Muramasa: The Demon Blade true JRPG?

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FinalSonata

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#1 FinalSonata
Member since 2011 • 25 Posts
I've heard a lot of debate about whether or not Muramasa is a true JRPG or not. Hardcore technical JRPG fans argue that it is not a true JRPG because battles are not turn-based, and even though the game is RPG in name, it plays more like a hash-n-slash. I consider it a JRPG that has a shorter than average story, less depth, and isn't as traditional. What do you guys think?
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Jaysonguy

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#2 Jaysonguy
Member since 2006 • 39454 Posts

I consider it a JRPG that has a shorter than average story, less depth, and isn't as traditional. FinalSonata

So you think it has nothing to do with JRPG but you call it one anyway

I don't call it one because it's not, there's no room for debate it's just not a JRPG

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TehOverkill

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#3 TehOverkill
Member since 2011 • 754 Posts

It's a beat 'em up. The fact that you can collect swords with different abilities doesn't make it an RPG.

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nintendofreak_2

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#4 nintendofreak_2
Member since 2005 • 25896 Posts

It's not an RPG. It has RPG elements (you could argue souls are like experience points and swords are levels) but the gameplay itself is action. The furthest I would go is saying it has RPG elements.

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YoBrandino

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#5 YoBrandino
Member since 2003 • 1546 Posts

I don't think a jRPG has to be turn-based. But I never considered Muramasa any type of RPG when I played it and didn't really realize some did.

But it doesn't really matter that much what genre a game is labeled to be in, there is so much cross over now a days that it is indeed getting harder to pin each game to one genre.

Not to say that genres in general aren't important to classify games, its good to have a general label to give players a rough idea of gameplay. But genres can't be taken to literal but should just categorize the overall feel of the gameplay based on the labeling of games in the past.

I don't think jRPG would give someone the right feel for Muramasa's gameplay, so I wouldn't consider that a good label for this game. I would just give it an action adventure label.

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GabuEx

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#6 GabuEx
Member since 2006 • 36552 Posts

If Muramasa is a JRPG, then it kinda seems like every single game from Japan, ever, would have to be considered a JRPG.

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jasonharris48

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#7 jasonharris48
Member since 2006 • 21441 Posts

I like to think of it as a Beat em UP with light RPG elements just like the Yakuza series.

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superbuuman

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#8 superbuuman
Member since 2010 • 6400 Posts

Nope action game with weapon upgrades..if you want to call that rpg then well every game with weapon upgrades will be rpg.

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Englando_IV

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#9 Englando_IV
Member since 2008 • 4334 Posts
I'd say it qualifies, I guess. You've got leveling up, equip-able weapons and items with stat changes, towns with shops and people to talk to, dungeons and open world traveling with random battles.
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Englando_IV

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#10 Englando_IV
Member since 2008 • 4334 Posts

It has RPG elements (you could argue souls are like experience points and swords are levels) nintendofreak_2
What are you talking about? There are actually experience points and character levels in the game itself, they don't need to be represented by souls and swords, they're explicitly there, regardless of souls and swords...

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jasonharris48

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#11 jasonharris48
Member since 2006 • 21441 Posts

I'd say it qualifies, I guess. You've got leveling up, equip-able weapons and items with stat changes, towns with shops and people to talk to, dungeons and open world traveling with random battles.Englando_IV
In that case a lot of beat em ups would be RPGs (without the dungeons) Final Fight Street Wise, BeatDown, Yakuza series

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Englando_IV

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#12 Englando_IV
Member since 2008 • 4334 Posts

[QUOTE="Englando_IV"]I'd say it qualifies, I guess. You've got leveling up, equip-able weapons and items with stat changes, towns with shops and people to talk to, dungeons and open world traveling with random battles.jasonharris48

In that case a lot of beat em ups would be RPGs (without the dungeons) Final Fight Street Wise, BeatDown, Yakuza series

Okay?

I have not played those games so I can't say if I think they are or not. But the fact that some games branch off from multiple genres seems pretty normal to me. I'd still estimate that the majority of beat-em-ups don't have as many RPG qualities as Muramasa. Though obviously that depends on one's definition of beat-em-up, and then we're getting into a whole 'nother discussion.

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Drakebunny

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#13 Drakebunny
Member since 2008 • 3029 Posts

Not an RPG by any stretch of the imagination. It was still a great game though, and one of the only ones I've preordered.

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Darth-Samus

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#14 Darth-Samus
Member since 2006 • 3995 Posts

I find this debate that people have to be somewhat mystifying but, whatever. i do not find it to be a JRPG at all. But what it is is damned good!

