Not nearly as sharp as it looks
HIGH The hand-drawn artwork is incredible eye-candy.
LOW Feels empty and barren; a rough sketch of a bigger game.
WTF Did the developers honestly think that style trumps substance?
First things first—I need to say up front that I am a huge fan of Vanillaware's art team. Their visual designs are appealing, their artistry is clear to see, and the attention to detail given to every aspect of their presentation puts them near the top of the 2D game scene, hands down. They've done outstanding work in previous efforts, and Muramasa is no different. In fact, it may be their best work overall, and that's saying something. If games were critiqued solely on looks, Muramasa would be practically flawless.
However, it's a fact that it takes more than graphics to make a game. It can't be disputed. Although I have nothing but admiration for the intricate illustrations making up the face of Muramasa: The Demon Blade, I'm sad to report that I found nearly every other aspect of the title to be lackluster and incomplete to a ridiculous degree.
Although this 2D side-scrolling hack-n-slash game presents two characters (one a possessed princess, the other an amnesiac ninja) they're merely palette swaps for each other with no discernible difference in function. An argument might be made that each was worth including since they have different storylines, except that the plots are blurted out via impromptu dialogue snatches with little context and even less significance. There is no serious attempt made to give depth to the characters or their situations, and to say that the storytelling borders on nonsensical is being generous.
With nothing to sink dramatic teeth into, it falls to the graphics and gameplay to carry Muramasa's burden. The visuals certainly do their part, but there is precious little play to talk about.
To be fair, the mechanics of swordfighting are more elegant than they appear at first glance. By assigning attacks to one button and mapping different abilities to the D-pad, it's possible to have either character flashing back and forth across the screen in a deadly dance of upslashes, air dashes, or defensive rolls. Once the system is understood, it functions quite well and has a certain energy to the rhythm of orchestrating movement. Unfortunately, Vanillaware gives players little reason to take advantage of it.
Basically, every world in Muramasa is a series of empty squares laid out in linear fashion—and when I say "empty squares," that's exactly what I mean. The player starts at one end and crosses each zone until they reach a boss or some other event at the far end of the line. There are no puzzles, no platforming, no tricks or any interesting events… the player is simply pushing through from one side to the other and fighting a couple of quickie battles along the way. It's mind-numbingly boring, and I have a hard time believing that the developers have never had exposure to any of the countless titles prior to Muramasa which feature levels that actually progress, change, or develop in some way.
Adding insult to injury, these areas are recycled side-by-side, and there are an absurd number of them to cross. It's extremely common to pass through four or six identical areas, one right after the other with no difference between them and nothing noteworthy happening. Not only does this bring on an intense and constant sense of déjà vu, the sporadic ambushes from enemies are over in a matter of moments. The majority of the player's time with Muramasa is spent mowing down speed bumps while traveling between small segments with a bit of spark.
I will admit that when the end of each desolate, repetitive area is eventually reached, the boss battles are fairly interesting. Since their life bars tend to be quite long, the extended battles have a fair bit of kick, and a modicum of strategy is called for. That said, there are only a handful of them sprinkled throughout the game, and asking players to put up with the tedium of endlessly crossing these areas just for brief snatches of substance takes a lot of gall.
In a cursory attempt to add depth to this wading pool, Muramasa does feature a sword-development tree where a large number of blades can be unlocked by collecting the requisite points and leveling up to a required degree, but it's of little interest. Each sword feels like the last, with little effect on the generic combat or how it plays out. I felt no motivation whatsoever to earn the next blade, and the feature was produced in such straightforward fashion that it feels like it's there more out of obligation than because it actually enhances the game. At no point was there ever any "gee whiz" factor of getting a new piece of kit, and if the entire sword concept was removed, nothing significant would be lost.
In every way save the graphics, I found Muramasa: The Demon Blade to be a failure. It certainly appears to be an attractive package at first glance (doubly so on the Wii given its comparatively weak library) but the entire experience felt repetitive, shallow, and unfinished… a half-formed idea needing more meat on its bones rather than a completed project capable of commanding respect. To be brutally frank, the game failed to keep my attention for even the first hour, and the next two I put in were exactly like the first. I love the art—really, really do, but graphics alone can't carry a game. Besides its looks, Muramasa doesn't have a leg to stand on.
