3DS DS IPHONE PC PS3 PS4 PSP VITA WII U XBOX 360 XBOX ONE MORE SYSTEMS Login | S ign

Up GameFAQs WHAT S NEW CONTRIBUTE FEATURES BOARDS USERS HELP PlayStation VitaRole-PlayingAction RPG Muramasa Rebirth Home Wiki Cheats Reviews Images Videos My Games Answers Board REVIEW BY AEGIS_RUNESTONE "One of the best action-RPGs of this year." Muramasa - The Demon Blade was released on the Wii, developed by Vanillaware in 2009. It is considered to be a "lost gem" of the Wii console as it was an incred ible game with stunning graphics and addictive gameplay. Now, Muramasa Rebirth w as released for the PS Vita in 2013 with improved gameplay aspects, a better tra nslation, and even smoother graphics. Let the reader know that Muramasa Rebirth is the same game as Muramasa - The Dem on Blade, save the changes mentioned. This review will actually start with the c hanges in the game and then move onto the typical aspects seen in reviews. -=Changes=- A far better translation of the dialogue. The original Muramasa suffered from a horrible translation--one of its greatest flaws. However, Muramasa Rebirth rem edied that problem with a improved English localization. The new translation cla rifies the storyline, making it easier to follow, and even reveals some things t hat the Wii Version could not. - A jump button. This is a simple change, but welcomed by most Muramasa fans. Th e jump button replaces the Wii's 'press up on the stick' jump, and allows for sm oother gameplay. However, if a player wishes to use the stick for jumping, they can as shown in the next change. - Remapping buttons. In Rebirth, there is the option to remap the buttons for th e player's save file. What is remapping? Remapping is changing the original butt on setup to the player's needs. For instance, the dodge button is often changed to "R" by many players. The R button allows for an easier use of evasion without having to use the crouch position and stick button. Remapping the buttons is a very welcome feature to Muramasa Rebirth. - The Caves of Evil (once called 'Enemy Lairs') are now better marked on the map . Even if a player breaks a barrier on the cave, the color of the Cave will stil l show up. This is a wonderful feature as it allows players to know what Caves t hey have defeated and which they have not. Also, after defeating a cave, an oran ge X appears over the Cave's icon on the map.

- Smoother graphics. On the PS Vita version, many jagged lines have been removed , creating a more beautiful game. More about that will be discussed in the graph ics section. -=Graphics 10/10=The graphics for this 2D side-scroller are surprisingly gorgeous. One person des cribed the graphics as "like a painting." Such statements speak for Muramasa's u se of graphics. The illustrations for the food that the player can cook or can e at at a restaurant are beautiful and very realistic. There have been some remark s that the pictures of the food make players actually hungry. The backgrounds for the games are undoubtfully lovely as well. Each place makes the player feel like they are actually in that location. Caverns are dark and de ary with little light; Cherry Blossom trees look realistic and beautiful with th e nightsky behind them. Little things like bamboo tress being cut down or grass being slashed when a player attacks make the game seem even greater. The combat graphics are smooth, clear, and beautiful. The sprites for both chara cters are well-drawn to the point that they just look like miniature versions of the characters' artwork. The motions of the attacks, the paintings of the Secre t Arts improve the game's look immensely. -=Gameplay 8.5/10=The gameplay to Muramasa is extremely addictive. Although repetitive, many battl es with enemies may require more skill than hack'n'slash as many of the AIs are dangerous, especially on Chaos difficulty (the hard mode). There are also many, many swords, each with a unique Secret Art to make use of. As the player progres ses through the game, they increase in level, raising their strength and vitalit y--stats required to wield certain swords. Swords are forged, and require a cert ain number of Spirit (received by eating food from the player's items or at rest aurants) and a certain number of Souls (received by collecting stray souls and k illing enemies) to be forged. Certain blades cannot be forged and are obtained by killing bosses. These blades open the way to forge more swords that the player can use. The addition to gameplay that Rebirth brings to the table is remappable buttons as stated above in the changes. The player is given the option to set the button s in the way they they desire, making the game personal to themselves. The gameplay does suffer from a dangerous flaw--backtracking. Although this be mostly remedied by using a Bronze Mirror (which warps the player back to last shrine they visited), there's still a fair amount of backtracking that bore the player. Repetitive battles on the easiest difficulty may also bore ers. However, overall, the gameplay is simply fantastic. -=Sound/Music 10/10=The music in this game is just plain beautiful; I know the word is beaing overus ed in this review, but it difficult to find another to describe it. The music ad ds to the graphics a sense of immenersion of being in the Genroku-Edo time perio d of Japan. One thing that makes the music unique in this game is that the backg round music changes when the player enters a battle. It's a similar tune, only m ore intense to describe the scene of carnage about to take place (AKA battle). The sounds for the sword slashes, Secret Arts, and the character's voices are we can the may play

