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One of the best third party titles on the Wii.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade is the newest title from Odin Sphere developers Vanillaware, and it's easy to tell considering that the game makes use of the same 2D painterly like visuals of their previous efforts, and it's one of the best looking titles you'll find on the Wii today. I'd go so far as to say that the game is worth picking up for the visuals alone, including some of the more outlandish boss designs I've seen in a game this gen. It's really that beautiful looking, even on a larger HD set, and it's something that every Wii owner should check out.

Along with that, it features some really solid action based gameplay, and if you had some trouble wrapping your head around Odin Sphere's design and menus, you'll be happy to note that Vanillaware has managed to streamline much of that experience here, and while it does bear some resemblance to other mechanics in OS, it definitely stands on its own two feet.

The story revolves around two main characters, a female warrior by the name of Momohime, who has been possessed by some type of malevolent spirit, and as her story continues their relationship starts to expand and change over time. The second story stars a rogue Ninja named Kisuke, currently an amnesiac and on the run for something he's not aware he did. Both tales are well told, featuring the original Japanese voice tracks, but they're not as involving or interesting for me as Odin Sphere. Still, (and I swear I'll stop comparing it to OS), I thought Momohime's story was particularly well done, and in the end I think I preferred that tale between the two. Gameplay wise, and even setting wise, they're pretty identical, they don't seem to have any differences in their movements or movesets, speed and defense all seem to be the same, so outside of the story and the boss fights, you're not going to run into any great changes depending on which tale you choose to play first. To get the best ending, you'll definitely need to play both, but outside of that, you can easily focus on one character. If you manage to get bored with one, you can switch to another storyline at any time, and they both reside on the same save file, which is nice. When you begin the save, it'll ask you which story you want to play, so you can have both running at different intervals without losing progress or sacrificing a story.

Along with the two tales, there's two play types featured, which is pretty much a change in difficulty. One is the Muso mode, which is what you'll want to start with if you're not particularly skilled with action titles. Muramasa features a lot of fast paced fights, that are all pretty flashy, so it can be easy to get lost in the on screen action. With Muso mode enabled, you'll end up blocking and parrying automatically for the most part, assuming you don't manage to break your blade. With the second setting, Shura, you're forced to pay attention and parry manually, which is easy enough to do in concept, but requires a certain level of skill when the fighting starts to get hectic. Personally, I found Shura to be a lot of fun, but I'll freely admit it won't appeal to everyone, especially if you're just looking to enjoy the pretty settings and see how the story plays out. If you don't mind the challenge, Shura is fantastic, but be prepared to get your butt kicked during most boss fights, requiring you to really pay attention to patterns and attacks, and make skillful use of the combo system.

Each warrior comes equipped with three swords in the game, which you can switch between at any time. This becomes a pretty important mechanic, as each blade has its own life bar, and once that bar is depleted, the blade will break rendering you defenseless, and with weaker attacks. Once a blade breaks, you'll want to switch to another, which will allow the previous sword a chance to regain its life. Along with that, after a certain point of time you'll see all your blades begin to flash at the top of the screen, and if you switch blades at this point you'll unleash a special attack that hits everything on screen.

As the game progresses, you'll be able to create new blades using the forge system, which requires a certain number of souls that are typically collected from enemies or hidden around the areas you'll be traversing on the map. Along with souls, you'll also need spirit, which is gained by consuming any of the edibles that restore your own life. Each sword also has a use requirement, so you'll want to pay attention so that you're not wasting souls and spirit on blades you can't use yet. There's a lot to unlock in the game, and while you will gain a few blades automatically as part of the story progression, the majority you'll need to create.

Along with the forging system, the game introduces a cooking mechanic, which you can expand upon by finding or buying the various guides scattered around the world. There are also a number of accessories that you can outfit your warrior with, usually providing a stat boost or two. You can only carry a certain number of blades at a time, but they're easy enough to switch out, provided you're not in the middle of a fight.

My only real issue from the game came from the controls, which are pretty well done, but I had a hard time getting used to the somewhat flighty jumps of both characters. They seem to be particularly light, and while most fights have you confined to a set number of screens, there were times where I had more trouble than I should have with where I was jumping or how high. The double jump seems a little sensitive to me, but I can admit that it might be more of a personal issue than a game flaw. I played the majority of the game with the Wii Classic Controller, but you can also opt for the standard Nunchuk/Remote combo, or go with a Gamecube controller depending on your preference. Outside of the jumping, I thought everyone else was fine control wise. Combos are easy to string together, but to make them effective without being hit takes a fair amount of skill and talent, especially in the boss fights. You really feel like a badass in most of the regular battles, but that doesn't mean you can't be caught off guard a time or two.

All together, if you own a Wii, you should definitely plan on picking up Muramasa: The Demon Blade. It's easily one of the best third party titles on the system, and it's certainly the best looking 2D game I've seen in quite some time. The combat is fun and fluid, and the stories are well told with solid production values. It's a fantastic package as a whole, and absolutely worth playing and seeing. Definitely pick this one up; I don't think you'll be disappointed.