Beauty. Deep, breathed beauty, and yet a system that is at times crushingly concatenated. Muramasa strings together a game that has really never been attempted, perhaps excepting Vanillaware, the developer responsible for the game. The amount of artistic direction is beyond compare, the game resembling a painting in every corner, crafted with care that is beyond what many developers achieve in decades. Yet the technical system is at times both rich and rewarding, as well as frustratingly unfair, due to some of the more sinister constructions of the system within.
The game is forced into the strictures of a linear structure, perhaps for the sake of not wanting to signpost, but this often remains unclear, the choices made for pathing are logical, yet not terribly compelling. Though we follow the stories of two souls within, the story is guided by a hunt for self-worth. Things that the characters ultimately end-up fighting for are of a classic stint, yet the in medias res nature of the player’s involvement means that many of these relationships are never built upon as anything more than side-stories to the action within the game.
The paths traced are thus paved with a brush that is aesthetically unparalleled, yet from a perspective of meaning, remains flawed. The reason the in medias res story structure rarely works for videogames is because actions rarely describe characters meaningfully. For this we need to be able to feel emotional resonance with the character. Perhaps a story about Momohime and her lover’s quarrel is in order, rather than the saintly idol she portrays when not possessed.
The quest for identity itself is thus flawed, pre-empted by a love that the player is given no insight into. The player is never sure to what extent they are to believe the salvation they may wish for will come, or the degree to which the character should believe it. Playing on the idea of eternal connections, the problem with Muramasa’s storytelling is a disinterest in who the character is in relation to the player, exposing that relationship, and then creating the bonds necessary for the player to react.
In the case of Muramasa, the discussion never really begins. There is a clear goal, a clear character internally, but none of that is shared externally for purposes of keeping the action in focus. Despite the problems of story, the game is simply too good of an aesthetic example to miss out on, and the system, though linearly fleshed out, gives access to a wide array of interesting mechanical interactions. The quality of the art is itself an experience, one which will inspire a degree of pause upon every encounter with it. Such a finely tuned craft should not be ignored or forgotten by the industry.
Recommended: Yes