ll-done and near perfect. The voice actors and actresses make the characters sou nd real, and this is not just for the Playable Characters alone--but also for th e NPCs! -=Story 8.5/10=The story is, overall, fantastic. There's two stories to follow: one of Princess Momohime, and the other of the ninja Kisuke. Momohime's story from the beginning has depth and interest, especially with the interactions between three characters: Jinkuro, Momohime, and Kongiku (Jinkuro's servant). The different ways they react to each other make an entertaining stor y. The aspect that makes Momohime's story so interesting is the chemistry between J inkuro and herself. They don't like each other at first, but soon grow fond of e ach other. Kisuke's story is less interesting because it seems to be the cliche "I lost mem ory, why is everyone trying to kill me?" story. However, once the player discove rs HOW he lost his memory, then Kisuke's story gains depth and interest. Finally, there are diverse endings in each story, which will not be discussed in -depth in order to avoid spoilers. However, it does require the completiong of b oth characters' stories to move on. The flaw in the storyline, however, is mainly Kisuke's story, which, as stated, seems boring and cliche at the beginning. If there had been more foreshadowing o f why he lost his memory, it would have been a more interesting storyline. -=Replayability 8.5/10=Muramasa Rebirth has a strong replayability for a 2D side-scroller without stage s (save "boss stages"). There are many things to do in Muramasa such as conqueri ng optional places of challenge known as "Caves of Evil." These places give rewa rds, but only if the player decides to fight them. The diverse endings change the course of the game, and will make the player want to see all of them for themselves. Finally, after a certain time in the game, bosses can be refought by their respe ctive character or the opposite character for prizes, and experience. -=Overall 9/10=Muramasa Rebirth, like it's predecessor--The Demon Blade--offers a unique and fu n game to play. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it certainly is a great game worthy of at least one attempt. Regardless, most fans of action-RPGs will not be disappointed with this title. Reviewer's Score: 9/10 | Originally Posted: 07/10/13 Game Release: Muramasa Rebirth (US, 06/25/13) Liked this review? Recommend it to others! GOT YOUR OWN OPINION? You can submit your own review for this game using our Review Submission Form.

GAME DETAIL PlayStation Vita Vanillaware / Aksys Games Release: Jun 25, 2013 Also Known As: Oboro Muramasa (JP, KO, AS) T - Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and olde r. GAMES YOU MAY LIKE Soul Sacrifice What would you sacrifice for ultimate power? Prepare yourself for a brutal comba t experience where every decision... Ragnarok Odyssey Ragnarok Odyssey is set in an original world based on Norse mythology where a ba ttle is being waged between humans an... Ys: Memories of Celceta In Ys: Memories of Celceta, developer Falcom revisits the land and characters of Japanese cult favorite Ys IV for its... Ragnarok Odyssey ACE Ragnarok Odyssey ACE is a completely evolved version of the popular giant-huntin g game released on PlayStation Vita, ... Dungeon Hunter: Alliance Dungeon Hunter Alliance is the first action RPG game for the PlayStation Vita ha ndheld entertainment system that imme... GameFaqs.comfacebook.com/GFAQstwitter.com/GameFAQs HelpSitemapAdvertiseChange Co lors gamespot.comgiantbomb.commetacritic.comgamerankings.com 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved.Privacy PolicyAd ChoiceTerms of Us e