PS VITA – We have been living in a heaven for side-scrolling action game for the past few years. Mostly thanks to the handheld console market, and the smart phones expansion into the gaming market. A lot of quality titles were released, but none could be more prominent than Muramasa Rebirth, which is definitely in the top ten PlayStation Vita games.

It’s a masterfully crafted videogame, which pretty much describes my opinion about it. It proves that not all titles have to be fully 3D to amaze someone. A lot matters on the presentation. In the above two points Muramasa Rebirth is very strong.

To see and love

When I talk about graphics it means to me: colors, detailed environments, and fantastic lighting. In Muramasa Rebirth I talked with impressively designed, almost hand painted characters, and beautiful environments where I was able to slaughter demons.

The story is based on an old Japanese fairy tale, to the mystical Gerroku times. Our world is threatened, as the Tokugawa shogun has created chaos with the demon swords. Everywhere demons attack the population. We can select two characters to play as, who while in style are not different, the story will lead them to different path. Kunochi Mohomine who is an innocent lady, that has been possessed by the spirit of Jinkuro Izuna a deadly swordsman’s spirit. Kisuke the ninja who suffers from amnesia, has to flee as he is framed for a murder that he does not remember of committing. They wish to find the blade that was forged by Muramasa to fix their path in life, and undue all the wrongs they might have committed.

The crafting system here takes an important role. Luckily it is not overcomplicated, but the player will need to use the system. Basically the spirits from foods, and small green souls will have to be collected for the crafting system. If we are maximalist we can forge 108 different blades. However we’ll need to kill a lot of demons for those. I also found a lot of items that allowed me to upgrade my various skills.

Even though this is a simple go to the right side of the screen and kill, the developers try to spice things up every now and then. If we enter an old hut, we may get items. If a bridge appears we can cross to reach a parallel part of the map. There is also an incentive to return to old completed parts as there are dungeons that can only be completed if you have a higher level.

No mercy

The combat mechanic is not that complex. Fast paced, and great. The system is easy to learn, even at the beginning. I would especially like to mention the sword switching. As when the actual combat begins the durability of the blade is weakened. If it becomes empty it breaks. However if you switch a sword the old one regenerates, so no need to worry, as there will be always a sword in hand to slaughter the enemies. This plus the music for the game is really great, and heightens the score.

I can only recommend Muramasa Rebirth. If you like the anime style, and the 17^th century atmosphere of Japan, then start saving up for this game. As it is worth the money, you won’t regret it.

-Parzival-

Publisher: Marvelous Inc.

Developer: Vanillaware

Genres: action

Publication: 2013 June