Disclosures: This game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the Wii. Approximately 3.5 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was not completed. There are no multiplayer modes.
Parents: According to the ESRB, this game contains alcohol reference, fantasy violence, and suggestive themes. The violence consists of the characters slashing at enemy ninja and demons, and the suggestive themes are a few quasi-risque reveals of female characters. None of this will corrupt any youth as far as I'm concerned, although stuff of this sort is best left to the teens (and above.)
Deaf & Hard of Hearing: You won't have any problems. All dialogue is subtitled and there are no important audio cues necessary for play. Totally accessible.
Transformers fan. MOTU stan. Black Lives Matter, pro-LGBTQIA. Anti-fascist.
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Because of this reviewer, the game’s Metacritic was dealt a lethal blow, sinking it to 81. And to think that it sinks it thanks to a person who clearly didn’t play it expecting nothing more than a hack and slash. In all honesty, I can agree with some of the points he has, but they aren’t comparable when it comes to this game. I looked, and this game is only 2/3 of a gigabyte, so I knew I didn’t expect to play something like Final Fantasy or Xenoblade. Overall, I say I’d give it an 8/10 just to be fair.… Read more »
I don’t know what you mean by “empty” because I’ve already logged 34+ hours in the game over a 4 day period. It is now 100% complete. I don’t think this game is for everyone. I think you might have to be a hardcore RPG fan to get the most out of this game. Not everyone can pick up this game and play it for long as I have but don’t say its a bad game.
[quote=Anonymous]Sometimes I wonder with these “professional review sites” why do they have 1 person just reviewing a game? and their opinion counts to aggreate sites such as game rankings and metacritics, truly its a site to behold.[/quote] The aggregate sites are already averaging out many review ratings, to produce what some people would consider an “accurate” or “scientific” scale. Why do we need an average of the average?
[quote=Anonymous]Sometimes I wonder with these “professional review sites” why do they have 1 person just reviewing a game? [/quote] pcgames (germany) does have a main tester and on the “bigger” games a second or third opinion that may or may not deviate from this “pcgames-opinion”. PCPowerplay (germany, gone) did add to their magazines a table where the staff published thoughts on the tested games of the current issue. Though each game only got one official score. Gamestar (germany) does record score meetings on their DVD where they discuss all together the score the magazine gives, though it is mainly tested… Read more »
[quote=Anonymous]Wouldn’t mind this site if it had like 3 ppl reviewing one game and taking a shot taking an average review score, o/w it shouldn’t qualify as a professional review.
[/quote]
I don’t know of many publications or sites that do this. The old EGM (gone, resurrected as something else), Diehard Gamefan (gone, resurrected as something else), and Famitsu.
But I do know that GameCritics posts second reviews and second opinions. Just as good.
Sometimes I wonder with these “professional review sites” why do they have 1 person just reviewing a game? and their opinion counts to aggreate sites such as game rankings and metacritics, truly its a site to behold. Wouldn’t mind this site if it had like 3 ppl reviewing one game and taking a shot taking an average review score, o/w it shouldn’t qualify as a professional review. Take for example Mass Effect 2 I could give it a 1 just to piss everyone off or I just didn’t enjoy it and have everyone blast me for it but would be… Read more »
I really wish I would have read your review before I bought this thing. I suppose I could do some skeet shooting this weekend.
Condre – I appreciate your civility in bringing up your points. Certainly, it’s MUCH appreciated. Thank you for that. However, i didn’t say it was a platformer, i said it was a 2D side-scrolling hack-‘n’-slash, which is basically what it is. Despite several people’s attempts to tell me that i misunderstand or ‘didn’t get’ what the game was, i simply disagree. frankly, there’s not enough here to misunderstand. bottom line: it’s an extremely simplistic and shallow game that held little appeal for me. if you or others like it, that’s no skin off my nose… i have no problem with… Read more »
I’m sorry but I have to say this review completely missed the target. Muramasa is not a platform game, it’s a japanese style RPG with random encounters, and devil-may-cry-inspired real time combat. The focus of the game is not in enjoying level design, but in meeting characters, acquire equipment and new abilities. Most screens you will come across have the only purpose of giving you the chance of meeting foes to level up and test your skills with. Bashing the game because the levels are empty (which is obviously true, and the game does not pretend to be what it’s… Read more »
I’m glad you’re honest, but if you haven’t completed the game, this is hardly a “re”-view. I myself am not particularly fond of games that do things in this way, but I don’t review them until they’re over. People who reviewed Mario Galaxy after getting 60 stars and called the game “easy” and “short” are not really worth their salt as review authors, so don’t go doing the same thing, and end up as despised as the God Hand guy on IGN. Though I will admit that the low score was what attracted me to your article, three and a… Read more »
Besides its honesty, this review doesn’t have a leg to stand on.
