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Muramasa Rebirth |OT| Japanese-tastic 2D Vanillaware Action, Reborn in HD

Lyte Edge

All I got for the Vernal Equinox was this stupid tag
Just to note, the DLC is listed under "Genroku Legends" and says nothing about Muramasa on PSN, which is why I missed it the first time. It does pop up if you go directly to the Muramasa game page, though.

Genroku Legends is also a completely separate mode from the main game, complete with its own title screen. You don't need to have completed Muramasa to access it.

...Which is good, because I haven't touched Muramasa since I got it! Been waiting to see how this DLC turned out. Glad I'm not the only one who found that first fight a bit difficult, lol.
 

Roubjon

Member
Yeah, the dlc is like it's completely own thing. It doesn't even share the word Muramasa anywhere. I thought that was pretty cool honestly.

EDIT: So I'm like, 3 hours into the DLC and it's been really fun. And WTF at one of the bosses! You'll know it when you see it lol.

EDIT 2: Wow, this is hard. The second boss you fight has so many forms and the final one is redonkulous! Maybe I should just lower the difficulty...
 
I did the intro chapter and a liitle of the second one.

Now, instead of getting new weapons, you have stat nodes and charm nodes. Activating stat nodes increases Okoi's attack power, and the charm nodes give you charms that you can equip into the "sword" slots to get the extra effects (like Absorb Life). It's basically a skilltree now.

When you change weapons, she transforms between Okoi (nekomata) and Miike (cat), which changes her moveset a lot. The third weapon slot is the Avatar form, and depends on which form you had before you selected it and lasts until the bar is empty, filling slowly again.
Okoi plays more like Kisu/Momo, very strong and similar moveset. She can't do the extended air combo because the enemies fall under her between each rep.
Miike is even faster than Okoi, and deals less damage with each hit, but she has basically 6 skills available all times, together with her small size.
Avatar Okoi is a lot like the Chimera boss. You turn into a big demon cat that can scratch the enemies and bounce spin.
Avatar Miike is a giant cat head that has a spinning attack and can spit explosive fire.

As far as I went, I didn't get any new special skills. Okoi's ground skill is a dash n' slash, while her air skill makes her spin around ending in a slash. Miike's skill let's her charge some fireballs that fly around her, and depending on whether you're in the ground/air and how many you charged (up to 3), her special attack changes, ranging from simple shots to homing shots, explosives and a cat army.

Sorry about the wall of text. I just dumped everything I remembered from yesterday lol
I'll try to take some screenshots later on.
 
I did the intro chapter and a liitle of the second one.

Now, instead of getting new weapons, you have stat nodes and charm nodes. Activating stat nodes increases Okoi's attack power, and the charm nodes give you charms that you can equip into the "sword" slots to get the extra effects (like Absorb Life). It's basically a skilltree now.

When you change weapons, she transforms between Okoi (nekomata) and Miike (cat), which changes her moveset a lot. The third weapon slot is the Avatar form, and depends on which form you had before you selected it and lasts until the bar is empty, filling slowly again.
Okoi plays more like Kisu/Momo, very strong and similar moveset. She can't do the extended air combo because the enemies fall under her between each rep.
Miike is even faster than Okoi, and deals less damage with each hit, but she has basically 6 skills available all times, together with her small size.
Avatar Okoi is a lot like the Chimera boss. You turn into a big demon cat that can scratch the enemies and bounce spin.
Avatar Miike is a giant cat head that has a spinning attack and can spit explosive fire.

As far as I went, I didn't get any new special skills. Okoi's ground skill is a dash n' slash, while her air skill makes her spin around ending in a slash. Miike's skill let's her charge some fireballs that fly around her, and depending on whether you're in the ground/air and how many you charged (up to 3), her special attack changes, ranging from simple shots to homing shots, explosives and a cat army.

Sorry about the wall of text. I just dumped everything I remembered from yesterday lol
I'll try to take some screenshots later on.

Cool, new bosses but no new areas right?
 
Noticed this had a patch earlier, I assume it's just to prepare for the DLC?
Yes. It's very tacked on, actually.
They added a new menu after the logos that looks like one of those HD collections to select two games: Muramasa and Genroku Legends. When you start GL it's basically a new game with 4 characters of which you can select only one for now, and each save slot groups them all together like the regular saves do with Kisu and Momo.
 
They didn't hold back in the DLC :lol
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So beautiful...
 
Hmm do I understand it right that some swords require you to play both characters but you can't play the second character until you finished playing with first ?
 

Noi

Member
Hmm do I understand it right that some swords require you to play both characters but you can't play the second character until you finished playing with first ?

You can swap between characters at any time. Just reload the game and save file and you're regiven to option to choose which character you want to play as.
 

AEREC

Member
Any tips for how to play this? Ive had this game for a while but havent touched it because it didnt play like I expected it to...I was coming off of playing Dragon's Crown last time I tried Murmasa.

Ive accepted that it's a bit of a different playstyle and want to give it another try...so are there any good guides or videos to help me wrap my head around how combat works?
 

