After each combat screen statistics become available and although this is not vital it does offer something different. The downside to this is that this happens all too frequently and it will not be long before you find that you skip past these without actually looking at what is in front of you.

 

Each level is split into between twenty and thirty separate screens and although this may seem impressive it does not take long to realise that stages can be completed in around fifteen to twenty minutes such is the shortness of the game.

 

 

I will admit that adding a story aspect does give each level more depth and provides a distraction but it does seem to be added just to pad out what in reality is a pretty short and uninspiring game despite it’s excellent looks.

 

'Muramasa The Demon Blade' is one of those rare titles which does not rely on the motion sensing controls of the system and one has to say that games like this are pretty welcome particularly amoungst the vast amount of party games and mini game compilations which are in all honesty utter tripe.

 

Muramasa can be controlled either by a combination of Wiimote and nunchuck or through using a Wii classic controller and I have to say that in this game I felt that the classic controller suited the game far better and again it is welcome to see a release supporting this control method.

 

 

Throughout gaming history platform or side scrolling beat em ups have always been a success thanks to the local multiplayer offerings however with 'Muramasa The Demon Blade' the game is single player only.

 

To say that this is a disappointment is an understatement however such is the ease of the game multiplayer could see it being way too easy. Despite this I would have liked to have been able to run through the game playing co-op with friends as I could imagine that this mode could have added a certain amount of enjoyment to proceedings.

 

"Muramasa The Demon Blade" is one of those games which looks great but is let down by some uninspiring gameplay. At first I was pretty impressed with the overall game and in particular the fact that it had a nice retro feel and did not try to utilise the gimmicky controls.

 

It seems that most of the efforts in developing the game have gone on it’s presentation which it must be said is pretty good. In terms of how it plays there is certainly a lot to be enjoyed and it may be worth picking up especially for anyone looking for something which is a little different to most other games currently available on the Nintendo Wii.

 

 

 

 

+ Nice presentation and sound
+ Excellent amount of swords available
+ Utilises the classic control system well