To the person who compared Tarkovsky to video games…wow. Tarkovsky made films from a “high art” standpoint, meaning that everything in the film was serving his artistic vision rather than trying to entertain anyone. His films weren’t blockbusters or anything. Murasama is still a commercial game on a major platform, even if it is a niche title. Very few games are deliberately made to be boring for artistic reasons (Yume Nikki is a counter-example). As video games are still expected to be more entertaining as a medium, few people would even bother playing through a tedious game to experience an… Read more »
I said you can complete the game in 6-8 hours with ONE of TWO characters. The entire game minimally completed with both characters (no alternate endings or challenge lairs) takes DOUBLE that, which I stated above. I didn’t agree at all and you’re just skimming what I read. Beyond an egregous underestimate of the play time you talk about tedious walking and don’t mention the warp mechanic. You actually didn’t get to any area where it takes more than a couple minutes to walk from in the amount of time you played the game and the warp mechanic would have… Read more »
>>It’s more the fact you made several factual mistakes about the length and gameplay having only played the game 3 hours. You didn’t even try. Give it a 1 – but at least play the game for the entire afternoon. What factual errors? you said yourself the game can be completed (granted, with much less than 100%) in the same time frame i mentioned. There were no factual mistakes, it’s just varying levels of appreciation. you appreciate it. i don’t. no error there on either side. >>You think it doesn’t matter? Bold the 3 hour play time at the top… Read more »
“what i am here to do is give my take on the game. if you read the site and are familiar with my work, then you will have a good context in which to take the review. if you don’t… then you don’t. that’s pretty much all i can say. don’t like the review? there are a dozen on the ‘net giving it 9’s and 10’s. go check those out.” It’s more the fact you made several factual mistakes about the length and gameplay having only played the game 3 hours. You didn’t even try. Give it a 1 –… Read more »
Thanks for that long response… Not quite sure how to respond except to say that you’ve got several issues and tangents there, and to be frank, i don’t have a lot of time (or interest in) continuing to defend my review of Muramasa. What i will say is that it’s obvious the game has fans, as i stated before. i knew that there was going to be a certain subset of gamers who were going to see red at this review, and i wasn’t wrong. take any game (good OR bad) and you can find people who swear by it,… Read more »
Playing 3.5 hours out of a 30-odd hours game doesn’t get you anywhere near the core of the game. There are plenty of bad Wii games, and Muramasa isn’t one of them. The fact that you don’t bother to go into the game thoroughly and just diss it for being eyecandy is simply unjust. Other than beautiful graphics, Muramasa’s story is deeper than the synopsis. The gameplay is also more complex than just hack-n-slash. Many critics probably thought the same way as you at first. However, most of them bother playing through at least halfway and realized it’s a great… Read more »
“Although this 2D side-scrolling hack-n-slash game presents two characters (one a possessed princess, the other an amnesiac ninja) they’re merely palette swaps for each other with no discernible difference in function.” Each character has unique special arts assigned to each blade that make huge differences in the game. Windmill is for air enemies like tengu, for example. The special arts are essential for the harder difficulties like Shura and the one hit death mode. This is like saying Ryu and Ken are the same because they have the same special moves – turns out those moves vary according to the… Read more »
So let me get this straight. This game would be just as enjoyable as Imagine Party Babies? Or maybe that new Cory in the House game. The bias really shows in your score. Shouldn’t a reviewer keep in mind who is going to be reading their review or more accurately not? It might be your opinion, but people will only look at your highly exaggerated score and base their purchase off of that. As far as your review goes, yes they do reuse their backgrounds fair bit, but they never get any less entertaining to look at. That said, it… Read more »