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Sepewrath

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#15 Sepewrath
Member since 2005 • 30712 Posts
There is nothing RPG about this game, its a sidescrolling beat em up. This is as much of an RPG as Need for Speed.
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ActicEdge

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#16 ActicEdge
Member since 2008 • 24492 Posts

Not an RPG, side scrolling action game.

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wazzawazza18

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#17 wazzawazza18
Member since 2009 • 936 Posts

not an RPG but an awesome game and worth a try

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elbert_b_23

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#18 elbert_b_23
Member since 2003 • 8247 Posts
nowdays the term rpg is so vast there are games like ME2 thats a 3rd person shooter with light rpg elements but people call it a rpg, there are even people that questioned resident evil when it came out a rpg and some people that call zelda a rpg i feel that Muramasa is a 2d sidescroller with rpg elements but then a lot of games nowdays that people call rpgs i disagree with a lot of games call rpgs nowdays
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Zanoh

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#19 Zanoh
Member since 2006 • 6942 Posts

It's not an RPG at all....It's a hack and slash.

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so_hai

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#20 so_hai
Member since 2007 • 4385 Posts
No I really can't see how i could be considered even a light RPG - there's just too much focus on beat-em-up/hack-n-slash gameplay. The embarrassingly bad Super Paper Mario had more RPG elements, but even it can't be considered an RPG because it has too much focus on platforming. What we're witnessing here is the homogenisation of video game genres.
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Darth-Samus

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#21 Darth-Samus
Member since 2006 • 3995 Posts

To be fair for all of the people writing it off as "not an RPG at all " (which, it really isn't), it's certainly still fair to say that it has RPG elements. In my opinion leveling up in nearly every from is some derivative of RPG game conventions. That's just a fact. So, in defense of the TC, he has that going for him.

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Jaysonguy

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#22 Jaysonguy
Member since 2006 • 39454 Posts

To be fair for all of the people writing it off as "not an RPG at all " (which, it really isn't), it's certainly still fair to say that it has RPG elements. In my opinion leveling up in nearly every from is some derivative of RPG game conventions. That's just a fact. So, in defense of the TC, he has that going for him.

Darth-Samus

If we're using that as a guideline then all sports games are RPG's (already thought about that before though) and games like Super Mario 1, 2, and 3 are all RPG's.

Like Gabs said, if you use this for the baseline then almost every game made is an RPG

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BrunoBRS

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#23 BrunoBRS
Member since 2005 • 74156 Posts
it's not even an RPG to begin with.
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Sepewrath

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#24 Sepewrath
Member since 2005 • 30712 Posts

[QUOTE="Darth-Samus"]

To be fair for all of the people writing it off as "not an RPG at all " (which, it really isn't), it's certainly still fair to say that it has RPG elements. In my opinion leveling up in nearly every from is some derivative of RPG game conventions. That's just a fact. So, in defense of the TC, he has that going for him.

Jaysonguy

If we're using that as a guideline then all sports games are RPG's (already thought about that before though) and games like Super Mario 1, 2, and 3 are all RPG's.

Like Gabs said, if you use this for the baseline then almost every game made is an RPG

For a rare occasion, where on the same page, a stat system is NOT an RPG element, its a completely genre androgynous mechanic. Saying a stat system is an RPG mechanic is like saying a jump button is a platforming mechanic, a game can have a jump button and no platforming or platforming and no jump button i.e. Twilight Princess.
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TigerWars

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#25 TigerWars
Member since 2011 • 427 Posts
If it is a RPG (which looks debatable, i've never played it. I want to really bad) and it was made in Japan, It's a JRPG. I think people confuse JRPGs with TBRPGs.
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da_chub

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#26 da_chub
Member since 2007 • 3140 Posts
it is an action adventure with RPG elements. No matter what u call it, it is a great game. One of the best looking on Wii. it plays great, has some awesome bosses, and plenty of replay after the story is finsihed for both char.
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meetroid8

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#27 meetroid8
Member since 2005 • 21152 Posts
The only RPG element in Muramasa was the leveling up system, which was painfully simplistic.
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jasonharris48

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#28 jasonharris48
Member since 2006 • 21441 Posts

If it is a RPG (which looks debatable, i've never played it. I want to really bad) and it was made in Japan, It's a JRPG. I think people confuse JRPGs with TBRPGs.TigerWars
Just becuase it has a leveling system doesn't make it a RPG. Great game none the less though

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LegatoSkyheart

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#29 LegatoSkyheart
Member since 2009 • 29733 Posts

I think I'll buy that Game on Amazon on my Next Pay Check.

I'm waiting for Metal Slug Athology right now.