Game review: Muramasa the Demon Blade

Coming out a couple of years ago, this game caught my eye with fresh-looking graphics, smooth controls and a fascinating story. I purchased it a little later, and indeed, it delivered.

The graphics were a bit repetitive: scenes, layouts and enemy designs were recycled, which almost made it bland, but the continuous action satisfied me enough that I cannot issue many complaints. The story was almost unimportant, and I barely paid much attention until its climax, which was tragic. However, the game told me that there are in fact multiple endings, depending on which weapon your character has equipped.

The controls allow for deft, quick movements with a simple press of one button. It plays like a fighting game or beat'em up, but has RPG elements in that your character levels up and has equipment and an inventory. It's very refreshing to regain all your HP and soul power (which gives you more longevity) once you level up in a battle. You can equip as many as three blades, and they snap in two if you guard too much against attack. However, if you have enough soul power, they regain HP and you can use them again. Another cool ability is the 'quick draw,' where you draw another blade quickly after the old one snaps, and hit all the enemies on the screen. Finally, there the special attacks (regular combos use the A button, and special attacks use the B button), which differ from blade to blade. The game has two levels of difficulty, and two different characters. I've yet to find all the endings or play it through with both characters.

This was a very fun game. I give it 4.2 katana blades out of 5.

-EJ