You seem to shrug the metacritic score off as “no big deal”, but it is a big deal to the people who created the game and the people who sign their paychecks, and it’s pretty callous of you to not take that seriously. No where did Brad say it was “no big deal”. If you’re also going to accuse Brad of not taking his job seriously, you might want to accurately quote him and perhaps read the hundreds of reviews Brad has published here before you decide to challenge his integrity. What you and a few others have implied is… Read more »
>>*Disclaimer*–I’m a game developer and I have not played Muramasa. >>You seem to shrug the metacritic score off as “no big deal”, but it is a big deal to the people who created the game and the people who sign their paychecks, and it’s pretty callous of you to not take that seriously. You know what I think is callous? The fact that a publisher would actually base compensation and/or employment on Metacritic. The fact that this practice has come into existence in the recent past is something that would take up an entire thread of its own, but let… Read more »
…and no disrespect intended, but mentioning the absurd publisher policy of applying Metacritic to game developers’ livelihoods (as i stated earlier) has nothing to do with me, and i fail to see how it has any relevance here. *Disclaimer*–I’m a game developer and I have not played Muramasa. You seem to shrug the metacritic score off as “no big deal”, but it is a big deal to the people who created the game and the people who sign their paychecks, and it’s pretty callous of you to not take that seriously. In the eyes of metacritic, you are a professional… Read more »
Aesquire> I hear you, but we’re going to have to agree to disagree on this one. there’s no ‘code of conduct’ or certification process for reviewers, really. i bear no responsibility to anyone but myself and this site when it comes to my reviewing, and this particular piece (written from an uncompleted playthrough) is acceptable by both those standards. the game had issues and bored me to the point that i felt literally compelled to stop playing, and i clearly explained this in my review. AFAIC, my cards are on the table and the case is closed. if you feel… Read more »
Having finished the game and seen the “true” ending for both Momohime and Kisuke, I would have to say that I feel Mr. Gallaway would change his mind about Muramasa after a full playthrough, and not for the better. The things he found merely irksome in his first four hours of play would probably have infuriated him towards the end, especially the long slog of re-fighting bosses you’ve seen before so you can level up enough to use the Oboro sword. Muramasa, though lovely, is sloppily designed and fundamentally incoherent in the interplay between its elements. Especially in comparison to… Read more »
Finally, there’s no way on earth I’d ever let the Metacritic average sway my opinion of a game. Compensation and bonuses have nothing to do with me, and I bear no responsibility whatsoever for any potential agreement between a developer and a publisher. If a game is bad, it’s bad. Period. Any critic that starts thinking about some developer’s employment status before critiquing a game needs to hang up their critic hat and go do something else, IMO. This is a complete mischaracterization of my argument. My argument was that it is irresponsible to review a game based on incomplete… Read more »
“From most accounts, the game is 6-8 hours long, not 30. 30 hours of this game would not only be pointless, but insufferable.” Find this account. Most estimates are mid-teens for the minimum number of hours to complete both stories minimally. This ignores every enemy challenge lair (several, around 9), forging new swords, and getting all the endings from those new swords. You could do one character’s story arc in 6-8 hours…but that would neglect half the game and a totally different set of bosses for the other character. Don’t talk to people who own and played the game for… Read more »
“Why the hell did you give this great game 3 out of 10.”
Um…he wrote 10 or 11 paragraphs telling you exactly why he gave the game a 3 out of 10.
Just saying. Why the hell did you give this great game 3 out of 10. Only some glitchy games that hame sucking graphics & horrible music etc deserve that.
I went to the gamerankings to watch the reviews so why only you gave it 3 out of ten when everyone else gave it 8-9 out of ten.
If it would be 3 out of 5 then I would understand. I guess you just don´t like RPG´s
Your not gonna change my mind. I´m still gonna buy this game
Perhaps some simple semantics could be applied here.
“Review” is commonly reserved for completed games, while “Impressions” applies to incomplete play-throughs. While the disclosure at the end is nice, titling this post as a “review” is a bit misleading.
Still a good read, though. I value your take on games, regardless of the semantics, Brad.
