Asura's Wrath

While working my way through the unbelievably thick RPG, Kingdoms of Amalur, I got sidetracked by alot of other games. One of which was Asura's Wrath, a game that, after finishing it, I had severely mixed emotions about. Read on, and I'll explain why.

STORY
The narrative of Asura's Wrath follows Asura, an ex-guardian general in this worlds army of demi-gods. The world is infected by a destructive force known as the Gohma, and the world's Demi-Gods take it upon themselves to save Gaea (the earth) and it's inhabitants by going to war with this evil force. After a huge battle, the victorious Asura is betrayed by his fellow Guardian Generals, and thrown from the heavens to his supposed death.

He awakens twelve thousand years later, only to find that the 7 Guardian Generals that betrayed him, have now appointed themselves as the 7 Deities. Fueling Asura's lasting rage is the knowledge that his daughter is the source of their powers.

The game is a huge departure from the current gaming landscape: no space marines or military soldiers, instead we have a story where Chinese mythology and sci-fi collide in an insane, bombastic adventure of betrayal and wrath. It's worth a look, if only for it's completely out there story.

PRESENTATION
Asura's Wrath is a beautifully colourful game, with a lot going on on-screen at any given time. Fan's of anime show's such as Dragonball will probably appreciate the colour and speed of everything, and the crisp graphics certainly don't hinder the game.
The game's music is suitably epic, fitting for a tale of a fallen god seeking vengeance. The voice acting is also very reminiscent of an anime, with some truly absurd, over-the-top characters with voices that reflect these qualities.

The actual Presentation of Asura's Wrath is much the same as an anime, say for instance, Dragonball. At the end of each chapter is a sneak peak of the next, and at the start of each chapter. This gets somewhat annoying when you play all the way through, as the narrations start repeating information over and over. Maybe this would have worked better for an episodic downloadable title.

GAMEPLAY
This is where my enjoyment of Asura's Wrath hit's a little bit of a wall. The main gameplay sections of AW are 3rd person beat-em-up (i.e. Bayonetta, GoW) or bullet hell shooters, which work fine as they are. The fighting mechanics aren't particularly deep, but they have the effect of making Asura feel like a godly badass. He also wreaks havoc across the battlefield while the player control's his deity blasts, tearing through opponents.

The problem, however, is that while these sections are somewhat fun, that's all the gameplay there is to Asura's Wrath; unless you count constant quick time events that don't really affect all that much anyway. The interactive sections of the game come in either gameplay sections mentioned above, or button presses during cutscenes. While I enjoy the cutscenes, AND the story they convey, the lack of variety or contrast in the actual GAME really get to me, and taint an otherwise enjoyable experience.

To summarise, I think the game, Asura's Wrath, would be better with more or less actual GAMEPLAY. With less gameplay, I believe Asura's Wrath would have worked well as an anime mini-series. With more AND more varied gameplay, I believe Asura's Wrath has the potential to be a God of War with a Chinese/sci-fi spin. Which would be awesome. As it is, it doesn't hit the mark.

REPLAYABILITY
I honestly don't think Asura's Wrath holds much replay value for many gamers. Yes, the story is entertaining, and the cinematics are colourful and really out-there, but it'd be just like watching a movie over and over again. Nothing you do will change anything, there are no different approaches, and theres almost no point at all.

OVERVIEW
I'm fairly confident that I'd be saving you all a decent amount of money if I said DO NOT BUY this game. As enjoyable as it is, it's just too short without enough variety to warrant spending a large sum of money on. I would, however, suggest renting or borrow this game from a mate. Buying second hand (for a severely discounted price I hope) would also be a choice. But with Asura's Wrath, you aren't getting your money's worth for a brand new purchase.

This Sunday, either Kingdom's of Amalur: Reckoning, or Catherine. Then MASS EFFECT 3!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! See you next time!