Canon

Banned
I basically just button mash and switch weapons when the gauge is low, switching weapons damages enemies. You can also block and evade but I find just avoiding attacks and hitting people is more effective. Keep in mind I'm not "good" at the game, but I did beat it.
 
Tried this now it's on ps+, I feel like I don't get the controls

The guard break move is hold down on the (fiddly) analog stick then hold square and then at some point let go and it summersaults (seemingly in random direction usually towards an enemy) to break an enemy's weapon right?
I can't seem to bind that to L or R or some other button that would make sense

Holding the analog stick down and holding square is very fiddly, doesn't seem to work half of the time (especially if I try to do it fast or after an attack or after jumping or w/e) and feels very unresponsive

I'm on the boss after the fire wheel boss (so the third boss I guess) atm and after initially getting him low several times (despite getting to the boss with no healing items) I went back to buy some healing items (a lot of backtracking , is there no fast travel?:\)
But honestly now I've just lost my patience out of frustration with the akward weapon break mechanic/controls.
I was having a pretty good time getting used to the controls but this weapon break shit bothers me so much it's killing my will to play on.
 

Noi

Member
To be honest, I never actually used that "guard break" move cause I found it superflous. The whole point of the long swords is that if you attack guarding enemies with them, they're much more likely to have their weapons broken as opposed to the small swords, so I just swapped to those and attacked normally whenever I ran into guarding enemies.
 
To be honest, I never actually used that "guard break" move cause I found it superflous. The whole point of the long swords is that if you attack guarding enemies with them, they're much more likely to have their weapons broken as opposed to the small swords, so I just swapped to those and attacked normally whenever I ran into guarding enemies.

Thanks, if that works well enough throughout the entire game I guess i'll do that.
 
To be precise, the command is to hold down while guarding and let go of the attack button. While you're guarding, you can turn around to attack in the order direction.

If your weapon is breaking, you're not being careful enough with your gauge, or not switching swords when you need to. Try to evade attacks instead of blocking them.
 

Wonko_C

Member
Tried this now it's on ps+, I feel like I don't get the controls

The guard break move is hold down on the (fiddly) analog stick then hold square and then at some point let go and it summersaults (seemingly in random direction usually towards an enemy) to break an enemy's weapon right?
I can't seem to bind that to L or R or some other button that would make sense

Holding the analog stick down and holding square is very fiddly, doesn't seem to work half of the time (especially if I try to do it fast or after an attack or after jumping or w/e) and feels very unresponsive

I'm on the boss after the fire wheel boss (so the third boss I guess) atm and after initially getting him low several times (despite getting to the boss with no healing items) I went back to buy some healing items (a lot of backtracking , is there no fast travel?:\)
But honestly now I've just lost my patience out of frustration with the akward weapon break mechanic/controls.
I was having a pretty good time getting used to the controls but this weapon break shit bothers me so much it's killing my will to play on.

You can map movement to the D-Pad.
 
J

Jotamide

Unconfirmed Member
Two things:

  1. I feel incredibly stupid. I played all the way until chapter 5 with Momohime and didn't know about sword powers. I played this game for a good 5 hours purely with dodging and mashing square. Why I never pressed circle once is beyond me.
  2. I didn't beat the first evil shrine (the one with the monks) and I'm at the entrance of the castle right now. What's the fastest way to go back? Do one of those guys who carry me take me somewhere close?
 

Noi

Member
I'm assuming you got the cart and haven't actually played the game yet. If so, delete the bubble and take out/put the cart back in.
 

Xenoflare

Member
I feel bad that I avoided this gem befor ps+ I am loving it.

Same here, I remember I wrote this game off my list after finding out it's side-scroll.

I really hoped that I bought the physical edition instead. I don't shop online and no physical store is stocking it anymore
 

Eolz

Member
Can I buy EU dlc to play with my US version of the game (retail, I have an EU account)?
If that's not the case, can I at least use my save from the retail version with the EU game (got it with PS+)?

Sorry, but couldn't find anything about it. Thanks in advance !
 
Vita does not support sharing or cross-region on digital items, so you can't access EU DLC on a US account.

Regaring the save, the answer is probably no, but I don't have any sources on that.
 

Eolz

Member
Eh, too bad if that's the case.
I have an EU account though, it's just that I'd prefer to use the retail version where I already have a save.
Damn Vita memory cards :/
 

Noi

Member
Bought and beat the latest DLC (A spirited seven night's haunting). Some quick impressions.

  • Arashimaru has probably my favorite playstyle yet. Focuses a lot on ranged attacks: Kunai which you can mash square with to throw a barrage that auto-aims at the closest enemy, Sickle that has both close range and huge mid-range arcs, and Bombs that do a lot of damage but drain the spirit gauge quickly.
  • Much better sense of increasing difficulty boss-wise. The final boss in particular is a really tough fight, but unique compared to everything else so far.
  • Double jump!
  • Normal ending actually ends on a pretty sweet note compared to every other DLC so far.
  • Sneak peak at the last DLC's MC during the ending
    .

