Asura's Wrath - PS3 review

Asura's Wrath - PlayStation 3 review

Released by THQ

Platform: PS3

This is a hard game to put into words - simply because, in all honesty, it really doesn't feel much like a game in many ways.

The game sees you taking the role of Asura, one of eight Guardian Generals, called on to protect the world from the evil clutches of the Gohma. After a successful battle, Asura's summoned to the Emperor's palace to receive some formal recognition of his work - but on arrival there, he finds only a dead boss and fingers pointed at him he's cast out, stripped of his powers and robbed of his family.

The only thing which propels him back is his anger, the titular wrath as he tries to battle his way back over 18 "episodes".

As I've intimated, Asura's Wrath is a slightly different gaming experience than anything I've played before. It's something more akin to watching an anime on a console and occasionally interacting with it.

That's not necessarily a bad thing as the anime animation is simply stunningly good; cut scenes play as mini movies and far too often, unfortunately, the game plays as an anime piece as well. That means there's very little for the player to initially do except watch it unfold and bash a couple of buttons to see the game unfold.

Visually though the anime is up on a par with anything Manga can produce and it's certainly got the scope for one of the best looking Mangaesque experiences of the year - it just depends what you want for gameplay and whether the style is something you wish to choose over being fully immersed within.

I guess in some ways it depends what you want from a game - in terms of an experience, Asura's Wrath certainly is a little something unique and different - whether that warrants splashing out for a game that you have to wait to get really involved in is upto you.

Rating: