this meter depletes, the blade will break and must be sheathed to repair itself. Many of the special attacks are tiered and/or similar to other ones, so 108 “unique” attacks is a bit of a stretch. Fortunately, combat stays fun throughout the game and is always a pleasure to watch unfold, but it doesn’t require a lot of skill.

Muramasa does nothing to take advantage of the Wii’s signature motion controls, which is likely for the better. No needless waggle has been shoehorned in, you won’t tire your wrist from slashing oni. A Classic Controller or GameCube pad work great, and you can also use a ‘mote + nunchuck combo. Jumping is done by pressing up on (DPAD) or (STICK) , which can take some getting used to.

In addition to killing things dead, Kisuke and Momohime will be doing a lot of blade forging and cooking. There are two types, blades and long blades, that follow typical fighting properties: blades are quicker but with a shorter range, long blades are slower but tend to cause higher damage and can reach further. Blade forging is presented in a branching layout, requiring you to have certain ones in order to forge others, and you’ll need souls and spirit to craft new weaponry. Souls are scattered throughout the map and are left behind by fallen foes, with spirit gained through cooking and eating.

Cooking is an oddly hands-on thing; pick a recipe you have the ingredients for and press (A) at certain intervals to make/eat your dish. If you don’t, food will go unprepared or uneaten. Some food is eaten right away while others can be stored in your inventory and used to recover health. Every time you eat something, a fullness gauge pops up and must deplete in order to eat again; there’s no stuffing yourself with six rice balls at a time in battle and be practically invincible. Some food also comes with special properties, like attack boosts or minimizing enemy encounters.

There are two styles of game to choose from, muso and shura, which essentially equate to difficulty levels. Muso is easier, allowing you to block more often and plow through normal enemies relatively unscathed without a lot of planning and you’ll level up quicker. Shura forces you to be more methodical in your attacks, as your blades will break easier and blocking isn’t as efficient. You can switch between these two in-game if you’re looking to fiddle with the challenge.

Conclusion

Muramasa: The Demon Blade and games of its ilk are increasingly rare beasts. With its striking hand-painted art direction, fun combat and exploration, it’s the type of game that brings solace to those who lament the death of 2D on consoles. While it may have some niggles with backtracking, lame endings and button-mashing combat that hold it back, overall the game is as engrossing as they come and certainly one worth investing a chunk of time into.

8/10

Scoring Policy

User Comments

1. jpfan1989 21 Sep 2009, 16:37 BST

Do Want!

2. AlphaNerd01 21 Sep 2009, 16:39 BST

My only complaint is the price tag. I rented the game, loved it - but it's clearly a 30 dollar title. 50 dollars is way high for a game like this.

3. Sean Aaron 21 Sep 2009, 16:44 BST

Nice one. I'm hoping for an EU release date soon!

4. Ren 21 Sep 2009, 16:58 BST

sweet! I'm there.

5. JayArr 21 Sep 2009, 16:58 BST

After reading a few reviews this has made it's way to my "rent not own" list. Drop dead gorgeous though.

6. motang 21 Sep 2009, 17:11 BST

I will be picking this one up on way home from work today!

7. Objection_Blaster 21 Sep 2009, 17:14 BST

flawed is a little misleading for an 8/10 review. otherwise nice review

8. DAaaMan64 21 Sep 2009, 17:26 BST

Man I really think this game is like a 9. The back tracking and "button-mashing" is nothing when your addicted to sword creation, leveling up, and getting to the next boss.

9. Giggsy 21 Sep 2009, 17:36 BST

Nice review there Jon.

10. Machu 21 Sep 2009, 18:46 BST

I just looked at the number without reading the review, I want to know as little as possible about this one. Can't wait to get an EU release date!

Awesome review btw.

11. joeshabadoo 21 Sep 2009, 18:58 BST

Alphanerd, $30 game?!, are you kidding!? The amount of love poured into this game easily warrants a $50 price tag. Also, Jonathan, the fast travel is available in the main game prior to "beating" it with a character. But I find the traveling to be a very Zen experience of artistic and natural appreciation, as well as more opportunity to level

12. diego_pmc 21 Sep 2009, 19:11 BST

Muramasa Review: Conclusion wrote:

With it’s striking hand-painted art direction [...]

AHHHH! My eyes! My eyes! Please fix it, please! (crying)
EDIT: Thanks! ^^

A good review otherwise — just like the game.

