First Impressions: I feel pretty, oh so pretty.
In the current era of HD televisions and 3D graphics, it is easy to forget that 2D video games once reined supreme. That being said, the recent successes of Nintendo DS titles like New Super Mario Bros. and Xbox Live hits like Braid show that 2D games are still alive and well. The action RPG, Odin Sphere is one of the best recent examples of this phenomenon. This 2007 PlayStation 2 release is notable for possessing arguably the most gorgeous, hand-drawn 2D graphics in any game to date. This, combined with its quirky characters and an emphasis on Norse mythology, helped the game to become a minor hit. Odin Sphere’s developer, Vanillaware, hopes lightning will strike twice with its Wii-exclusive action RPG, Muramasa: The Dragon Blade, which is due on shelves later this year.
Whereas Odin Sphere revolved around Norse mythology, Muramasa is laden with Japanese folklore. The game’s main characters, Kisuke and Momohime, battle the prerequisite ninjas along with gigantic samurai, dragons, and red demons. All of this action takes place in stunning settings including the rooftops of an ancient Japanese village and a mystical forest. Suffice it to say, fans of Odin Sphere will not be disappointed by Muramasa’s visuals. The backgrounds look every bit as big and beautiful as Vanillaware’s previous effort, if not more so. The amount of work put into these visuals is evident simply through the sense of depth that these 2D backgrounds convey. If Muramassa were a children’s book, it would be up for a Caldecott Medal. The game’s sprites are appropriately large and colorful. The only downside is that the characters possess anime-style features that have the net effect of making them feel somewhat clichéd.
Overall the game appears to be a cross between Odin Sphere and Ninja Gaiden. Whereas the fighting in Odin Sphere occurred more or less on a level plane, this time around vertical areas play heavily into the swordplay (somewhat akin to the Marvel vs. Capcom series). Speaking of swords, both characters hold two weapons apiece. If the player is not careful, then one of these weapons may break during combat, forcing the character to use the remaining sword while the first one heals itself (convenient!).
The game’s difficulty is largely determined by the control scheme. On the simplest setup, players can slash through enemies simply by smashing buttons. The player, however, can really ramp up the difficulty by switching to the more advanced scheme (which can be done at any time). In the latter, the player must be more strategic in what moves they use. The player has some versatility in how he or she will pull off these moves, for the game supports the Classic controller, the GameCube controller, and the Wii Remote/Nunchuck combination.