Overall pretty satisfied. I thought having a normal human ninja as the MC would be kind of a retread given off much weirder the Nekomata and Farmer are as characters, but Arashimaru is a pretty cool dude.
 

itsinmyveins

Gets to pilot the crappy patrol labors
I've been playing through the game lately and it seems I've reached the final act with one of the characters. My question is whether or not there's a point of no return? Should I start playing with the other character?
 

Noi

Member
I've been playing through the game lately and it seems I've reached the final act with one of the characters. My question is whether or not there's a point of no return? Should I start playing with the other character?

There's no point of no return. Once you clear the game with one character, the game is saved and you get placed right before fighting him again so you can continue playing.
 
Finished the game on fury mode outside of the third end for Momohime(I really don't feel like walking through that butterfly temple tonight) Still have to do a 3 hour speed run for the platinum but it shouldn't be too hard. Fury mode wasn't too bad outside of a few tough spots. The spider gave me the most trouble as his patterns seemed totally random, and I was never sure of the ramp up to the web attack. There were times where he'd start the phrase 2 attacks on his second life bar, and other times where he would wait until the final one. Still, managed to beat him and everyone else!

Looking forward to playing the dlc after a little break. Are people happy with the three released so far? Bought the first two during the sale, but haven't got to them yet. Also worth noting is that I'm really impressed by the new translation, writing is great, moody and feels period appropriate without being silly. Do keep in mind I said feels though, I'm sure it's not at all :p
 

Noi

Member
The three DLC packs are great, IMO. The characters play very differently from each other and Momohime/Kisuke, plus their story serves to fill in some background info for the main game that isn't directly related, but still feels cool to see happen. Anxiously waiting for the final story!
 
Glad to hear it!

Really silly that the trophy for beating the game via fury mode is hidden. That's the kind of thing you'd want to show off :/
 

Redhood

Member
Finished Mohomie's arc last night and started Kisuke's! Upto chapter 5 now. How varied is the dlc? Character Play styles? Is it happening in the same cities, location and backgrounds or are the backgrounds completely new for them?
 
L9bASG6.jpg


So yeah, I kinda fell in love with this game! I actually didn't have much expectations at all. For some reason I always got this impression of Vanillaware where they make games that look godly but play very mediocre or bad even though I never personally even tried any of their titles.

So I got this from PS+ god knows when and since I platted and was completely done with Danganronpa 2 I figured I'd dig one of them plus backloggers on the download list as my next Vita game and after a more VN type of game I might as well go for something more actiony.

Anyway it turns out the game was quite good! Imagine my surprise. I just devoured the story mode in few days and decided to give the platinum a chance since I was still ready for more and I wanted an excuse to take on Fury mode which was quite fun. The only nag I have at the trophies really is when you need to grind some levels to equip Oboro Muramasa but even that is pretty fast with the right accessory.

Graphics were top noch even tho this didn't come as a surprise. Probably the best looking Vita title I have played dethroning Rayman. I can't believe this is a port of a Wii game, it really feels and looks like it was made for Vita. More so than any other game I have played on the platform. Music was a nice too, good stuff.

There are a few minor nitpicks about the game tho. I really wish there were a bit more info about some stuff. They probably are all in the manual but I wish this stuff was told in game. For example, does strenght and vitality affect anything other than the weapons you can equip? Why doesn't it tell you what the specific abilities on weapons actually do? Why can't I skip the credits sequence when I'm on my second/third/fourth ect. playtrough? Why can't I go back to main menu without resetting the game? Also I wish there was an option for quick draw button without having to swap weapons. Everytime you want to do the move but do not want to swap the weapon you need to scroll the blades 3 times to do it.

The story was a little meh. I actually liked the design of the characters more than the characters themselves. But there was so little story anyway so it didn't really matter too much.

The biggest problem I had however is when enemies go out of the bounds of the screen and you cannot follow. That's just bullshit, the ''walls'' should be the same for both enemies and the player (unless of course going out of bounds is a part of some special boss move or something).

I wish there were a few more unique late game optional bosses tho. The caves of evil were fine and all but they would be more interesting if they had more new bosses like the God of Pestilence one.

Anyhoo definately will check out the DLC now. Not just because I'm still ready for more Muramasa but I'd be happy to support the localization of good Vita games :). Especially since these kinds of gems feel like a steal for PS+ giveaways. Maybe after I'm done with DLC I'll give Dragon's Crown a spin. Another VW game I got from PS+ but never tried. I really hope to see more VW in the Vita future as well after playing this! :)

And Wii version didn't have a jump button!? I cannot even imagine :lol.

edit: oh, and long swords suck. What's up with that? The places where the extra range is more useful than attack speed are very few.
 
J

Jotamide

Unconfirmed Member
Did I screw myself over GAF? I wanted to go for a speed run for the trophy, but a while ago I played with Kisuke just to see how different he was. Now, months after, I came back and beat Momohime's story but it seems I can't delete this progress. Is it possible to start Kisuke's path from scratch without losing the progress I did with Momohime?

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