PixlBit

As an avid fan of the Wii, I’ll be the first to tell you that Muramasa: The Demon Blade ranks up there as one of the best games on the system. Unsurprisingly, I’ve also enjoyed the title on the Vita, but my second pass through has laid bare many of the title’s shortcomings.

For those unfamiliar with the original title, Muramasa is a 2D action/adventure that gives players a choice between two characters, Momohime and Kisuke, each of which have their own unique story. Throughout the game, they both eventually traverse the same grounds, but each has their own unique play style and swords to do battle with.

The real attraction of Muramasa is the silky-smooth combat system that rewards big combos and quick-flowing execution of attacks. While defensive maneuvers are present, the most effective ones have an offensive twist. Reflecting back projectiles or stopping attacks can typically be done by issuing an attack, allowing you to flow between offensive and defensive play with little effort. This keeps the game moving along at a nice clip and, of course, makes you feel like an unstoppable beast.

While enemy encounters can be quite enjoyable at first, it doesn’t take long before they grow mundane. Upon mastering your combat techniques, Muramasa becomes a numbers game. As long as you have the right sword equipped, dispensing of your foes is easy work; except for the signature bosses, of course. Much like No More Heroes or Shadow of the Colossus, the real attraction of Muramasa is the inventive boss battles that feature gigantic and powerful foes. These encounters truly test your mettle and provide the motivation you’ll need to grind across the vast landscapes between battles.

Muramasa does offer a few other wrinkles to keep you engaged, most notably the blade fusion system. Perhaps a misnomer, you won’t be “fusing” your weapons per se, but application of the requisite spirit and souls (earned from the frequent lesser enemy encounters) will net a new blade. There are 108 in total, which gives players plenty of reason to continuously check back after leveling up to see what new blades can be fused.

Unfortunately for those who own the game already on the Wii, there’s very little reason to check out this “upgraded” Vita port. While the game has received a fresh translation (that is admittedly much better), it’s simply not enough to warrant another purchase. Beyond my comprehension, the four new characters and levels announced for this version of the game will appear as DLC. This content would easily justify double-dipping, but in its current form it’s just not worth it.

For those that have never played the original edition of the game, this is definitely the way to do so. Rebirth runs at a higher resolution than the Wii and the OLED Vita screen really makes the hand drawn art look gorgeous - in motion, it’s truly a sight to behold.

Muramasa Rebirth is still the same great game that hit the Wii four years ago, but unfortunately it’s nothing more. I find it more than a little disappointing that the extra content being created for the game is instead going to be offered as DLC as opposed to packed in content. Only those who have yet to play Muramasa: The Demon Blade should consider Muramasa Rebirth.