Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Hand-Drawn Pandemonium

Prepare to be spirited away into a pixel world of scheming Shogunate Lords, wandering samurai warriors, ninja clans, frenzied Demons and various scornful Gods, all warring over powerful swords known as Demon Blades.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade is an action-adventure hack-n-slash game, with a sheath full of Japanese mythology and lore. Every piece of scenery in this digitized wonderland was crafted with precise and vivid strokes: farmland hills burst from the screen with bold colours, dark bamboo forests hide secrets of their foggy caves, temples stand tall and unbowed, rivers of water teem with life, and trees sway with dreamlike movement.

It's very clear that the background artists were inspired by the 17th century impressionist masters, Hokusai and Hiroshige. Tokatsu, Eight Views of Hell, is a reference to the naming conventions used by both artists to indicate which “View” or place in Japan they were painting. And there's the more creative use of Hokusai's most famous piece of work The Great Wave at Kanagawa, which places your character directly on the boat – fighting a Kraken. Marvelous!

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There are two selectable characters: Kisuke – an amnesiac fugitive aided by a foxy spirit. And Momohime – a princess possessed by a cunning spirit of a swordsman known as Izuna Jinkuro. It does not matter which character you pick first, their paths intersect and funnel into several climatic endings. Luckily, both protagonists share the same controller scheme; by learning one, you'll acclimatize yourself to both.

The D-pad is used for movement: jumping, ducking, rolling and running. The buttons are mapped to attack, special techniques and item use. Holding down the attack button blocks, in this stance, combining the directional D-pad inputs activates blazing fast aerial strikes, upward slashes and powerful defense breakers. However, the true rulers of the battlefield are the Demon blades you forge. Depending on the equipped blade, you may command tornadoes, spiritual energy orbs, or execute various enemy grinding attacks.

Your repertoire of demon slaying tools will increase with each level-up and defeated foe. Each enemy has a distinctive look and attack patterns, that require a planned approach to fighting: some bosses need to be climbed to reach their exposed mantra, others have protective barriers, or are susceptible to more damage by deflecting their attacks. I don’t want to give away too much, but the spectacle of fighting a raging dragon within a thunderstorm will be imprinted on your psyche long after you shut off the game.

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You'll even do a bit of cooking! Collecting recipes and using gathered ingredients, gives you a chance to make provisions. When not in combat mode, you can start a fire and throw a bunch of ingredients into a pot and boil/grill actual usable items that heal or give extra properties. It is refreshing to see such a simple approach for item procurement. Your character may even become too full if he/she eats a big meal, which will prevent them from using healing items for a set amount of time

The game has an easy learning curve, many save spots, and you can revive at the same screen you were downed. Or you can always level up your character, and seek out stat enhancing items to equip. There's also a nifty map system that overlays onto the screen to show you the level's layout and reveal points of interest.

Muramasa's soundtrack is very enjoyable too. The music has an unpredictable almost theatrical feel that surprises the listener by shifting in tone and speed. And features a unique blend of traditional Japanese music – lutes, flutes, violins, bells, precise rhythmic drum beats – and more modern, off the cuff, instrumentation: pulsating bass, rockin' guitars and bombastic electronic keyboard licks.

Because of the insane amount of time it takes to create moving hand-drawn artwork, the backgrounds are often reused in each of the various levels, along with many of the foes. You'll spend a lot of time running from left to right and vice versa. Stopping only for story tidbits, and to cook much needed rations. I also noticed some wonky balancing in the difficulty setting, most evident while playing as Momohime.

Unlike the backgrounds the characters are drawn in a style known as Chibi. And all in-game dialogue is in Japanese. If this is not your forte, this title may not be for you. Your loss. On a more dramatic note, getting the true ending will be a battle of determination, requiring the forging of all 108 Demon Blades. This means a lot of grinding and soul collecting (souls being the mojo of forging). I recommend using the Classic Controller!

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Those subtle flaws are overwritten by the game's smooth 2D animation, edgy design and perfect control. I would expect nothing less from the folks that made Odin Sphere and Dragon's Crown. Video games crafted with love and finesse such as this one are on the endangered species list. Make sure to snag them if you come across one. You will not regret it.

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Last strike to the gusto, Classic games like Muramasa will increase in value – this has been proven with the resurgence of interest in retro video games – simply because interactive artworks need patrons to enjoy them.

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Muramasa: The Demon Blade gets four promiscuous Kitsune spirits out of five. 

play it proud

 Developer: Vanillaware

Publisher: Ignition

Platform: Wii, PS Vita 

Released: 2009/2013 (Vita)

Genre: Action-Adventure, Hack-n-slash

Meaningful Video Game Soundscapes (Reloaded)

I feel Winter's icy hammer dissipate. A tempting song-bird heralds the oncoming Spring, inviting me to open my door and feel the warmth of the solar star called Sol.

