Captain Vodka via Wikimedia Commons
The question of whether or not video games can be considered art is a foremost issue in games discourse. The best works of art, some say, ask you important questions. Many of the best modern games leave the player with such questions. The Last of Us 2 asks, “Is revenge really worth it?”; Final Fantasy 7: Remake asks, “Can you take a Playstation hall-of-fame classic and make it better?”
And Asura’s Wrath asks, “What if you could punch God in the face?”
Too Angry to Die
Asura’s Wrath was released in 2012 to average reception. The game’s Metacritic score sits at a respectable 7.1, with a user score of 7.4. According to howlongtobeat.com, the story takes 7 hours to complete, with a ‘Completionist’ time of 13 ½ hours. The game itself is a mix of on-rails shooting segments and character action style combat, with gameplay interspersed between cutscenes.
CyberConnect2 (CC2), the developers of Asura’s Wrath, are renowned for their ability to make visually stunning games. Asura’s Wrath is no exception, with the game’s visuals perhaps being its best asset. The game’s world draws heavily from Hindu and Buddhist imagery, something rarely seen in games (outside of titles like Indivisible). Asura’s Wrath blends these visual cues with science-fiction imagery, making a wholly unique aesthetic.
Asura
You play as Asura, one of the Eight Guardian Generals, demigods who protect the Earth from monsters called Gohma. As the game’s story unfolds, though, your comrades quickly become your new enemies. The Generals frame Asura for the murder of the Emperor, which they of course perpetrated. The Generals’ leader, Deus, then captures Asura’s daughter due to her ability to control Mantra, this world’s magic. Not only must Asura continue to fight the Gohma, he must also defeat the Guardian Generals to rescue his daughter. Asura dies multiple times in the adventure, having to climb out of Naraka, a kind of purgatory, each time. Every time Asura returns to the living world, he comes back only angrier than before.
CC2 are able to render the entire epic story in striking detail. From the smoky pits of Naraka, to windswept plains of Gaea, Asura’s Wrath is not lacking in visual detail. The game’s cinematic design is also noteworthy. From the most intimate moment between Asura and his wife to the most bombastic battle, every cutscene pops and resonates. Asura’s Wrath puts CC2’s ability to make jaw-dropping cutscenes on full display. One famous cutscene shows Asura single-handedly (quite literally) blocking a planet-sized finger crashing down on him. And that’s just the first boss fight!
Press B to Shut Deus Up
But what CC2 has in terms of cinematic capabilities, they lack in being able to create deep gameplay. Much like other projects like their Naruto Ninja Storm series, Asura’s Wrath is incredibly shallow in terms of gameplay. As Asura you only have 1 basic combo attack and 1 heavy attack that acts on a cooldown. When you press the attack button, you repeat this combo ad nauseum until your enemy flies away. Enemies do not have health bars in this game – instead, you pummel your enemies until the Burst meter fills up. Once the Burst meter is full, you press a button and the fight ends in a cutscene. Every combat encounter, from basic mob fights to boss fights, resolves this way.
While the physical appearance of your combo changes as the narrative develops, the core combat stays the exact same. The on-rails shooting isn’t much better, not engaging enough to balance out the poor combat. The game also uses Quick Time Events which are really nothing special. Like in most games, these are here solely to pad out cutscenes.
So, let’s take a step back.
Asura’s Wrath is a game with gorgeous visual design, an interesting story, and absolutely threadbare gameplay.
So what’s the point of it as a game?
I would argue that Asura’s Wrath is actually not best experienced as a game. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Asura’s Wrath isn’t even meant to be experienced as a game, but rather an interactive movie.
Asura’s Wrath: Interactive Movie or Cinematic Game?
There is precedent for games being more like interactive movies. One example of this kind of game is the classic arcade game Dragon’s Lair. Dragon’s Lair was an animated movie with ‘gameplay’ consisting of Quick Time Events. As action unfolded on the screen, players had to react quickly to button prompts. One could argue that Asura’s Wrath is, perhaps unintentionally, much like these older, Dragon’s Lair style games. In fact, many people already treat this game more like a movie. A compilation of the game’s cutscenes by Youtuber iampanax has more views than most Let’s Plays of the game. Out of Asura’s Wrath’s 7 hour runtime, there is a grand total of 5 hours of cutscenes.
But why would CC2 make a game with over 5 hours of cutscenes, and only 2 hours of comparative gameplay? The game’s presentation is the answer.
Maybe An Anime?
Each level in Asura’s Wrath is presented like an anime episode. Upon starting a level, you get an initial cutscene that plays behind a credits crawl, followed usually by gameplay. An interlude plays after this half with dialogue from various characters, usually the Guardian Generals commenting on the story. Then, the game puts you into the second half of the level with more gameplay. Thus, each level is structured more like an episode in a television show than a traditional game level. Much like other anime and films, Asura’s Wrath has a main theme – “In Your Belief” – which is remixed and reiterated upon throughout the game.
An overwhelming emphasis is placed on the game’s main character as well as its cinematics. In fact, one could argue that the character of Asura is what carries the game’s story. Asura’s noble quest to save his daughter was made to be understandable to “everyone.” In an IGN interview, CC2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama said that the game’s central idea of wrath is “sometimes seen as negative, but it can be a driving force that helps you overcome any obstacle.” Asura’s wrath allows him to overcome these obstacles. However, he never wins without suffering. Each encounter with one of the Guardian Generals leaves Asura with a mortal or serious wound. Throughout the game, Asura’s arms constantly fall off, a visual representation of this motif.
We don’t just feel Asura’s wrath over the loss of his daughter. We feel his pain, and we exult in his triumphs as a result. At the end of the game, when Asura defeats God himself, I shed tears over seeing Asura’s final sacrifice. This isn’t to say that Asura’s Wrath is a totally serious game, because it is cheesier than the entire country of France. The game is the dictionary definition of “over the top,” reminiscent of the anime Gurren Lagann. But that layer of cheese just makes the whole experience that much more enjoyable.
Asura’s Wrath In My Belief
Asura’s Wrath is not a good game. Its combat leaves much to be desired. It is generally dull, repetitive, and unengaging. But from a cinematic perspective, it is everything but dull, repetitive, and unengaging. Experienced as a complete movie, or more accurately an anime, Asura’s Wrath is an emotional journey through a completely unique world. Asura’s Wrath is an experience that invites you to turn off your brain and immerse yourself in its world. Asura’s Wrath is a hidden gem buried on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Would another game like Asura’s Wrath work? While Asura is still climbing out of Naraka, I think we can afford to wait and see.
Buy it used for PS3 ($25-$35) or used for Xbox 360 ($35-$45)
