The voice acting is for the most part excellent, although there were a few problems with lip synching. The music was a pleasant surprise too, with a lot of variation between music tracks, but always giving you the feeling that you are on a quest of epic proportions. The sections between the chapters get some love too, featuring static drawings by different artists that add more to the story, and are all worthy of being computer wallpapers. The visuals look like a mix of cel-shading, colourful manga and a little bit of watercolour painting thrown in for good measure.
Where this presentation falls short however is the fact that each episode doesn’t even run as long as a standard TV episode, so it feels like the previews are interrupting the game.Īs you would expect from a game with a heavy emphasis on spectacular action, Asura’s Wrath looks amazing. The game is presented in an episodic format, which complements the anime-esque feel the developer was aiming for, complete with animation credits at the beginning of each chapter and previews for the next episode. There are twists and turns in Asura’s tale as well as many scenes that flesh the characters out, saving them from being one-dimensional archetypes. Fortunately, the rather trite story is saved by its execution.
He manages to escape 12,000 years later, hungry for revenge and on a quest to rescue his kidnapped daughter. Imagine how much angrier Asura gets when he finds himself framed for the Emperor’s death, his wife killed, his daughter kidnapped and being thrown down to Naraka. You play as the titular Asura, a god-like general renowned for his short temper, who did his part to protect Heaven and Earth from the Gohma, a destructive and demonic force. It’s a very odd combination, but it works well and makes for an entertaining experience. It’s therefore inevitable that such a comparison will be made when discussing Capcom’s latest original IP (!!), Asura’s Wrath, a heady blend of Asian mythology, science fiction and over-the-top action. If there’s one thing Japanese anime is renowned for, it’s for making attempts to be as sensational as possible.