The mustiness of my abode fades, and a soothing nostalgic score energizes my soul. Here's something to move and groove you: Another auditory video game venture for y'all.

Slap that tape in and enjoy the Call!

-Einhander-

Want something to really fire up the night? Give this techno-infused beast a nibble of your ear. This soundtrack will hurl you across the vacuum of space. And spin you like a cocaine-induced, profusely sweating pilot, who's about to permanently stamp Earth with his falling ship.

-Killer Instinct-

  

Now here's something that does not come to fruition too often: A completely original score that manages to fuse metal, rock, techno, and pop into one degenerate and catchy CD. The Killer Cuts CD only came with the SNES Killer Instinct game, making this OST a "Rare" find.

-Axelay-

This game is one of my all-time favourite scrolling shooters. Once I heard the music in this game, my eardrums immediately imprinted its catchy, sci-fi, robotronic, tunes. And ever since that time, I wake up hearing Colony... (Here's Axelay reviewed!)

-Sonic the Hedgehog 2-

I does not matter what musical genre you relish, this is one of those wicked fun OSTs that will make your backbone spin and slide. Also, look at that grinning Dr. Robotnik trying to squeeze the last glorious note out of the game box.

-Doom I&II-

 

Bad-ass games with brutal soundtracks. 

Satan says: ROCK ON!

There you have it, this is my collection of  timeless video game tunes. Listen to the glory and passion of trendsetters who left scores of great beats for all generations to hear. Enjoy, and check out my original Meaningful Video Game Soundscapes post.  

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Growing Up Gamer: From Bits to Infinity

I'm leisurely lounging on my couch, enjoying a laid-back Saturday afternoon. Sipping some juice. Playing Super Mario World. Letting my mind wonder in 2D lands. And an unexpected ring-tone tugs my awareness back to reality.

A quick glance at my surroundings confirms there's nobody home but me. I lift the nettlesome receiver.

“I got the game!”

 “... Which game?”

“You know which game, bring your controller now!”

“... You got Street Fighter II, no frigging way!”

 “Yes! And you need to come now!”

My shoes fly onto my feet, 20 seconds flat. I'm out the door, zipping pass the elevator, almost plummeting down the stairway. Two minutes from the time I put down the phone, I'm already at my friend's house plugging my controller into his Super Nintendo. Grinning excitedly because of the upcoming PvP match.

It Began on the Streets 

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The next two months are spent studying eight unique road warriors, and mastering their intricate thumb-scraping moves. The year is 1992. A decade that was my wondrous entry into the worlds of video games. My initial system of choice: Super Nintendo (with Super Mario World already packed in).

Time was abundant those days, my friends and I would rent games and play them until dawn. Always scouring our neighbourhoods for obscure video game and VHS rental shops – and there ware many. If you wanted to try newly released games, you'd have to hit up The Arcades: Places know as inclusive covenants of amicable characters with diverse gaming skills and knowledge. A lot of gamers I know -- and later became friends with -- I met at the arcades, and the various anime clubs that were slowly popping up around town.

The only way to get gaming news back then was by spending allowance money on the monthly Game Pro/EGM Magazine. And if you were interested in imported games, anime, and comic books, the 'zine of choice was the legendary GameFAN Magazine. Between browsing magazine shelves of our local Scrum Mart, and frantic joystick bashing at the local arcades, we still found time to watch every episode of Video Arcade Top 10, and Game Nation. Yeah, TV was the only way to siphon gaming related news. Radical.

Launched Into Space 

 

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Time rolled on, and so did technology. In mere four years 16-bit consoles jumped from 32 to 64-bit. Games became larger, more encompassing, and rich in content. Despite the hasty technological progress, gaming was still considered something only odd nerdy people did. Until the first ever commercial for a video game was shown in movie theatres: Final Fantasy VII.

This Square Enix title summoned a hype of Bahamut proportions. Now, everyone was talking about video games. No doubt, gaming was clearly becoming a mainstream hobby. The release of Hallo on the original Xbox only solidified that fact – and brought reluctant PC gamers to the console market. Microsoft and Sony—with its PS2—continued dominating the gaming industry. Developing and releasing a plethora of wicked and awesome games.

With the advent of the Internet, online capabilities finally descended onto home consoles. Playing video games was no longer an experience shared with a handful of dedicated friends; gaming has gone global. The Big Three: Xbox360, PS3, and Nintendo Wii, were the precursors of change. And each gaming system evolved from a gamer-only platform, to inclusive family-friendly entertainment hubs.

