Brave Fencer Musashi

"I think Square should stay with RPGs."

Squaresoft making a game like Musashi would be like Nintendo specializing in RPG games. Although it could and does happen, it is less that likely.
Brave Fencer Musashi is sort of an odd game with a twist that adds elements of fun and determination to it. I am a RPG gamer, myself, and Brave Fencer Musashi is one of the only non-RPG games that I like. While it is hard, I must say it is fun!

Story- 10/10
The story is awesome. You are (obviously) playing the game as Musashi. He is summoned by Princes Filet in order to protect the *sigh* 'Alyoucaneat' kingdom from the Thirstquincher Empire. When you arrive, you have your two swords: Fusion and Lumina. Using Lumina, you must smash all 30 Bincho Fields which have citizens of the Alucaneet entrapped inside by the evil minions of Thirstquencher. When you break one of them out, Lumina Absorbs the Bincho Field, and becomes stronger.

Graphics- 6/10
The graphics in Brave Fencer Musashi look like somebody carved them and pasted on other features. You can acquaint yourself to the world of 2-D, and un-pack your bags. One thing that Brave Fencer Musashi beholds is the almighty Cut-scene. You should like these.

Game Play- 9/10
Brave Fencer Musashi has really good gameplay, no matter what kind of game you like. As you collect the Legendary Armor, you get powers. For example, when you get the Legendary Belt (the L-Belt) you can do a double jump, and when you the the Legendary Bracelet (the L-Braclet) you can climb some walls. One flaw that will make you have to turn off the game and go to your little 'Quiet Place' in the back of your mind is the jumping ability. You do GET it, but you always have to USE it. It will whither away your health just as quickly as you re-gain it.

Battle- 8/10
The fighting system in the game is hard. It provides a challenge, but pays off, by not having to fight but about ten bosses. To defeat bosses, you must attack them until they are tired, then power up Lumina and hit them. Sounds easy? It's not. The reason that I didn't give the Battle system a 5 or less is that Lumina absorbs scrolls of elements, and can use their power to your advantage. The scrolls are Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. When you get them, they give you special powers of elements. You cannot progress through the game without them. I think the battle system is hard, but fun.

Extras 11/10 (That's right, 11!)
There are extra little goodies that Square left in the game to make it more enjoyable. They include Minku (Little creatures that you can see running around at night. If you pick them up and throw them, you get a Longevity Berry which increases your HP by 25, which is good for the maximum of 500 hp), and Bincho Fields (Green diamond-shaped crystals with citizens of the castle entrapped within. Beat them with Lumina to get an increase of your BP by 5, which are the Magic-using points.) One other thing is that the whole town is named after food!

Difficulty: 9/10 (That's Hard!)
This game is (needless to say) hard! This is the main reason that my review for it is a 7/10 and not a 10/10. Jumping is the part that really had my number. There is always a trick. Sometimes, you have to jump from moving platform to another one going in the other direction. You might have to jump from one block to another with flames jumping out of a pit of lava. Well anyway, one of the ways to get past those parts it is get a bunch of healing items..... if they are available. This is only the beginning of how hard parts of Musashi are, but I am going to stop now, I could go on all night!


Overall, I found this game to be pretty fun, although I only resurrected it from my video game storage so I would have something to do for about a week until Christmas came, so I could get more games. It was pretty good to kill time, and I would recommend it is you found it for a good price. It was a good small masterpeice, but I think for Squaresoft, I am going to get RPG's.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/20/03, Updated 01/20/03