Amidst the epic blockbusters that approach shelves this month, Muramasa: The Demon Blade is one of the only smaller titles to make the headlines. Despite the controversy surrounding its release – some retail chains have declined to stock it – Rising Star is still confident it has a hit on its hands.
“We are particularly excited about Muramasa,” says product marketing assistant Yen Hau. “Not solely because it is our biggest release for this Christmas period but because of the massive amount of positive feedback we’ve had since Tokyo Games Show.
“Everyone we have shown the game to has loved it and we have been inundated with praise from both professionals and consumers alike. Coupled with the incredibly good sales figures from both Japan and the US, we are understandably optimistic that Muramasa will prove to become a must have title for Wii owners.”
Muramasa harks back to days of frantic 2D side-scrolling action. The game is a retelling of a classic Japanese folk tale and puts players in the role of Kisuke, a young ninja, and Momohime, a rebellious princess. The two characters have their own paths through the game, both ending with a battle against Muramasa, the demon swordsmith.
ART ATTACKS
Key to the game’s appeal is the hand-drawn artwork, with everything from the environments to the enemies and main characters painted beautifully to
create a unique visual experience. More often than not, praise for the game has focused on the stunning, making Muramasa just as enjoyable to watch as it is to play.
“For the majority of 2009 and directly following Tokyo Games Show 2008, anyone remotely interested in games and the Wii have reacted positively to the artwork style of the game, praising its gorgeous hand-drawn art and unique style,” adds Hau.
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Of course, there’s plenty of substance for fans of retro-style hack-‘n’-slashers. In addition to each character’s unique abilities, there is a range of attacks that can be triggered with specific motions of the Wii Remote and these vary depending on the blade the player is wielding.
There are over 100 swords to collect as you progress through the adventure, each offering a different effect on enemies. All of these weapons can also be improved and upgraded as players gain experience, allowing you to boost their power, speed and durability in order to cope with tougher foes.
As the company’s biggest release this Christmas, Rising Star has been marketing Muramasa heavily and will continue to do so in the run-up to launch (see ‘A Slice Of Retail’, right). As can be expected, the ambitious publisher has concentrated its efforts on initiatives that allows gamers to provide feedback – most of which has proven to be very encouraging.
“We are not surprised that 90 per cent of communications online have been positive – people who have seen the game appear to be genuinely excited for the game’s release,” says Hau. “We had a similar reaction earlier in the year with Little King’s Story.
“With our renewed community focus and emphasis on direct contact with our consumers and fanbase, we expect public reaction to build exponentially in the next few weeks leading up to its release, which should translate to retail as well, especially in the lead up to Christmas.
“Muramasa is a unique game, both visually and in style, and should stand out of the Wii crowd during this busy time and beyond.”
A SLICE OF RETAIL
Rising Star will continue its usual marketing model of communicating directly to its customers through various channels, as well as its own Hoshi portal, in order to raise awareness of Muramasa’s arrival.
“This tactic has proven to be particularly successful so far and has really put us in touch with our core market,” explains marketing man Hau. “Considering the art style and key Japanese mythology incorporated throughout the game, it is a sure fit with all the Japanese enthusiasts out there.”
Running alongside this strategy, the publisher has
focused on PR – arranging editorial coverage in a range of mass media and specialist publications. In this way, Rising Star hopes to minimise media spend but still achieve a higher and wider reach via news articles and forum traffic.
Hau also reveals the publisher will be running several promotion initiatives online, taking advantage of the unique communication aspects the internet boasts.
“[The internet] has a higher reach, more channel options and is generally more cost effective, but it also allows your customers to talk back,” he explains. “There is a two way dialogue that exists here that cannot anywhere else, and Rising Star Games has embraced this medium to an increasingly successful extent.”
