Muramasa: The Deamon Blade

Company: Nintendo
Publisher: Marvelous Entertainment
Developer: Vanillaware
Genre: Action Role Playing, Side Scroller 2D

Platform: Wii

ERSB Rating: T for Teen

______________________________________

_____________________________________________

Challenge:

This game is rarely boring and always challenging, especially in terms of combat. The combat in the game takes extreme skill because the enemies do an insane amount of damage to your characters. So being able to master this combat system creates a sense of accomplishment in all players, but it will cause many players' flow to go into the frustration levels. When this game gets boring and the flow slips into "boredom", the combat is over and only the exploration aspect is in play. Traveling across the beautiful, hand drawn, Japanese Art styles is amazing, but it takes forever to get where you need to go, demands a lot of backtracking which is repetitive, and there are no shortcuts of any kind to leap ahead.

The Merging Of Action And Awareness:

The combat system completely absorbs the individual player. When playing this game, the player becomes so absorbed in what they're doing, that the activity becomes reflexive. For example, when you notice the enemy ninja swipe his hand, the player knows to hit the block button. The player is so absorbed that the combat flows naturally from the two button system.

Clear Goals and Feedback:

The game clearly defines its goals, and the player receives feedback from achieving these goals . The player knows that in order to advance, he needs to travel to the new area, defeat all the enemies, including the boss in order to obtain a new sword; and that new sword will unlock another new area. After each boss is defeated, the player receives feedback from the game about where to go to next.

The Transformation Of Time:

This game is able to absorb people who are willing to put in the time. With enough practice time the player loses track of real time because of how engrossed he is in the game.

The Nature Of Play:

The Nature of Play within this game is serious and educational. First the game challenges you with a serious system of combat which demands the player's complete attention. It is impossible to beat this game (even on the easiest setting) without paying attention to enemy attack and defense patters. To move on, the education aspect of this game is very interesting. The game deals with Japanese folk lore and mythology. The player will learn the Japanese legend of the demon blade, as well as the fox deity story, among other cultural lore.

Types Of Players:

This would game appeal to 3 types of players. There are many collectibles to gather and achievements to obtain within the game so the "Collector" type player will enjoy gathering all the extra equipment and weapons. The second type of player that would enjoy this game would be "The Achiever" who would be engaged by the games varying levels of difficulty and challenge. In "Muramasa: The Demon Blade" the game throws countless enemies at the player that can deal some serious damage to the player's health. So if he's not careful, he will be dead in one or two hits. Finally the last type of player type that would enjoy this game would be "The Artist" because the games levels/backgrounds are all hand drawn to reflect Japanese art work.

Levels Of Engagement:

There only way to truly measure a players level of engagement is to play the game. Because a spectator would be watching a player who seems to be hitting the same buttons and repeating the same combos,there would be limited interest or engagement for him . In reality, the player may be hitting the same buttons, but the combos need to be strategically thought out in reaction to the hard hitting enemies. This game will defiantly increase a player's reaction time both in the game and in the real world. It will also heighten a players attention to minor patterns in every day life.

Premise:

The premise in "Muramasa:The Demon Blade" is that the player takes up the mantle of the ninja warriors Kisuke and Momohime as they battle their way through feudal Japan.

Characters:

The characters Kisuke and Momohime are the protagonists within the game, and they are different from each other with their own conflicts and characteristics. Kisuke is a ninja that mysteriously lost his memory, and cannot remember why his ninja clan is trying to kill him. This gives him extreme hatred for his clan, and goes on a quest for vengeance, until he realizes what he has done. The sense of redemption that Kisuke symbolizes gives the players a sense of connectivity through this common theme. The other character Momohime is the princess of feudal Japan who gets taken over by and evil ninja spirt. Due to this spirit, she is in constant battle with her self , giving herself two distinct personality’s that the players get to observe.

Story:

There are two stories within this game, and each is unique in their own right. The first story deals with the character Kisuke. Kisuke story is his journey to recover his memory and find out why his ninja clan he once belonged to is trying to kill him. Along the way, he discovers that his memory loss is due to an epic battle that is about to break out in Japan, a battle ultimately caused by him. Momohime is a princess that is possessed by an evil ninja spirit who was unable to accomplish his mission before he died. He uses Momohime as a vessel for himself to travel into Japan with the plan to conquer the country.

The Dramatic Arc:

In Muramasa, Kisuke and Momohime are the protagonists. Their goal is to accomplish their mission(which is different from each other) within feudal Japan. The antagonist for Kisuke is his ninja clan and the emperor of Japan, and Momohime's antagonist is the evil spirit inside her. These situations create conflict for both characters. The tension starts to rise within the game as more of the story is unveiled. Finally, they must both face the consequences of their actions as well as the inner evil residing within them. In the climax, Kisuke regains his memory, while Momohime expels the evil spirit inside her. The story resolves when both characters acknowledge their actions and make penance by exiling themselves, isolating themselves from society.