[quote=Anonymous][quote=ckzatwork] There is nothing wrong with style over substance.[/quote] Most developers only makes games for themselves and other developers, not the consumers, then have the gull to get upset and attempt to belittle us when we don’t buy into their crap. .[/quote] I have to disagree with you here. Most developers design games for consumers. That’s why the market is flooded with sequels and clones – it’s the safest approach if you want your games to sell. When I said that there is nothing wrong with a game just being stylish I was trying to say that games can be… Read more »
Thanks to everyone for the comments. Sorry if some of this is a repeat. Anyway… I can understand the sentiments about people wanting reviews written ONLY if a game’s been completed, but that’s just not always realistic, or even necessary. If a game is terrible or severely unpleasant to the point that a critic like me feels compelled to stop playing, then that in itself is a commentary on the game. –and just to be clear, I have no problem finishing games. Over the course of my career, I’ve finished close to literally *a thousand* games. Some are two hours… Read more »
[quote=ckzatwork] There is nothing wrong with style over substance.[/quote] And this mindset is precisely what is wrong with Video Games today. Instead of making the game play well, many developers are too busy trying to add unimportant tech into the game, or try to push their own personal or political views. Most developers only makes games for themselves and other developers, not the consumers, then have the gull to get upset and attempt to belittle us when we don’t buy into their crap. Muramasa is a dull, repetitive, forgettable game. If it wasn’t for its visuals, there wouldn’t be anything… Read more »
For those of you that totally disagree with Brad’s review (or even those who do, but don’t know about this), I’d like to point out that GameCritics encourages and welcomes user-submitted reviews.
If you think the game has a lot more to offer that only presents itself beyond the first 4 hours, by all means give it write up and score of your own.
[quote=aesquire]I know games are often longer than films. Tough shit. No professional literary critic would review “Infinite Jest” based on the first 50 of its 1079 pages. No professional film critic would review the original “Solaris” based on the first hour of its four hour run time. And no professional game critic would (or at least, should) review any game without at least trying to reach the end credits. Save your limited impressions for a message board post or a response to a complete review. Don’t expect readers to “weigh” the fact that you only played the game for 3.5… Read more »
[quote=Stevens]I could understand the game wasn’t to your liking,but a “3/10?”.First of all,the whole game was hand drawn,and secondly the gameplay rocks! I didn’t find it a problem having too backtrack though levels because I enjoyed the forge system so much. The game is good and doesn’t reflect your score “at all!”.The only games I see which deserve a 3/10 or the ones which are glitchy and don’t work,which Muramasa does![/quote]Right there you gave your opinion and that is what Brad was asked to do. That you think only games which are glitchy and don’t work deserve a 3 out… Read more »
Hey Brad,
I really enjoyed this review. Knowing the quantity and quality of your reviews in the past, it spoke volumes that you would stop and put the game to rest after a (relatively) short time. Your arguments made a whole lot of sense to me and I think I got more out of your response than I would have if you had stuck to the tried and true formula of “Graphics, Gameplay, Sound, Funfactor.”
I hope you continue to bring this sort of personality and honesty to your reviews.
Thanks,
eaps
[quote=ckzatwork]The concept of a game grabbing you is completely subjective. GTA may bore me to death after 30 minutes but millions of people find it extremely attractive. Because of that, I could never write a professional review about it.[/quote]It is precisely because you do not like Grand Theft Auto that you can write a “professional review” of the game. The job of a critic is not to come to some sort of indisputable conclusion about a game. Providing you present your opinion, back it up with solid arguments as to why you hold such an opinion of a game and… Read more »
As a player, I have no obligation to complete a game if it doesn’t appeal to me at first blush. No one is relying on my impression of a game to make a decision. A critic, if s/he’s to be taken seriously, doesn’t enjoy that luxury. I know games are often longer than films. Tough shit. No professional literary critic would review “Infinite Jest” based on the first 50 of its 1079 pages. No professional film critic would review the original “Solaris” based on the first hour of its four hour run time. And no professional game critic would (or… Read more »
I could understand the game wasn’t to your liking,but a “3/10?”.First of all,the whole game was hand drawn,and secondly the gameplay rocks! I didn’t find it a problem having too backtrack though levels because I enjoyed the forge system so much.
