Released in 2012, created by CyberConnect2, and published by iconic combat game publisher, Capcom, Asura’s Wrath follows the exploits of a deity who is fuelled by rage. The title, which is mostly cutscenes, plays out like an intense dream, delivering thrill.
Despite the game’s over-the-top settings, and characters, along with Asura’s ridiculous motivations, it remains intensely fun to play. Well, there’s so little for the player to do except “help” the gameplay itself by mashing buttons here and there to help Asura along, as one will mostly be watching brilliantly presented cutscenes.
Any other title would fall flat on its face were it to be presented in the manner in which the Asura’s Wrath title is presented. CyberConnect2 mixed so many genres into this title, that it works brilliantly. At its base, it is an Action Brawler title but borrows elements from rail shooters, Science Fiction, Eastern mythology, and manga/animé that delivers an intensely entertaining story.
It’s pretty much an interactive animé, where the manly stereotypes that gave titles of the era their edgy appeal, are overplayed so brilliantly that Asura’s Wrath becomes a ridiculously fantastic masterpiece. Armed with a rage that knows no bounds, the lead character punches his way to vengeance against former allies, who have become immensely powerful cosmic beings. He more than rises to the occasion; several times.
The Story of Asura’s Wrath
Asura’s Wrath is set in a universe where the title character, Asura, is a powerful demigod who is powered by his wrath. He starts as one of the Eight Guardian Generals, who lead the Shinkoku Army against an evil force known as the Gohma. A fellow general, Deus, approaches him with a plan for a new age, called The Rebirth, but he refuses. Not too long afterwards, the Emperor is murdered and Asura has been framed for the act. His wife is murdered, his daughter taken from him, and he is executed and banished to Earth, or Gaea.
12,000 years pass before Asura, thanks to his rage and the urging of a clockwork spider known as the Golden Spider, climbs from the pits of hell and retakes his body. Back among the living, and disgusted at his former comrades for failing to end the Gohma threat in 12 millennia, as well as betraying him, Asura assumes the path of vengeance.
Assura, while saving a village from a Gohma attack, soon meets with one of his old allies, Wyzen, who has come down to earth in a Capital ship. Wyzen tells Asura of the events that have taken place since his banishment, but Asura, angered by it all, interrupts the villain’s monologue with a punch to the mug. An intense battle ensues, but Asura makes quick work of Wyzen.
Not content to go down so easily, and perhaps eager to show his old ally how powerful he’s gotten over the years, Wyzen takes on a new form. As Gongen Wyzen, his promotions are exaggerated to the point where he is the size of a solar system. Giant Wyzen tries to crush Asura with an enormous finger, but the indomitable God of Wrath beats on the finger till the body attached to it is consumed in flame.
This is just the beginning of the insanity. It gets more, and more, intense and satisfying as the story progresses. Asura dies a few more times but keeps returning by the power of his wrath. He is driven by the motivation to seek revenge for his betrayal, to recover his daughter who powers a machine that harvests human souls and to rid the world of the Gohma demon forces. And he does it with flair befitting a cosmic being.
The gameplay of Asura’s Wrath
Though Asura’s Wrath is a beat-em-up styled title. It often finds itself switching between genres of game. Each level of the game is styled like an anime episode, and each level is grander and more spectacular than the previous one. We swear, there’s little chance for one to get bored here.
Asura comes with three gauges, your standard health gauge lets you know how close you are to restarting the level, while a burst gauge must be filled by doing damage to enemies. There is also a third gauge, the ‘Unlimited Gauge’, which works much like the burst gauge but allows one to deal heavier damage while it is engaged.
The burst gauge is usually engaged at moments that are vital to the plot, like finishing off a boss fight to advance through to the next cutscene. The game is, at times, a third-person beat-em-up, sometimes a rail shooter where Asura moves on a fixed axis and can only manoeuvre enough to get out of the way of enemy fire.
Also integrated into gameplay, are interactive cutscenes, which will have users frantically pressing buttons to advance to the next stage in the sequence. Failure to keep up with the prompt button sequences may have one restarting the entire cutscene, which can happen often on higher difficulty levels.
Platforms
This title, seeing as it first saw release back in 2012, is available on PlayStation, and Xbox 360. The game was built on unreal engine 4, which probably explains a lot. I mean, the title is just vibrant with the special effects, albeit presented in a 2D manga/animé style.
The Verdict
Asura’s Wrath began to be developed in 2007, and the intention behind the concept, according to CyberConnect2, was to create a gaming title that would be appealing to a global audience. This would suggest that there was a method to the interactive anime styling of the title, as well as the mad action that makes up the game.
The title came together quite well, being an instant hit in Japan while having mixed reviews in the West. Some western critics found the title’s interactive anime-Esque cutscenes refreshing, while others complained that they detracted from regular beat-em-up, brawler gameplay. Either way, it seems critics could agree that the action in Asura’s Wrath makes sure the game is never predictable and creates anticipation for the next chapter in the story.
Though the title has gotten on in years, it is still worth the occasional visit, as the overdone action just doesn’t get old. Asura’s Wrath was a one-time release, which has made it a sort of classic, one that one may want to interact with during these trying times. Asura’s never-say-die attitude is something of an inspiration.