13. Swerd_Murd 21 Sep 2009, 19:23 BST

Yeah I agree with 8/10, maybe even 7/10....it's an awesome game, but yeah the storyline is ridicutarded, it's a bit too short, the sword tree is super linear, and there are just a few moments of questionable game design choice. But yeah, about to finish Momohime's quest and I had a great time. Then back to FuSoYa's quest in FF4TAY, then the rest of the main!

14. LEGEND MARIOID 21 Sep 2009, 19:30 BST

Nothing in the review that discourages me from purchasing it. Don't like the choice of button for jump. Why not A to jump and B to combat?

15. buffalobob 21 Sep 2009, 19:33 BST

sounds as boring as okami. I'd better rent it.

16. The Fox 21 Sep 2009, 19:35 BST

This is another example of great graphics, no so great gameplay. The art is sweet, but it has plenty of problems. I'd say around the 7/10 range, myself.

17. NotEnoughGolds 21 Sep 2009, 19:54 BST

I hate 'up' as a jump button.
There is no way to customize controls in this game?

18. ejamer 21 Sep 2009, 20:12 BST

"I hate 'up' as a jump button.
There is no way to customize controls in this game?"

Actually, I'd love to hear this also. Pressing up to jump isn't something I'm keen on either... so alternate control schemes would be nice.

19. JamieO 21 Sep 2009, 20:13 BST

Cheers Jonathan, this review has me as amped up as much as ever and I appreciate that you are clear regarding the backtracking, endings and slightly basic combat controls. Fair play.
That is all cool to me, an 8/10 is a quality score and I will play through this one just to experience its fun gameplay. I also know that I will enjoy travelling through "one of the best-looking games this gen", it looks completely dazzling.
Thanks, a great review.

20. Bring Back Pluto 21 Sep 2009, 20:20 BST

........bad review....i'm giving you one hour to explain to me what a niggle is. I refuse to look for context clues or online for a defintion.

21. Ristar42 21 Sep 2009, 20:56 BST

@SeanAaron an EU release would be cool, but King of Fighters and Samurai Showdown collections never did show up from Ignition in any proper numbers, and they were released in March this year...

22. JamieO 21 Sep 2009, 21:25 BST

@Ristar42 You're right, I was fortunate enough to find King of Fighters on pal PS2, but Samurai Shodown Anthology is a rarity.

23. Syr 21 Sep 2009, 21:36 BST

Saying the game is flawed in the first three words of the review is not a way to convince someone that a game is good, as an 8/10 is trying to do. When people see such a negative comment so early on it overshadows all positive things could ever be mentioned, there is no coming back from that. I bet dozens of people will not even consider buying this game because of that single word. In the review the only 'flaws' pointed out are rather small nitpicks, not game breaking problems as is implied. IMO that word should be stricken from the review, but other than that, I agree with what was written.

Simply an awesome game and should be bought by all self-respecting Wii owners!

24. Ristar42 21 Sep 2009, 21:41 BST

@JamieO - Yep, it sucks, I've never seen the Wii version of either except on Ebay. I contacted Ignition some time ago but they didn't reply. Have to stick with my Dreamcast / Saturn versions...

25. TorisuRSG 21 Sep 2009, 22:00 BST

Hi, I'm from Rising Star Games - we intend to release Muramasa on 13 November 2009 in the EU.

26. ryanknight717 21 Sep 2009, 22:14 BST

this is a rental for me

27. Sgt Lampshade 21 Sep 2009, 22:47 BST

I must have!

28. Egg miester 21 Sep 2009, 23:49 BST

this is one of the best games all year on the wii and the most beautiful 2d game ever

29. The Fox 22 Sep 2009, 01:23 BST

@Syr post 23:
Is it hard being so over the top? Those 3 words you're talking about also included gorgeous and engaging. Get a grip.

30. Syr 22 Sep 2009, 05:26 BST

@The Fox Actually, it comes quite easily. To say it is flawed after saying it is gorgeous and engaging is like saying "Yeah, I had this sandwich. It had great ingredients and looked gourmet, but wasn't very good." To end a description negatively is to dismiss the good things said prior.

Nothing against the reviewer though, great work Jonathan!

31. DAaaMan64 22 Sep 2009, 08:13 BST

You'd understand the Up for jump thing after you play the title for a while. Its very necessary in combat. I didn't like it at first, but once I kicked ass at combat I did.

