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Vanillaware: HD Muramasa wouldn't be 'a great deal of extra work'
Vanillaware's Muramasa: The Demon Blade is quite beautiful on the Wii, but would such a work be possible in HD? Vanillaware founder and president George Kamitani told Gamasutra that he thinks so. "Well, the original art we draw is all done in double-size -- in the case of Muramasa, the animation frames then get compressed down to the Wii's native resolution," he told Gamasutra. "As a result, producing a fully HD title would not be a great deal of extra work for us; it would just mean our original art is displayed in higher resolution." This is very similar to what WayForward's Voldi Way told us about 2D development in HD.Despite the relative ease of transitioning to HD, Kamitani said there was no plan to re-release Muramasa as an XBLA game (or to re-release it anywhere else), but that the company is "in the experimental stage" of high-definition development.%Gallery-33431%
New Muramasa: The Demon Blade trailer is all about the blading
The latest trailer for Muramasa: The Demon Blade is designed to show off the high-flying, combo-ridden swordplay found in Vanillaware's action game. Your sword is in motion at almost all times during this game, as you float around, juggling enemy after enemy. It is a little bit overwhelming at first, in a Marvel vs. Capcom sort of way.But then, when you get the hang of it, grimacing wheels, single-file lines of monks, gigantic samurai, and even transparent horses won't be able to stop you. At least, we think. We didn't really graduate past the "panicked button-mashing" technique at E3.%Gallery-33431%
New Muramasa trailer makes with the slicing and dicing
There's no better way to fully appreciate the wonderful artistic style and furious action of Muramasa: The Demon Blade than to see it in motion. And, thankfully, that's just what we got for you right now. Above, you'll find a near-minute of fabulous Muramasa gameplay footage for your eyes to drool over, and if you're wondering what all of the fuss is about, you really should be keeping up.%Gallery-33431%
Muramasa: the GameStop preorder bonus
Click to Marvelous-sizeWe didn't dare think it could happen, but when we saw the pre-order bonus for Japanese copies of Muramasa: The Demon Blade, we secretly wished for Ignition (well, XSEED at the time) to bring something half as awesome to us here. The bonus is a five-foot-long scroll featuring a series of amazing pieces of character art from the game.GameStop has just revealed the North American pre-order bonus, and it's exactly that! We couldn't be more thrilled. Well, we could be more thrilled if two things happened: We confirmed that the back of the scroll had the same enemy and stage artwork as the Japanese version We found out that GameStop's September 1 release date (a Tuesday!) was the real release date for the game. We've contacted Ignition about those two points. In the meantime, we can all enjoy the prospect of getting a really nice-looking free thing by buying another thing.%Gallery-33431%
E3 2009 highlights: The Nintendo roundup
Nintendo E3 2009 checklist: Mario? *check* Zelda? *check* Metroid? *check* Are we missing something? Head past the break to find out!
Interview: XSEED on what happened with Muramasa and more [update]
[Update: we had attributed some of these remarks to the wrong person. Our apologies to Mr. Berry.]Last September, XSEED Games announced its intent to publish Vanillaware's Wii side-scroller Muramasa: The Demon Blade in North America, to the delight of hardcore action gamers and people who like to see pretty things. Then, in April, it announced that it wouldn't be publishing the title, a duty that then fell to Ignition Entertainment.At the time, we wondered why XSEED would decide not to publish such an eye-catching game. The short answer: it wouldn't decide to do that. XSEED's Jun Iwasaki and Ken Berry gave us details on the Muramasa situation, as well as the recent Fragile announcement, and the timing of Flower, Sun, and Rain. And, of course, they gamely accepted our pleas for Retro Game Challenge 2.
Hands-on: Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Vanillaware's Muramasa: The Demon Blade was one of the flashier games being demonstrated on the show floor. Positioned right in front of the door at E3's West Hall, every attendee is greeted by the game's signature woodblock-esque look, with vividly colorful, swirling forest scenery. Our demo took place inside Ignition's booth, guided by new director of business development Shane Bettenhausen.We know Vanillaware from its RPG titles like Odin Sphere, but while Muramasa shares the same lavish 2D look, it differs sharply in gameplay style -- this is a pure action game similar to something like Legend of Kage. First you choose one of two characters, princess Momohime or ninja Kisuke (each have their own divergent story), and then a difficulty level, "Muso" (easier) or "Shura" (hard). Then you run, jump, and slash monsters. It's pretty simple!