The game is good and doesn’t reflect your score “at all!”.The only games I see which deserve a 3/10 or the ones which are glitchy and don’t work,which Muramasa does!
The concept of a game grabbing you is completely subjective. GTA may bore me to death after 30 minutes but millions of people find it extremely attractive. Because of that, I could never write a professional review about it. There is nothing wrong with style over substance. I actually like the idea of a medium serving beautiful painted art through a videogame. Now that’s being subversive. Games can be so much more than mechanics, can’t they? However, this is not the main problem here. The fact that a reviewer does not fully play a game and score it officially, is… Read more »
First off, stop with the faulty analogy comparing movie reviews with video game reviews. They are 2 different mediums. You do not have to play the whole game to get the just of it. I’m quite shocked and appalled at the response people are giving towards Brad’s review. He has made one critical point that everyone has ignored. “However, I will say in my defense that if the game can’t grab a person in nearly 4 hours, then there’s something fatally wrong with that design.” Video games should be pick up, and play. It’s considered very bad game design to… Read more »
You’re professionals (and after reading this “review”, I use that term loosely). I haven’t cracked my copy open just yet, but here’s a little piece of advice for the future: don’t review a game until you’ve completed it!
That’s like going to a movie and giving an honest critique 30 minutes into it.
But Brad isn’t a common player, he’s a game critic. If you don’t have the time to properly review a game then pass the job to someone who will and then publish a review. You have the right not to read Return of the King if you hated Two Towers but you can’t seriously consider yourself a critic if you turn 20 pages and review it for a site. These type of reviews seem more like the ones I find at a shopping store like Amazon. I bet that if the game was bought he would probably review it differently.
this is basically the most retarded review ive ever read, the game looks better than most ps3/360 games, the gameplay works great and it may be a bit repetitive but then what AAA games havent been? gears of war was repetitive as HELL, for example!
honestly you guys should be ASHAMED of this review
There’s a big difference between playing video games and watching a concert or movie: most games are MUCH longer. And, to be honest, video games aren’t really the most productive way to spend one’s time. Why should someone waste hours of their life playing a game they don’t even enjoy? Is an RPG that improves around the 20 hour mark worth the time investment? Should I really watch or read Return of the King if I hated the story in Fellowship and Two Towers? There’s something to be said for cutting one’s losses, and as long as a reviewer admits… Read more »
It is not the first time Brad does this and I find it completely unacceptable. Imagine a film critic giving one star to a film from Tarkovsky because during the first 20 minutes nothing happened – in terms of conventional narrative. This kind of approach to game review should not be tolerated, especially here where everyone wants games to be “upscaled” to a higher level. If you didn’t play the game, find someone who did and publish that review. Some games start slow or bland and then pay off. Just like some books and films.
Just to respond to your comments, we purposely put that disclaimer there so that people who read the reviews can get a very clear idea of how much time and effort each critic put into their piece. We’re being completely open and honest, and if you think that 3.5 hours isn’t enough time to really see what the game has to offer, then you can make that informed decision. We’re not trying to hide anything. However, I will say in my defense that if the game can’t grab a person in nearly 4 hours, then there’s something fatally wrong with… Read more »
From most accounts, the game is 6-8 hours long, not 30. 30 hours of this game would not only be pointless, but insufferable.
Besides that, if a game utterly fails to bring anything to the table in the firsr four hours, that’s pretty much a fail any way you look at it.
i get that the game has fans, but the bottom line is that it’s a pretty-looking, shallow title that’s outclassed by other titles in every way except visuals.
How slow did you take it, to be in the flat areas for an hour? Wow man, thats just sorry. Im with my friend here, you left out ALOT! Cooking, special attacks, later areas, the different diffculties. Also you bitch about the lack of platforming, how far did you take the game? Did you even make it to Musashi or Kisuke’s city, cause they are big time platformers. Also the big areas are dull and repeditive and their beautiful to look at, plus the random battles happen more often then you give credit. 3.5 fucking hours is all you gave… Read more »
After reading this:
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Disclosures: This game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the Wii. Approximately 3.5 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was not completed. There are no multiplayer modes.
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I decided to just skip reading everything else in the review and give Brad Gallaway’s review a 3/10. Why bother reading the rest? I only need to read 25% of it to make an informed decision.