Released: 19981111 Publisher: Square Soft, INC. Developer: Square Co., LTD. Genre: RPG

Review by: Kaneda

Square has yet again lead the gaming industry into a new frontier.
Braver Fencer Mushai is a well crafted action/rpg with new attributes
added to the mix. It is not just another great RPG, but more
realistic, except for maybe Musashi's hair. Some may think this game is
too "kiddy" or "fruity" for them, but if you look past the awkwardness,
it turns out to a great game.

The gameplay in musashi is not just action/RPG stuff, swinging a sword
around in real time, but has some other attractions that may compete
with other Playstation RPGs. First of all, the action moves in real time.
The shops open and close, farmers come out at early hours to work, and
day turns to dusk. You can wander through the forest looking for the
next event, but don't stay out too late, or you'll end up sleeping at
your enemies' feet. You, a fencer summoned by the royalty, must collect
the five scrolls and free residents of the kingdom from Bincho
encasements. There are many other pieces of plot, but these are the
most important. The scrolls give you a type of magic, each
corresponding to their element. These are used to fight the bosses and
peform other tasks, but for fighting normal enemies you can learn combos
from the people you free. There is only one problem with Brave Fencer's
setup, it lacks plot.

Sure, there are a few small plot twists, but
mainly you are selflessly helping the town, and not meeting many people
on your way. To add to this, there is only one main town, resulting in
not much conversation. This only slightly subtracts from the game's
overall appeal, but us hardcore RPG fans won't like it much. Yet, that,
as I said is the only downfall.

There are some interesting puzzles,
the majority not too tough, generating gentle frustation at most. Overall, Brave
Fencer Musashi works well and tries hard, although does not achieve
Xenogears status in the gameplay department. The plot is simple, almost
nothing of merit actually happens in the story scenes, and what story
there is shows no creativity whatsoever. Save the princess, fight the
evil silly looking bad guys, and defend the village at every turn.
I can't see this coming from the masters of storytelling
themselves, Square. Despite these setbacks, Brave Fencer comes through
as a fun and entertaining game.

Fighting enemies is very simple, yet fun. Everything is in
real time, giving off a platformer-like feel, but there's so much more. There
are various combos to learn from the villagers, which are very useful
when fending off some of the more powerful, later enemies. Musashi,
throughout his journey, as he collects the five scrolls, will learn spells
with which he can exterminate enemies quickly and easily after charging
up, or use against the massive bosses. The bosses remind me so much of
the platformers of the past, with strategies you must memorize and
obviously show a lot of creativity has been poured into them. One of
the bosses holds up the ceiling from above him which is slowly
crushing him, while his spirit, which is of fire, fights you. This
definitely shows that the minds at Square have been working hard again.

Overall, Brave Fencer Musashi's graphics are pretty average, but very
good for an RPG. As you play through the beautiful, lightly shaded
environments you'll notice that as time passes, the hues of the sky and
light from the sun slightly changes from dawn to dusk. The camera is
almost always perfect, setting the right view of the situation at all
times, which as I remember was sometimes a problem in Square's last
game, Xenogears. The bosses are well crafted polygons, and look
stunning, the ice dragon is a sight to see. Enemies are an entire
different matter. Many look like chunky polygons, some even worse. The
humans look fine, with minimal facial detail, but cool looking pictures
alongside the dialogue show how they should look. Musashi himself
looks very deformed, like a little monkey compared to the other slightly
normal looking characters.

The sound in Musashi, as expected from Square, is top quality. The
majority of the dialogue is spoken by very strange, if not,
cartoon voices. But they do not reach the "incredibly annoying" level,
and are a pleasant addition. Brave Fencer's music is very well
orchestrated, and sets the mood perfectly. Whether you're in the
dark and spooky night or mid-day, the tunes set the tone. All the
sound effects, while few, are average. The difference between the sound
emitted when you swing your huge blade, and when you use your dinky
fusion weapon, is very realistic. Once in awhile you'll hear Musashi
grunt or growl, but he sounds way too old compared to his 10 year old
voice. Many of the sounds, which you may rarely actually pay any
attention to, are lame at the most, but overall the sound effects are
pretty fair.

Square has decided to utilize the new Dual Shock technology, but don't
do a very good job of it. The rumble is very seldom and does not use the full
wavelength of vibration possible. Plus, it doesn't always
act when its supposed to, sometimes when you knock on a door, it only
rumbles for the first or second knock. I usually don't even notice
Brave Fencer's petty attempt to spice up the game with the Dual
Shock.

On the whole, Brave Fencer Musashi makes out as a great action/RPG.
I'd hate to repeat myself from my last Square review, but they've done
it again. It seems as if every time Square delves into a new genre, they do a fantastic job. T
his one is another great addition to the Playstation RPG plethora.

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