Nice review leo.
Guess in Spring next year when it finally comes to Europe I can be excited 
Listen to Iced Earth and play Doom
gamingeek said:Nice review leo.
Guess in Spring next year when it finally comes to Europe I can be excited
Or next month. 
I finally broke down and tried out the game, after it had been sitting on my shelf for almost a week.
I'll just cut to it and say it's probably the most beautiful game I've ever seen. 3-D, 2-D, HD whatever.... This game is gorgeous. It's as smooth as silk. Silk is actually the best way to describe it. Smooth, soft, beautiful, Japanese.... Vanillaware has done something amazing here. I will take it a step further than what Leo said earlier, and say this game is worth buying for the visuals alone. I am truly mezmorized by the game.
Unfortunately I'm not as taken by the gameplay. I'm not real far yet, but frankly it's pretty dull. Pretty basic. I'm not real far into yet, so maybe a little more strategy comes into play later on, or on the harder setting. But I will say that despite average gameplay it's still pretty tough to put down just so you can see what the next level looks like.
It's not much more than slash, jump, jump and slash with an occasional shuriken deflect...
It's just the beautiful visuals and circa 1996 arcade-game, gameplay that makes it unique!
I find enough variety in the grunts and awesome Boss battles to be enough for me; the 108 swords to tinker with just adds a cherry on top, though.
Don't expect Symphony of the Night; Don't expect Metroid. (Why in the world would reviewers ever serious compare it to them?!)
Do expect Legend of Kage or Smash Bros. Brawl's single-player mode and you set up better expectations!
I want to amend my earlier statement about the gameplay. Looking at it again, it may have come across a little harsh. It's not dull. It's just kind of run of the mill as far as the whole 2-D action games go. Not bad by any means. There's just nothing new here. BUT I will say that since the gameplay is so fast and so smooth it manages to hold your attention well enough.
And once more, gads this game is beautiful. You really have to just stop running around during some moments just to really take it all in and notice the subtle nuances. Even in the more plain levels (and there really aren't any), there's a lot going on in the backgrounds, lighting etc. Really got to take time to appreciate all of it.
Sounds great.
so today i connected the wii to the telly for the first time since halloween (and the traumatic animal crossing halloween event), tore the shrink-wrap off muramasa and slowly eased my way into 2D japanese hack and slash heaven.
i played about two maybe two and a half hours and so far i am not disappointed. far from it in fact. i'm loving it. i love the light localisation. this is how every japanese game brought to the west should be, bar none. "just add subtitles". so happy they kept the japanese voices and everything. wish more localisation teams would be this sensible.
the only drawback i find is that it's not on the psp, as that would allow me to play it much more often and for longer periods (and it would be some use for the psp) but maybe it wouldn't look quite as beautiful on the smaller screen. anyway i look forward to playing much more of it and i hope to be able to finish it ahead of my christmas trip. but i hear it's a pretty long game right?
___
Listen to Wu-Tang and watch Kung-Fu
bugsonglass said:i decided to make this my next game after finishing spirit tracks. the choice was vast (simply ridiculous backlog) but i guess this is the one i want to play the most. it even ended my self-imposed wii hiatus which i went into to recover from my addiction to animal crossing.
so today i connected the wii to the telly for the first time since halloween (and the traumatic animal crossing halloween event), tore the shrink-wrap off muramasa and slowly eased my way into 2D japanese hack and slash heaven.
i played about two maybe two and a half hours and so far i am not disappointed. far from it in fact. i'm loving it. i love the light localisation. this is how every japanese game brought to the west should be, bar none. "just add subtitles". so happy they kept the japanese voices and everything. wish more localisation teams would be this sensible.
the only drawback i find is that it's not on the psp, as that would allow me to play it much more often and for longer periods (and it would be some use for the psp) but maybe it wouldn't look quite as beautiful on the smaller screen. anyway i look forward to playing much more of it and i hope to be able to finish it ahead of my christmas trip. but i hear it's a pretty long game right?
Yay Bugsy! EXCELLENT choice!
I think I finished the main game around 21 hours!
Swap back and forth between the two characters, btw! It makes the story a bit more comprehensible, and they DO have different paths/bosses, so it won't feel monotonous at all!
You cannot hide. Nowhere on the web is safe from me.
Bought it. Played it 51 minutes. I'm done with it, for this reason: I don't like Metroidvania games, and this is one of them.
I know plenty of people who do like them, and fortunately Mrs Aspro is one of them, but as for me I hate backtracking, which is an essential part of this and all the other Metroidvania games.
aspro said:Bought it. Played it 51 minutes. I'm done with it, for this reason: I don't like Metroidvania games, and this is one of them.
I know plenty of people who do like them, and fortunately Mrs Aspro is one of them, but as for me I hate backtracking, which is an essential part of this and all the other Metroidvania games.
Did you give Metroid Prime a shot? Except for the horrendously stupid collecting toward the end of the game, its level design is so incredibly well done the backtracking is almost entirely a non-issue.
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Tell me to get back to rewriting this site so it's not horrible on mobileYodariquo said:aspro said:Bought it. Played it 51 minutes. I'm done with it, for this reason: I don't like Metroidvania games, and this is one of them.
I know plenty of people who do like them, and fortunately Mrs Aspro is one of them, but as for me I hate backtracking, which is an essential part of this and all the other Metroidvania games.
Did you give Metroid Prime a shot? Except for the horrendously stupid collecting toward the end of the game, its level design is so incredibly well done the backtracking is almost entirely a non-issue.
