Asura's Wrath Review

Asura's Wrath Review
Asura's Wrath can not be easily cataloged in a generally well defined. Although it would be easy to calling him the usual action, belonging to the tribe of Devil May Cry, the reality is much more complex, since the project was born from the minds of CyberConnect2 prolific and produced by Capcom is deeply unusual, completely upsetting the balance of classic component of a video game.

Asura's Wrath is designed to be watched, rather than be played. A characteristic that is common to many of the works of Hideo Kojima, as well as the glorious game of laser-early 80s. A flaw? Not necessarily, if your expectations will prove to be related to the intent of CyberConnect2. With the experience gained with the titles of the series Naruto, landed on almost all consoles this generation and last but one, the development team has put together what could be described as an interactive anime, impressive and engaging.

The strength of this bold gamble, or the endless spectacle guaranteed immoderate use of quick-time events and long and extraordinary movies (strictly calculated in real time by the game engine), is paradoxically also the greatest weakness of Asura's Wrath . Perhaps the real problem with this game is the lack of balance between the player and the actual time spent passively watching the screen. A critical point that in reality afflicting even Metal Gear Solid 4, if you will, which, however, relied on stealth-game sessions rhythms more dilated, indeed, offering a bit of substance in more viewers.

Since this is a sort of digital interactive cartoon, it soon becomes evident as the plot of Asura's Wrath plays a key role in the recipe game. Events are presented as if you were standing in front of a Japanese animated series, relying on a visual language typical of this particular production. You will need to undergo a sudden interruption of the action, sudden flaschback, previews of events that we expect to soon, or summaries of what you have just seen in the previous episode. The story itself was split in 18 episodes (plus an epilogue novel, unlockable only by meeting certain specific requirements), the beginning of which invariably leave the headlines, highlighting the names of who has directed the images.

Unfortunately, all this grand narrative infrastructure has not been accompanied by a playful component sufficiently developed, especially incapable of offering gaming sessions longer than a few minutes for each episode. Removing the above QTE, the combat system is weak and repetitive, essentially voted to button mashing. In battle you can not that ringed the same combination of blows, with the goal of landing the enemy and simultaneously raise the bar of anger that burns in the body of mighty Asura, then unleash at the touch of the right trigger all the devastating power of the protagonist ... and close the chapter.

Gradually apply the timid attempts to change the recipe of play sessions introducing pseudo-style shoot'em up Panzer Dragoon, because the ultimate goal will always and only to raise the bar in anger, then deal the final blow to 'opponent, whether it be a demigod, or an entire star fleet, or even a giant, monstrous emanation of the spirit of the planet on which events take place. A script that will repeat the same to himself throughout the adventure, soon creating a little 'bitter dissatisfaction of those who fail to empathize with the unique recipe of play. A real shame, because the work of character development is amazing, as well as all the work of framing!

The World of Asura's Wrath is a fascinating mix of many influences and ideas, ranging from Buddhism and the Far West, passing through some of the cornerstones of the imaginary east. More than once, the Final Fantasy fans will find unique similarities between the images of The Spirits Within, or the tenth chapter of the unforgettable, and the license plate of the last work CyberConnect2. Just think of the spirit that dwells in the heart of the planet, or to images of a light shower of souls ascending to the top ... One thing is certain: all that anger and those screams in combat morbidly attract the attention of fans of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama.

The analysis of the purely technical side, the core of Asura's Wrath carrier is always appreciable Unreal Engine 3, which on this occasion was polished and induced to render characters and settings in a luxurious cel-shading. Needless to say, apart from the yield of the few pre-rendered movies, the edition for Xbox 360 is one which, for obvious affinity with the game engine, can offer the best visual spectacle. Few delays plaguing this version, while the PlayStation 3 seems there is an unpleasant tendency to tear, which slightly ruined the sublime beauty industry.

In conclusion, the greatest reward you can get from Asura's Wrath, for the avoidance of doubt, predominantly in narrative and / or audiovisual production, while in terms of gameplay you'll find a little meat to the fire and the quality just enough to satisfy the most demanding ... Despite these rightful premise, I would not rashly to quash a product different than usual! Sink today a fascinating experiment that would deprive us of a potential follow tomorrow. I trust very much, indeed, that a sequel is already in the works, which is better balanced recipe of play, offering a deeper combat system and, above all, a renewed balance between phases of passive viewing and active intervention of the player. CyberConnect2 understood?