Muramasa rights picked up by Ignition, due in September
We love it when the wheels of progress turn quickly, but this is a bit much. Just a day after we learned that publisher XSEED had dropped the rights to Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Vanillaware's followup to the PS2's Odin Sphere, we hear from Ignition that it will be scooping the game up for a North American release on Wii in September.Jeez, Ignition, you didn't even give us time to mount an elaborate, multi-pronged effort to take to the streets to save Murasama. Now what the hell are we going to do with all this poster board and puffy paint?%Gallery-33431%
XSEED no longer publishing Muramasa
You should probably sit down, we have some bad news. According to NintendoEverything, XSEED has decided it will not publish the Wii exclusive Muramasa: The Demon Blade in North America. Muramasa: The Demon Blade -- which recently landed on store shelves in Japan -- is the new action role-playing title from Japanese developer Vanillaware, makers of the cult-hit Odin Sphere on PlayStation 2.Muramasa was originally planned for release in North America as part of its US publishing agreement with Marvelous Entertainment US. According to NintendoEverything, XSEED states it still believes in the game and "will look forward to seeing it release in North America" -- as long as it isn't released by them, apparently. If you thought the wait was going to be long before... grab a Snickers bar, kids.%Gallery-33431%
Muramasa staff answers fans' disgusting questions
Nakamura and Mori, two of the developers working on Muramasa: The Demon Blade, posted a Q&A column on the game's Japanese site, offering answers to questions some fans may have, and to questions that nobody should ever ask.Describing the difference between the "Musou" and "Shura" modes, Nakamura said that the Musou system is for people invigorated by raising levels, and the Shura system is more for action gamers who "have the habit of saying 'I am a god,'" and can play at godlike levels. He adds that players can switch modes at any time!The final question in the column is from a 19-year-old otaku who asks if the female protagonist, Momohime, ever flashes her panties in battle. Nakamura responds, according to Siliconera's translation, with a historical defense that immediately turns into a huge mistake: "N...never! Wearing panties underneath a kimono is unsophisticated. You can't see something that isn't there! Absolutely... you won't be able to see... Wait a second, Sayo..." Mori interjects with, "Hey! Please stop looking at Muramasa: The Demon Blade with such a wicked perspective!"%Gallery-33431%
Marvelous Entertainment asks 17% of staff to retire, downgrades to 'Okay Entertainment'
Marvelous Entertainment, whose game division develops and publishes the Harvest Moon series, in addition to publishing games like No More Heroes, Muramasa, and Hero for 30Sec, is seeking "voluntary retirement" from around 20 staff members as a cost-cutting measure.Employees are incentivized to take the company up on its "offer" between now and April 3 with a special severance package. The retirements will take effect April 30 -- right around when Muramasa comes out in Japan. That's kind of unfortunate, because it'll make playing this awesome-looking game in a bit more bittersweet for all those former employees.[Via Edge]
Muramasa: The Demon Blade will accommodate action and RPG fans
According to (our iffy translation of) Famitsu, Muramasa: The Demon Blade will be playable in two different modes: "Musou" and "Shura." Musou mode may be best-suited for fans of previous Vanillaware action-RPGs like Odin Sphere: it focuses on character leveling rather than action. Shura mode is all action, with less emphasis on strategy. We don't know how the modes differ mechanically, but it may be as simple as easier enemies in one mode and fewer character customization options in the other.Along with this news, Marvelous released new screens of Muramasa. As usual, yum. Muramasa comes out April 9 in Japan, which is not fair at all. It's out in Europe in spring of 2010, and in North America sometime this year. But probably not next month.%Gallery-33431%
A welcome Muramasa: The Demon Blade media overload
We're going to take the rest of the day off. We just uploaded a ton of new screens of Muramasa: The Demon Blade, and we just need a little mini-vacation to stare at them. We are always surprised when we see this game again and realize that it's even more beautiful than we remember it being. This is what it feels like to care about graphics. We totally understand it. The gorgeous boxart is also in the gallery. If you're as awestruck by the backgrounds as we are, you should have a look around the newly redesigned website (updated in anticipation of the April 9 Japanese release date), which has character/UI-free background images. Marvelous also added a new trailer to the page, which we've embedded after the break. Apparently, there will be some sort of preorder bonus for the Japanese version, an unknown item that will show off the character art and other artwork. A poster? Art book? Whatever it is, we want it.%Gallery-33431%Source -- screens, via NeoGAFSource -- site, via AndriaSang
Muramasa: The Demon Blade cuts down Japan this April
Word on the street is that the highly stylish and, well, one of our most-watched games, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, will hit Japanese retail in April of this year. We've got no firm date yet, however an April release in Japan means that we could be seeing it localized in North America this holiday season. It is coming to Europe in November, after all (not taking into account summer placeholders).It's a long wait, but one we'll gladly suffer for what we're sure is going to be a wonderful game.%Gallery-33431%
XSEED drawing Muramasa: The Demon Blade this summer?