And Latched Onto Our Souls  

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When playing recent Gen8 super machines, it is clear that gaming has ingrained into our habitual behaviour. Instant access to online sharing tools, integration of relevant social media platforms, reworked iterations of established titles, and we are primed to blast off into digital realms yet uncharted. A new level of collective gaming is now stimulating our synapses. We are witnessing a creation of a new limitless cyberspace horizon.

But after a dramatic all-night session of online play, I sometimes reminisce about the simpler time. A time when being a gamer meant you were confined to a basement room. A game-filled hideout where only a handful of your nerdy friends would want to visit. Very few people understood your hobby, and even fewer knew the difference between a Sega Genesis, and a Super Nintendo. And you were glad for it. Here is one last CHEER to the wonder and fun of Retro Gaming!

GAME ON!

Pandora's Tower: Emotion and Beauty Caught in a Storm

Wound of a World 

Patched by 13 Towers 

Floating Above a Void 

One Brave Knight 

One Distressed Soul 

Once Upon a Time...

Curse of the Flesh Must be Resolved

Pandora's Tower feels like an old-style epic that focuses on character development as much as it does on action. The two main protagonists are Aeron: a young man who is tasked with conquering beastly masters of thirteen mysterious towers; and his cursed childhood friend Elena: a girl who needs to consume the masters' flesh to rid of her curse.

This is may seem like a creepy premise for a game, but it works because of the evolving relationship between Aeron and Elena. What begins as friendship evolves into a relationship, finally flourishing into love. And this love motif is not some forgetful notion to be used as a mere narrative drive, it's actually ingrained into the gameplay.

Beauty Distressed 

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When not exploring the towers, Aeron is able to talk with Elena. By exchanging some kind words with the lovely maiden their relationship grows, which influences the type of ending you'll get at the end of your journey. Just like real life, having a good report with a girl is pivotal to character development.

How far the couple's bond extends dependents on several neat features: By conversing, selecting the right responses, and sharing information the two lovers sooth and confine each other. Any item in Aeron's possession can be given as a gift -- although, Elena is not interested in weaponry or weird items. She prefers lovely trinkets such as rings, broaches, or household items, which she'll often use to spruce up their hideout.

The towers provide many items that can be turned into useful equipment and fancy gifts. And Mavda, the eccentric merchant woman who carries her monstrous husband inside a large cauldron strapped to her back, is always ready to lend a hand -- at a reasonable price of course. What's neat about the game is that Elena wears her gifts around the hideout, and if you let her curse get too far, her abrupt transformation into a ghastly being will break the items.

Glory of the Chain 

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During frequent visits to the towers the focus is action, searching, and monster slaying. To combat the hostile critters of the towers, Aron can be equipped with various weapons, armour and helpful trinkets. The youth's main tool of combat is an enchanted Oraclos Chain, which can be used to bind, pull, and tear all foes. The chain is also spiritually linked to Elena, and shows how far along her curse is progressing, wait too long and beauty shifts to beast.

By aiming the Wiimote at specific objects an "O" icon appears, enabling you to interact with them by using the chain. The stages are made for fast movement, and offer plenty of opportunities for fulfilling platforming and swinging action. While aiming, the game slows down, allowing for swift targeting of specific parts. Enemies can be bound to objects, or to each other to link their life points, and be disarmed from armour or weapons.

During boss encounters, the chain's mechanics really shine. To avoid being swept into a hellish inferno, Aeron must cling onto a cavernous ceiling, and wait until a gigantic molten master surfaces to tear at its flesh. When facing the plant-like master, the chain is used to pull the boss to prevent it from healing in the sun light. I don't want to give away too much, but trust me, each encounter with a master is memorable and innovative.

Towers of Wonder; Sounds of Doom; You Will Return

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Visually Pandora's Tower is one of the best looking Wii titles available. The textures are smooth, the colours are bright and bold, and each of the towers has challenges unique to its surroundings and constructs. Running around, you'll often loose yourself in the emotive atmosphere of this game. The two recurring issues I had with the overall design, was not being able to control the camera, and noticing reused sections/rooms throughout the towers.

The score for this game is of highest quality. Fully orchestrated, and clearly based on classical opera compositions of grand master composers like Franz Liszt and Caccini. The symphonic arrangements in this game will take you to euphoric highs. Just listen to this Boss Theme. It kind of sucks that the tracks get reused a bit throughout the adventure. And I really wish there was more classical music similar to this score in more games.

The game's world has a very rich back-story that you'll piece together by reading tomes about the towers, conversing with Mavda, and witnessing Elena's vivid visions. There are many subtle, political, and religious overtones that complement the game's focus on turmoil and destiny. And I enjoyed the parallels between a world that's about to be torn apart by war, and the healing bond of youthful love.

