Muramasa: The Demon Blade Videogame Review
Muramasa cover art
I just finished playing Muramasa: The Demon Blade. This game is achingly beautiful. Anyone who liked the visual style of Okami will probably like this as well. It is inspired by the ukiyo-e style of art, stunningly realized on the Wii. This is a gem.
This is the kind of visual design I love. It looks good, and it will age well, when today's latest attempt at photo-realism will look dated in 6 months. It works well on the Wii, playing to the system's strengths, with quick load and save times. The controls are simple enough that you can pick them up quickly. As I get older, I have less patience for memorizing complicated control schemes [maybe I never had any].
The story is simple too. A swordsman who lusts for power finds himself trapped in a young girl's body. A ninja is hunted by his clan. Mayhem ensues. It was good enough to keep me entertained. I played through to get all six endings for this game, although I was a little weary of it by the end. I found Momohime's story more interesting than Kisuke's, perhaps because I enjoyed seeing grizzled Jinkuro slowly grow into a better man because of his exposure to Momohime's startling innocence.
Even though I stuck it through to get all the endings, I think I liked the first endings of the game best. Despite what I said about my taste in fiction being thoroughly bourgeois, the tragic endings made the story more meaningful. The secret endings aren't bad, they just aren't as good.
I can't recommend this game enough. It is beautiful, and fun to play through. Well worth the $20 or so you can get it for these days new, and even cheaper used.
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