We were thrilled by the implication that Muramasa: The Demon Blade's planned November 2009 European release date meant a similar date for North America -- just because the date made the whole thing seem more real. Now, according to retailers, we may have a release window for Vanillaware's unsettlingly gorgeous side-scrolling action RPG that doesn't seem like it's five million years away. Both GameStop and Amazon report summer release dates for the title: Gamestop says July 15, and Amazon on July 28. Even if it is earlier than November, July may seem like a long time from now -- but Wii action gamers will probably have a lot to play in the first half of the year, including stuff like House of the Dead: Overkill, MadWorld, Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers, and The Conduit.%Gallery-33431%[Via Siliconera]
Muramasa slicing up Europe in November 2009
Rising Star Games has already confirmed it will localize gorgeous 2D ninja romp Muramasa: The Demon Blade in Europe, and now the official site has pinpointed a release date of November 2009.Why is this good news for North Americans? Spencer at Siliconera believes that Marvelous is attempting to align release dates for its biggest titles in the U.S. and Europe (No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle and Little King's Story have similar launch dates in both regions), and hypothesizes that Muramasa could fall into the same pattern. Now seems like an appropriate time to celebrate with half a dozen new screens!%Gallery-33431%Source: European release windowSource: Screens
Rising Star Games announces Valhalla Knights, Muramasa, Arc Rise Fantasia for Europe
Rising Star Games has announced European releases for another set of Marvelous Wii games shown at TGS. Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga, Marvelous's RPG, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, the superhot sidescroller from Vanillaware, and Image Epoch's Arc Rise Fantasia are all headed to Europe sometime in 2009-2010. They're joining a pile of upcoming DS, Wii, and PSP games including Rune Factory Frontier, Avalon Code, Luminous Arc 2, and of course No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle. Even if nobody else released any Wii games in Europe, it would seem that Rising Star Games would have you covered! %Gallery-33431%
TGS08: Muramasa gameplay footage will change you
We have been keeping up with Muramasa: The Demon Blade. We read the interview in which the director namechecked The Legend of Kage. We've stared at screens. We've even seen video from as far back as last year's TGS and as recently as the Nintendo press event (though we saw only seconds then). We thought we knew Muramasa. We were not prepared for this video.It looks like Odin Sphere, sure, but with sharper graphics and more beautiful settings. It also appears to be far more actiony than its predecessor, and also less beset by slowdown. It looks like, well, Ninja Gaiden crossed with Ninja Gaiden. Enjoy these seven minutes of amazing Muramasa footage.%Gallery-33431%
Muramasa: The Awesome Screens
It's been a long time, but we're glad Nintendo's press event and TGS have kick-started the release of news regarding Vanillaware's Oboro Muramasa Youtouden, coming here as Muramasa: The Demon Blade. Only a few days after the last release of screens, we have another ... couple of screens!While we'd love to read hands-on impressions, or learn more about the release date for any region beyond "2009," we can state honestly that it's quite enough for us to look at screens of this incredibly beautiful game. We'll need a couple more months to take all this in before we'll need to play it or anything.Well, actually, it isn't enough for us. Marvelous will be handing out Oboro Muramasa screen-cleaners at TGS, and we would definitely like to see one of those. In our hands.%Gallery-33431%
Vanillaware's Muramasa: The Demon Blade coming stateside
The publishing duo of XSEED and Marvelous Entertainment announced plans to bring Vanillaware's Wii-exclusive ninja-action title, Oboro Muramasa Youtouden, to the US sometime next year. The game, which will be redubbed as Muramasa: The Demon Blade for the local market, marks the second title to emerge from a co-publishing deal inked in May, following this week's release of Valhalla Knights 2 for the PSP. Muramasa looks to continue the tradition of Vanillaware's eye-poppingly gorgeous titles, Odin Sphere and Grim Grimoire, promising hand-drawn 2D sprites and side-scrolling levels. Beyond this, details are scarce, though more is expected to be revealed next week when the game is officially unveiled during TGS.