It's worth noting that after beating the game once, you'll gain access to more rooms and items, which will help you get the best ending, if you did not do so the first time around.

Just like Pandora's Box, Pandora's Tower was destined not to be played with. However, because of some dedicated North American fanfare Nintendo's decision not to localize the game for the American audience was overturned. Thanks to the fine people who spoke up, we can all witness Aeron's resolve to keep his lover from loosing her humanity to the hungry beast within.

Pandora's Tower gets 92 sturdy chain links out of a 100. 

Developer: Ganbarion
Publisher: Xseed Games
Platform: Wii
Genre: Action RPG
Released: 2013

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Super Metroid: A Revealing Look Into Samus' Suit

The most memorable year in gaming for me was 1994. Mostly due to the release of Nintendo's Super Metroid: A series known for its female protagonist bounty hunter Samus Aran and exploratory open-world gameplay.

Super Metroid is the third instalment in the Metroid series (Metroid 1 and 2 are available on NES and Game Boy). Once released, the game immediately had a lot to aspire to.

Rather than just reviewing this game, I'll discuss its overall feeling and composition. If you think a 2D game cannot instill any emotions into players, then you simply haven’t visited the alien infested, structurally massive, planet Zebes.

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Isolation

Landing on Zebes you're introduced to a rather silent environment. Several minutes pass before Samus trips the alarm system which alerts her foes to flood the many corridors and passages she must explore.

Beyond  Samus' introductory log, there's no other communique or direction on how and where to proceed. You're left to explore, alone. Not having any sort of AI or director, you can completely give yourself to the urge of exploration. And that urge naturally takes you deeper into the planet's vast world filled with secret passages, items, power-ups, and critters all too suited to the environments they're in.

The game's large and complex environments can be imposing, but they are made this way to add a certain degree of isolation. This mood is maintained throughout the entire game creating a very tight bond between the player and the silent armour-clad Samus. Each new uncovered area has clues that must be considered to progress. There's no hand holding in this title, you simply must observe the environment closely, make mental notes, and come back once you gained a new ability or weapon.     

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Bewilderment

Each section of the game is a small unique world. Each world is a piece of a greater puzzle that is planet Zebes. Majority of rooms are connected through a series of colour-coded doorways. To open those doors you'll need to fire specific weapons at them. But first you need to find those weapons. Because of this feature, progress happens in a very nonlinear fashion.

Sometimes you're able of circumvent areas by taking a hypotenuse--like turning into a ball a scurrying small spaces. Other times you'll need to find key items--such as lava resistant armour--by battling a boss. Progress gets tracked on a grid-like map that you can access anytime to get a better lay of the land. But the beauty of the game design is that the more you explore the more it gets imprinted on you memory. Once you've been around the neighbourhood, you just know your way around.

Because there's so much to explore, you'll want to backtrack often. Unlock only a portion of a stage? Come back with new abilities. See a suspect ledge? Find the Ice Beam, and try freezing an enemy to use it as a stepping stone. You'll never find everything first time. And that's ok, because this game is all about gradual pacing and being absorbed in its intricate layers. Like enjoying tasty Gelato during summer nights; or shooting a lava beast in its open mouth with a super missile.

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 Creativity 

The game's solid graphics, sci-fi inspired scenarios, and imaginative design make it a standout title. The sound fx are all fantastic, and the music is as memorable as the areas you'll discover. But that's not what I mean by creativity this time. What I want to say is that Super Metroid lets players craft his/her own adventure by giving them flexibility in how to reach certain objectives. 

While there's logic in the level design, the designers gave many opportunities to completely disregard the visible path. Having a through understanding of certain techniques, such as wall jumping, players who memorized level layouts are able to acquire ability-enhancing items early to power through the game, or completely break it.

By sequence braking,  players can skip preordained events or even glitch the game entirely. As a homage to those dedicated and crafty enough, the programmers put in different endings to reward folks who manage to clear the game under specific number of hours -- a worthy achievement.

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Legacy 

Many Metroid games have come and gone, but no other Metroid game has been as influential as this one. After two decades, Super Metroid is still considered an example in inventive stage design, tone creation, and isolation settings. Samus Aran was the first legit female hero, and through inspiring generations of fans and game designers she has become an icon in gaming. 

There are fan websites that recreate maps using in-game screen capture to show planet Zabes in incredible detail. You can even watch YouTube videos proving how Samus can shrink into a ball quarter of her original size. This game is one of a kind, and I try to play through it at least once a year, always loosing myself in its massive universe. Come and find me, I'll be near an enemy generator shooting critters that appear.

Developer: Nintendo, Intelligent Systems

Publisher: Nintendo

Platform: SNES, Wii, Wii U

Released: 1994

Genre: Action-Adventure, Sci-Fi