I don't mind the 3d Metroids, I'm talking about the 2d ones. Muramasa uses the same mapping system and level designs as the 2d Metroids with lots of dead ends that you have to retrace when you have the correct power-up or sword.
phantom_leo said:
Yay Bugsy! EXCELLENT choice!I think I finished the main game around 21 hours!
Swap back and forth between the two characters, btw! It makes the story a bit more comprehensible, and they DO have different paths/bosses, so it won't feel monotonous at all!
i played some more this morning. i played as the guy thanks to your advice (i previously had half a mind to play on as the girl until i finished her story). to begin with his fighting style seemed a little awkward compared to the girl but i got used to it pretty quickly. i beat one boss in each story and played on a little bit. i lost two times on the boss with the giant shurikens which annoyed me a bit but i beat him when i played a little more carefully.
the game is a real beauty. the fighting though perhaps not incredibly deep, feels very fluid and enjoyable (i am playing it on the hard option). the story is a complete WTF ... but who cares? i will pimp this to all my wii owning friends (all three of them) and try to get them to buy it the way i did with madworld.
___
Listen to Wu-Tang and watch Kung-Fu
aspro said:Bought it. Played it 51 minutes. I'm done with it, for this reason: I don't like Metroidvania games, and this is one of them.
I know plenty of people who do like them, and fortunately Mrs Aspro is one of them, but as for me I hate backtracking, which is an essential part of this and all the other Metroidvania games.
There is something profoundly wrong with you!
aspro said:Yodariquo said:aspro said:Bought it. Played it 51 minutes. I'm done with it, for this reason: I don't like Metroidvania games, and this is one of them.
I know plenty of people who do like them, and fortunately Mrs Aspro is one of them, but as for me I hate backtracking, which is an essential part of this and all the other Metroidvania games.
Did you give Metroid Prime a shot? Except for the horrendously stupid collecting toward the end of the game, its level design is so incredibly well done the backtracking is almost entirely a non-issue.
I don't mind the 3d Metroids, I'm talking about the 2d ones. Muramasa uses the same mapping system and level designs as the 2d Metroids with lots of dead ends that you have to retrace when you have the correct power-up or sword.
...but, but... It always has a big, orange, waving flag directing you to your next objective on your map! You CAN'T get lost! The map may resemble a game of that nature, but it doesn't play that way. Your characters also run pretty quickly and can dash through entire provinces in a matter of a minute or two, once they have been cleared of enemies!
Can we trade Aspro for Mrs. Aspro.
She has clearly better taste than her hubbie and I bet she looks and smells better too.
Iga_Bobovic said:Can we trade Aspro for Mrs. Aspro.
She has clearly better taste than her hubbie and I bet she looks and smells better too.
They both have boobs though.
gamingeek said:Iga_Bobovic said:Can we trade Aspro for Mrs. Aspro.
She has clearly better taste than her hubbie and I bet she looks and smells better too.
They both have boobs though.
No moobs here.
phantom_leo said:aspro said:Yodariquo said:aspro said:Bought it. Played it 51 minutes. I'm done with it, for this reason: I don't like Metroidvania games, and this is one of them.
I know plenty of people who do like them, and fortunately Mrs Aspro is one of them, but as for me I hate backtracking, which is an essential part of this and all the other Metroidvania games.
Did you give Metroid Prime a shot? Except for the horrendously stupid collecting toward the end of the game, its level design is so incredibly well done the backtracking is almost entirely a non-issue.
I don't mind the 3d Metroids, I'm talking about the 2d ones. Muramasa uses the same mapping system and level designs as the 2d Metroids with lots of dead ends that you have to retrace when you have the correct power-up or sword.
...but, but... It always has a big, orange, waving flag directing you to your next objective on your map! You CAN'T get lost! The map may resemble a game of that nature, but it doesn't play that way. Your characters also run pretty quickly and can dash through entire provinces in a matter of a minute or two, once they have been cleared of enemies!
Well, it's too late now, I've started Ocarina of Time (and am finishing the original Zelda).
But I'm satisified that you at least understood what I was talking about and that I'm not insane. It's got those same elements of a 2d Metroid with the map navigation and backtracking (however more accomodating they may have made it). I can see it's a brilliant game, with beautiful art, okay combat and the whole cooking aspect is a nice touch.
"Muramasa's a stylish gem of a game, from the eerily lit cemeteries, ethereal forests, and panoramic rooftop backdrops to the flashy swords you swing around. Vanillaware's side-scrolling action game exudes style in even the tiniest details: protagonists Momohime and Kisuke will occasionally glance sidelong at you as they swiftly run across the screen, or a fish will jump out of the water as they splash across a river. It's all wonderful eye-candy that sets the mood for the best part of the game: slicing up enemy ninjas, monks, and demons.
Muramasa has just the right amount of complexity. The controls are easy to pick up (press A to attack, hold it to block), but, though you can button spam your way through some battles, you'll fight much more efficiently once you learn the various button and analog stick combinations for all your attacks. You can only wield three swords (and one accessory) at a time, so, before heading into danger, you need to weigh the pros and cons of each sword's power versus its unique special attack and bonus effect (like poison immunity or an XP boost). As you kill enemies, you gain experience points, which grant you additional vitality and strength with each level, allowing you to wield new, stronger swords.
Like the legendary sword the game's named after, Muramasa easily cuts through all the unnecessary fluff and gives you just what you want: tons and tons of flashy sword action. The game's versatile in that you can take from it what you wish -- two relatively short storylines for those who want to blaze through the game, or hours of leveling, forging, and boss-battling for the dedicated adventurer. Muramasa may not be a trail-blazing genre-defining title, but it's definitely a 'must have' for your Wii library."