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 female ronin possessed by a dark spirit. Gameplay allows players to use the Wii Remote, the Classic controller and the Gamecube controller. The game allows players to use two different characters and features two difficulty levels.
Within its first week of release in Japan, Muramasa sold all of its shipped copies and reached the top Japan sales list.
Gameplay
The game has two different control methods, one that involves the Wii Remote and another that uses the Classic Controller, for players who prefer more precision.
Graphically the game is similar to Odin Sphere, retaining the same hand-drawn 2D art style, though inspiration was drawn from Japanese mythology and culture rather than Norse mythology. The game will have over 30 different stages.
Two playable characters have been specified: Kisuke, a young amnesiac ninja, and Momohime, a young princess of Narukami Han, Mino Province. Momohime starts off in the eastern Kyo and goes to the western Edo, while Kisuke goes the opposite direction. Both wield three katana out of 108 to collect and forge.
Swords are distinguished into two categories, tachi and ?dachi. ?dachi is bigger and deals more damage than Tachi, suitable for sweeping a group of weak foes, while Tachi has a shorter attack interval and is geared for aerial or high agility combat. Each sword has an ?gi, a powerful attack technique. Overuse of a sword (unleashing ?gi 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 reserved for a short time.
The game can be played in three modes: Unmatched, Carnage, and Insane Death. Unmatched Mode focuses on character leveling as opposed to action, whereas Carnage Mode is more action-based, recommended for skilled players. Insane Death Mode is only available after a player clears the game in Unmatched Mode. This mode plays in the same fashion as Unmatched Mode but limits the player’s HP to 1 and will never grow when leveled up.
Setting
The game takes place during the Genroku era at the time of shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi on Honsh?, the main island of Japan. Because of his thirst for power, a conflict over immensely powerful swords, the Demon Blades, occurs. The swords are cursed and are said to bring tragedy, madness, and untimely deaths. As the chaos from the conflict spreads, creatures from the netherworld are summoned by these blades, along with Dragon and Demon Gods.
Story
Kisuke is a fugitive being chased for a crime he no longer remembers. His only desire is to find a certain katana. After defeating his arresters, he meets Yuzuruha who offers to guide his path. Meanwhile, Momohime, after being possessed by the soul of foul swordsman Jinkuro Izuna, is forced to flee her castle and accept Jinkuro’s offer to complete his plan.
The game was released Japan on April 9, 2009, and is set for release in North America on September 8, 2009, and in Europe in November 2009.
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