Inuyasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask

"Inuyasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask. Is this what fans have been waiting for?"

When I saw an ad for a Playstation 2 game about Inuyasha, I was pretty happy. I've been a fan of the manga and anime for a while, so I was hoping this new game I'd heard about would be something worthwhile. I was hoping for a game that would throw me right into the world that I loved so much from the manga and anime. So, I ended up lending a copy from a friend, and began finding out if this was what I was yearning for.

Graphics: 8 / 10
The first thing I noticed when I saw the game was the super deformed, or "chibi", character designs inside the game. They all match their anime counterparts really well, and while your character is talking, still shots appear on the screen. The backgrounds look very nice, and have a very strong hand drawn/watercolor feel about them, and honestly, they look like they came straight out of the anime. During the game, you're even treated to some "interval stills" of the characters and anime cut scenes at the beginning and ending of the game.

Sounds: 6/10
This game uses the American Inuyasha anime dub cast. This could be a good or bad thing, depending on which version of the show you like. I personally dislike the English cast, so I was hoping for an English/Japanese option, but there was none. Nevertheless, I think the dub cast did okay, although some screams and such sounded terribly corny. The background music, especially for battles, were very repetitive. Every town you come across seems to have either "Town Music 1" or "Town Music 2"as its BGM. The battles are exactly the same. The only real difference in battle music is boss battles, and the only boss battle theme I actually enjoyed. The music used in the opening animation is music from the anime, though, which is something that I actually enjoyed.

Controls: 8/10
The controls were quite easy to pick up. There is no movable camera, or really anything to do with the map, other than character movement. The battle controls are simple, as are the map commands.

Gameplay: 6/10
This is a turn-based RPG. During the game, you must use your characters to destroy demons in random battles. There are a total of six main playable characters, plus one very strong, very handsome, "fluffy" demon that you use for a short time. The characters from the anime learn attacks that they use in the anime. Miroku has the Wind Tunnel, Sango has the Hiraikotsu, Kagome has her bow, Inuyasha has the Backlash Wave, Shippou has the fox fire, and your character has this special magic called Shikigami, while the other playable character has..."Toxic Flower Claws", plus much more for all of them. As awesome as all of this was, it still seemed very repetitive. The battles sometimes seemed WAY too long to complete, and then you ended up running into another one in a few seconds. A nice addition were the co-op techniques, which unlock an animated bit of the characters performing the attack. Once you complete the game, you have access to a "new game +" of sorts once you get back to a certain area in the game.

Story: 8/10
The story revolves around you, a young boy/girl (you choose at the beginning of the game) who ends up getting thrown into the feudal era of Japan through this portal thing. You end up running into Inuyasha, and then the takes you back to his group and you all look for a way to get you back home while trying to destroy Naraku and trying to keep Miroku from getting a sexual harassment charge. O_o Just kidding about that, but I wouldn't be sur prised if you ended up doing that. You end up finding out this masked person, Utsugi, is the one that called you to the past. But, for what? You'll have to find that out for yourselves. It sorta seems like a VERY (15 hour+) long episode of the TV series.

Overall: 7/10
This game was pretty fun. Although I was put off by it at times, I still went back to finish it, and I was pretty happy with it. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but it worked. I really recommend this for the Inuyasha fans, and even for some RPGers, but not really for anyone else. Plus, being able to have Sesshoumaru as a playable character just made my day. :D

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/05