Muramasa: The Demon Blade, known in Japan as Oboromuramasa is an action role playing game developed by Vanillaware and published by Marvelous Entertainment in Japan, Rising Star Games in Europe, and Ignition Entertainment in North America for the Wii. The game was released in Japan on April 9, 2009, in North America on September 8, 2009, and in Europe on November 27, 2009.
Muramasa follows the story of Kisuke, a fugitive who has lost his memory, including that of a crime that he committed; and Momohime, a lithe princess possessed by a dark spirit. Gameplay allows players to use the Wii Remote (with Nunchuk), the Classic controller or the GameCube controller. The game allows players to use two different characters and features three difficulty levels.
The game has three different control methods, one that involves the Wii Remote, one that involves the Nintendo GameCube controller and another that uses the Classic Controller, for players who prefer more precision.
Graphically the game is the same hand-drawn 2D art style as it’s spiritual predecessor Odin Sphere, though inspiration was drawn from Japanese mythology and culture rather than Norse mythology.The game has over 30 different stages.
Two playable characters are selectable: Kisuke, a young amnesiac ninja, and Momohime, a young princess of Narukami Han, Mino Province. Momohime starts off in the eastern Edo and goes to the western Kyo, while Kisuke goes the opposite direction. Both wield three katana out of 108 to collect and forge.
Weapons are distinguished into two categories, Blade (katana) and Long Blade (n?dachi). Long Blade is bigger and deals more damage than Blade, suitable for sweeping a group of weak foes, while Blade has a shorter attack interval and is geared for high agility combat. Each sword has a Secret Art (?gi), a powerful attack technique.Overuse of a sword (unleashing Secret Art or defending) will deplete its “Soul Gauge” and eventually break it and its attack power will drop substantially. A broken sword will automatically recover itself when sheathed for a short time.
The game can be played in three modes: Muso, Shura, and Shigurui. Muso Mode focuses on character leveling as opposed to action, whereas Shura Mode is more action-based, recommended for skilled players. Shigurui Mode is only available after a player clears the game in Shura Mode. This mode plays in the same fashion as Shura Mode but limits the player’s HP to 1 and will never grow when leveled up.
