Inuyasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask

"A good RPG for the fans of the show"

Intro:

Inuyasha for the PS2 is a game that can only be enjoyed by fans of the TV show only. It's a very unique game with an interesting story. I got this game on my B-day of '04 and it took me quite a while to finish it, but it was well worth it. Inuyasha is my favorite anime of all time so I was really excited getting this and playing through it multiple times. So far, it's one of my favorite games for the PS2.

Story:

Instead of being a main character from the show, you get to play as a new character created just for the game. A nice thing they did was that you can choose if you want to be a boy or girl. One day while attending a festival, you were sent to a storage room to retrieve some amulets until the flooring collapsed and you fell beneath. Next thing you know you were in feudal Japan. You end up meeting Inuyasha and friends who help you find your way back home. The nice thing about the story is that it ties with the original story from the TV show. Fans will really enjoy it.

Graphics:

The characters look a little childish but still look good and well detailed. The attacks look OK and could have been better. The enemies look a little generic but not bad, though. The best part about the graphics are the backgrounds and the environments. They're drawn with a anime style and look simply amazing. The background also interacts like a waterfall or a flowing river. It seems rather pleasant and soothing. And the music that goes with it makes it a lot better.

Gameplay:

Inuyasha is an traditional RPG but with a twist. The combat is turn-based, with options about what you will do during your turn. You can attack, used technical combos, defend, use an item or run away. The hero and his or her party stand on one side of the battlefield with the enemy on the other. The enemy which starts as demon wolves, vicious bats and ghosts, get progressively harder and badder as you level up and move throughout the world. Each character in the battle gets a turn (if they survive long enough) as set by a wheel. Characters that are put to sleep or incapacitated in some way are bypassed by other characters. It's a nice idea for such a simple RPG. There is some exploration in the game as well. During the game, you'll have a day where your party chooses to take a day off. This lets you create a relationship with the character you choose to spend the day with, and determines the ending of the game. By building a relationship, you can perform a double-team move on a enemy during battle with that certain character you chose to spend time with. A really cool thing is that when you perform a double-team move it shows you a short anime clip of your character and partner performing the attack on the enemy. At the main menu, you can choose to look at pictures, watch those short anime clips, and many other things. You'll have to beat the game multiple times with both characters to unlock everything.

Sound:

Unlike the PS game, The English voices are present in Inuyasha: The Secret Of The Cursed Mask. The voice acting is very well done. The sound affects are in the right place and sound great. The music fits with the art style very well and gives off a beautiful atmosphere.

Conclusion:

Inuyasha is a good game for fans and will be greatly enjoyed by the more hardcore fans of the TV show. It has a unique and addicting story, a beautiful art style, great voice acting. But hardcore RPG fans won't find much things different than other RPG's, though. The game also comes with a collectible trading card that fans will enjoy. I think it's agreat game because im a big fan of the show and still watch it from time to time. It stays true to the anime and any fan will like it.
Thank you for reading my review and I hope you find it helpful.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/26/06