Complaining about the sword tree being to linear is retarded. Theres a HUNDRED freaking swords and the do it in like 7 rows. Its only as linear as you make it.

The length isn't amazing but if you did it with no side quests you'd probably beat it in 12 hours. Thats a hell of a lot better then you'd get from other games. I know you've bought a game you enjoyed less, beaten in 6 hours, and aren't regretting buying. (WiiMusic)

And at least the story line is more interesting the Twilight Princess.

32. Sean Aaron 22 Sep 2009, 11:49 BST

@Ristar42: TorisuRSG beat me to it, but Ignition UK and USA are not identical in their releases and Rising Star are handling Muramasa over here. The problems with the titles you mention are down to distribution; I'd keep going at Ignition and also try amazon.de or .se as I understand availability on the continent should be fine.

@TorisuRSG: Nice to see you! Needless to say Rising Star is one of my very favourite publishers. GAME doesn't have Muramasa up for pre-order yet or I'd have pre-ordered it already. Any idea on when we can expect Fragile to grace our shores and pretty please can you guys consider Phantom Brave for localisation (even better would be if you could convince Nintendo to license Captain Rainbow!)?

33. JamieO 22 Sep 2009, 13:37 BST

@SeanAaron Cheers Sean, some great advice on getting hold of some difficult to find Ignition UK, Wii SNK/Playmore titles there.
I have not imported from other European sites, even though I import from Canada and Hong Kong. I seem to remember UK gamers talking about importing Pal 'Fire Pro Wrestling Returns' (PS2) from other parts of Europe. I think that I've misssed the boat on that one, though. Cheers.

34. TorisuRSG 22 Sep 2009, 14:15 BST

@Sean Aaron, thanks for your kind words. We intend to release Fragile early 2010 but I can't yet be any more specific than that, sorry. I'll pass on the game suggestions but no promises!

35. FantasiaWHT 22 Sep 2009, 14:38 BST

I'd waffle and maybe give it a 7 instead of an 8...
a) Yes, it's gorgeous
b) The button mashing is pretty fun
c) The stories suck. Period. Confusing, I have NO CLUE why I'm doing what I'm doing right now as the girl.
d) You have to switch swords too frequently. Just as you are starting to get used to one's special attack, you need a stronger one. Some I've never even gotten to use their special attacks
e) Some of the special attacks are virtually useless
f) There's bad collision detection when you swing your sword
g) Related to d), there's NO PRACTICE MODE. You can't test out moves and combos, and can't learn what a new special attack does until you are in the heat of combat.

36. FantasiaWHT 22 Sep 2009, 14:40 BST

And yeah, I actually agree that the sword tree is linear. Despite it's "branches", you have to wait for story points for most of them, and there is rarely more than 1 or 2 swords you can make (or at least use) at any given time because the required stats for them are so spread out

37. Sean Aaron 22 Sep 2009, 16:46 BST

@TorisuRSG: Please, you guys deserve it for doing such a great job with that stuff. Of course it probably helps that Marvelous has been publishing great games in Japan for you to bring over!

I strongly recommend getting that guy from the Little King's Story video more work -- not just because he's an articulate and good-looking fellow, but because his enthusiasm really came through and sold me the game. I was interested but not ready to buy upon release; after that video I pre-ordered it right away!

38. Ristar42 22 Sep 2009, 23:58 BST

@SeanAaron Thanks for the suggestions Sean, its frustrating when you are trying to support quality 2D games on Wii, and you cant find them anywhere amid shelves of 'Ready Steady Cook' and 'Ninja Bread-man'.
@TorisuRSG Great - looking forward to a November release and shall pick this up!

39. MetalMario 23 Sep 2009, 00:43 BST

Running back through levels is a Wario Land thing. :-D

40. Mickeymac 23 Sep 2009, 05:00 BST

I might give it a rent. I was afraid that the combat would be too mashy, although with THAT many different weapons, it may not be much of a problem. It's the art that so far has physically blinded me everytime I watch a trailer that's the main issue here.

41. TorisuRSG 23 Sep 2009, 14:10 BST

@SeanAaron do you mean Tyrone Walcott? He's one of my colleagues and I keep trying to persuade him to do more videos. Hopefully he will now I've shown him your comment!

@Ristar42 many thanks - I'm sure you will enjoy it.