Asura's Wrath Review [Xbox 360]
Capcom's latest might not spawn a franchise or even a sequel but it offers something new to the regimented world of gaming genres.
If you look at Asuras Wraths parts you will not find a single unique concept or innovation. However when viewed as a complete work, the eclectic jumble sale of ideas that is Asuras Wrath becomes a unique and enjoyable gaming experience. Asuras Wrath is conceptually an interactive anime TV series, complete with episodes, recaps and previews. You even get mid-episode title cards which seems utterly redundant due to the lack of advertising. Still, it effectively sets up the pretence that you are experiencing a TV show and not a traditional computer game. Asuras Wrath is a love letter to Shonen Manga and the anime that it spawns. Dragon Ball Z and Naruto have both been heavily bastardised here but sadly Asuras Wrath fails to match either show in terms of story or characters. Asura is one of the 8 Demi-god Guardian Generals that protect the world from the Gohma, a mindless race of beasts that come in the form of various animals that look like they have been turned inside out. Asura scores a great victory against the Gohma but on his return home finds hiself framed for the murder of the emperor and that his wife has been murdered. This alone would certainly justify enough wrath to fill a game however, he is also killed by his former colleagues and awakes in the underworld with little memory of his past. When Asura finally returns he finds that 1200 years have passed and the remaining 7 demi-gods are now the 7 deities who ritually harvest the souls of mankind to fuel their intergalactic hijinks. The deities are also using Asuras daughter to channel the souls of mankind into an energy source known as mantra. This is the basis for Asuras huge amounts of wrath and really the only narrative to speak of. Your job is to punch and kick your way through your ex buddies and save your daughter. 
Unlike popular animes like Naruto or One Piece, Asuras Wrath lacks complex and interesting characters and as a result you do not connect with them in the same way. Sure, you want Asura to win but when he triumphs you dont get the same fist pumping OH YEAH! moments that you do when Naruto defeats a stronger opponent through will power, or Goku pushes that bit harder and finds a hidden power. Asuras Wrath always feels overly familiar and somewhat underwhelming. There is a moment where Asuras is consumed by his rage, transforming him into a hugely powerful beast and while it is strongly reminiscent of becoming super-saiyan or Naruto going into 9 tails mode, it lacks any real impact because you really dont care that someone he knew died. Still, that isnt to say that Asuras Wrath fails to be an entertaining story. It is an utterly ridiculous tale and it is played out with an operatic sense of the dramatic but those are actually positive things. You can play with either English or Japanese dialogue (though be warned, the lip syncing is timed to the English version) and I quickly opted for the Japanese audio. The Japanese are just better at voice acting. There are a lot of weird lines that are comfortable to read but really cringe-worthy when delivered in English. What makes Asuras Wrath an entertaining if not nourishing slice of anime pie is its gleeful overuse of power. Asura is insanely powerful from the get go, and the deities are over powered to the point of hilarity. The first deity you fight becomes the size of a planet and you still win. It makes no sense but you can accept it because everything is so stupid. 
Graphically Asuras Wrath adopts a cell shaded style with heavy bush strokes rather than a more conventionally clean animation effect. This style is re-enforced by some lovely illustrations that end each episode and fill in large chunks of plot. These text sections actually deliver most of the important plot points so are worth reading, however, they are somewhat out of place with the whole its a TV show premise. The world of Asuras Wrath is criminally under populated, you only ever see a hand full of the humans you are supposedly saving at any one point which makes it feel desolate and barren. This is a shame because the whole point is that you care about this planet but it really only ever serves as a playground for gods and demons. Where the game excels is the art direction. While not looking in any way original, the characters environments look really cool. The deities are all unique and have distinct style and character, though the female deity Olga is criminally forgotten in the main story. There is a hidden episode that may close this plot hole but I dont have the time to meet the requirements for unlocking it. This is a shame because Olga was one of my favourite characters. A few weeks back I posted a video preview for Asuras Wrath based on the demo that was released on XBL. My response was largely negative and for good reason, you cannot judge Asuras Wrath out of context. To appreciate this game you must play it and watch all of the story unfold. Much like Metal Gear Solid 4, the game is insubstantial when skipping the cut scenes. The closest gaming experience to Asuras Wrath is Heavy Rain, though this does little for explaining the experience. Much of the game is played in cut scenes that have occasional quick time events which means you cannot pick up your mug of tea for fear of an unexpected button mashing session. Thankfully the QTEs are really generous, usually even allowing incorrect commands and sluggish response times. This sounds really crap on paper and to be honest, it isnt very exciting but it does force you to pay attention which is key. In between these events are action sequences, such as battles against groups of enemies, on rail shooting sections or boss battles. These sequences are mixed up so gameplay stays fun and are simple enough to not require much practise. The most disappointing aspect is the shooting sections which require little skill to pass. The flip side is that the boss battles are fun and rewardingly OTT. The basic goal throughout the game is to build up your rage bar, which allows you to unleash an extremely powerful finisher. Bosses dont have life bars, so fights take as long as it takes you to fill your gauge. Once your reach your optimum level or rage, you enter a QTE which either takes the battle to the next stage or soundly destroys your enemy. These moments are a blessed relief in the latter stages of the game, where bosses become increasingly challenging. 
As I mentioned before, Asuras Wrath has an operatic sense of the dramatic. This is largely down to the score which is very old school. The sound is somewhat reminiscent of an old American sci fi film like War of the Worlds. This is combined with Eastern influences and even the Old West. The result is a powerful sound that rarely misses the mark (the the Wild West influenced theme is really grating) and at points elevates the action. The music for the battle between Asura and his master Augus is especially excellent, reminiscent of Wagner. The flip side to this is that the audio is poorly mixed and dialogue is often drowned out. This isnt an issue when playing the game in Japanese (unless you speak Japanese) but when starting the game in English I strained to hear what was being said. To be honest, you arent missing much anyway but the lack of sound level controls is odd. Asuras Wrath is Monkey, Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Heavy Rain and God of War blended together with a healthy dose of science fiction. However, you cant judge a cake by the taste of its ingredients and in the same way, to appreciate Asuras Wrath you have to experience it as a whole. If you go in expecting a deep 3rd person hack and slash title you will be disappointed. Asuras Wrath isnt a traditional computer game but a successful attempt at a piece of cross media. It is both a TV show and a game, and understanding this will heavily influence your appreciation of the result. The key purpose of a game review is to aid peoples decisions in buying a game. Well, let me be blunt. For £40 Asuras Wrath is not good value for money. With little over 8 hours of content (not gameplay, but the whole thing) and at least 50% of that being cut scenes, I cannot recommend a purchase. However, that isnt to say that I dont recommend that you play it. Asuras Wrath would make a great rental as you can finish it in a couple of evenings and feel that you got your moneys worth. 
Asura's Wrath is out on the 9th of March in the UK.