WeView Verdict: Asura’s Wrath

Well now this is a bit awkward isn’t it? Despite coming out on top of our poll, Asura’s Wrath really doesn’t seem to have a lot of fans out there. We had just three people drop in their thoughts on Asura’s Wrath, and two of them were staff. I think we’ll get the rating out of the way right now and announce that all three selected Buy It as their rating, so if you were on the fence about the game maybe it’s worth a look at.

Before we get to the two staff members who dropped us their thoughts, lets look at keaneplay who was kind enough to pop their head in the door. Whilst they’ve only rented the game, their time with it was enough to make them “really want to pick it up some time in the future,” highlighting the fact that it’s “so different from anything else on the market.” There was another reason that they enjoyed the game though, their love of anime and manga. In fact they went so far as to say that if you’re an anime or manga fan “it’s basically the perfect game”. Looking at the game it’s quite clear to see why they felt that way.

[drop2]So just which staff members took part this week? Well first we have Blair, who actually wrote our original review of the game. While he stood by his original score, saying that “Objectively, Asura’s Wrath is a 7/10 ‘game’ and I don’t have any doubts about that,” he also said that “It’s one of the best things I’ve played all year.” So why the 7/10 score? Well, as he noted, “it’s easy to see why this won’t be the same for a lot of people,” saying that “There’s a lot holding it back, including the lack of replayibility, the linearity [and] the abundance of QTEs.”

Despite its flaws, Blair still called Asura’s Wrath “one of the biggest and most epic things ever.” He did feel, however, that perhaps the game would have been better served as an episodic series. Looking at its format it’s pretty clear to see why this occurred to him, and it really would have been a great fit.

Our final participant is Tuffcub who threw his opinion in whilst replying to Blair’s comments on the game. He entirely agreed with Blair, and called the game “more of an interactive movie.” That’s certainly one of the most clear cut descriptions of Asura’s Wrath that I’ve seen.

When describing the game as an interactive movie Tuffcub wasn’t talking in a negative sense, saying that the cutscenes feature “Wonderful, unique artwork, fantastic sound (all very ‘Akira’) and possibly the best story to grace consoles in many years.” And just why is the story so good? Well he said that “It has some nice twists and is utterly, utterly bonkers.” Sounds good to me.

So yes, if a completely insane anime styled game with a focus on cutscenes and QTEs sounds like your cup of tea than Asura’s Wrath is the game for you, otherwise it may be best to steer clear. Whilst Asura’s Wrath might be great, it’s clearly a game that’s found a very specific niche.

And that just about rounds things out for WeView this year. We’ll return in the New Year with more community fuelled looks at games.

7 Comments

  1. I think that it is incredibly difficult to find on the shelves was a major problem. Even on week of release I couldn’t find the the damn thing.

  2. I won this game and was very pleased with it. I like anime/manga/jap culture, so that did help. In it’s genre it’s very good.

  3. I know I vote for games I want to hear opinions about, ones I’ve got interest in potentially buying. So if there’s more like me then that would explain the lack of entries.

  4. Damn. I knew i forgot something this weekend. Short verdict: its awesome, so very awesome. Buy it.

    I encountered the stock issue as well, nowhere to be found in Game and I bought the last copy in Grainger games. When i traded it in to Game they didnt even have it on record…

  5. I so missed this! I would have SCREAMED from the rooftops. I LOVE THIS GAME!!!

    If you think of a game as an entire anime series of half hour episodes, each with a story section, a wandering around part, 1 or 2 big battles, a QTE or 5 – then you have it. It’s a game that’s more about the overall experience than what you actually do. I put it in the same bracket as El Shaddai in that respect. Two of my favourite games in this gen.

  6. I always liked the look of Asura’s Wrath but never got around to picking it up, in fact i actually forgotten about until this weview article. Thanks for bringing it back to my attention, might be able to get this cheap as a pre Christmas present.

  7. Completely missed the call to arms for this one (pun sort of intended) :/

    This game was caught up at the time Game and Gamestation were playing silly buggers with Capcom and others.

    Admittedly I waited for the first price drop – I was sold on the demo, but wasn’t sure how long or varied the game would be.

    I’m glad I bought this – very entertaining, and the DLC has been interesting.

    It’s almost a shame that my two favourite boss fights were featured on the demo – they really do blow the senses away – but the whole game is strong.
    Having typed this – I’m not overly sure I’ve finished the game… Think I might have got stuck on the last fight with Vlitra.

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