One thing very mysterious is occurring with a sadly obscure however fondly remembered gem from the Famicom period. It was constructed on the identical recreation engine as the unique Legend of Zelda, however not like Hyperlink who many years on stays on the vaunted heights of gaming’s all-time greats, the protagonist of this bygone traditional by no means even obtained a correct worldwide launch in its day, by no means thoughts a sequel.
Spare a thought, then, for the lone samurai Takamaru.
To say that The Mysterious Murasame Citadel, initially launched in 1986 on the Famicom Disk System, nonetheless holds up effectively is an understatement. It provides up a number of the snappiest gameplay of the 8-bit period and has over time been given quite a few nods by Nintendo themselves. The truth that it stays lacking in motion on the Change is each baffling and a evident missed alternative.
That’s notably for the reason that current closure of the 3DS eShop eradicated the one technique of legally buying the sport with its first worldwide launch in 2014 through Digital Console. Aside from the proprietary floppy disks that ran on the Famicom’s Japan-exclusive {hardware} add-on, its solely different bodily launch got here when was ported to the Sport Boy Advance in Japan in 2004.
As we speak, Murasame Citadel is at present nowhere to be seen on the Nintendo Change On-line service, neither within the West nor Japan, making the 36-year-old title extra elusive than ever. That may be a actual disgrace, particularly contemplating how revered it continues to be, with the likes of Hideki Kamiya and Suda51 each saying in recent times how they’d like to do a contemporary reboot.
However what precisely makes this recreation so compelling? Murasame Citadel is the end-product of the Zelda staff’s experimentation with including velocity to their recreation engine. Although retaining a top-down angle, it eschews the puzzling and slower-paced exploration of Hyperlink’s maiden entry in favour of a extra linear, action-oriented expertise that, oddly sufficient, is usually in comparison with a bullet-hell shooter.
Set in Edo interval Japan, the expert swordsman Takamaru is known as upon by the ruling shogunate after an extraterrestrial object falls out of the sky and possesses the massive stone statue of a creature referred to as Murasame, which makes use of its darkish affect to take management of the titular fort whereas possessing the daimyos, or lords, of 4 different neighbouring castles.
Wielding a katana for shut quarters and an infinite provide of upgradable shuriken for ranged assaults, Takamaru should beat again wave after wave of ninjas, demons, and various baddies whereas infiltrating every of the 5 castles. With seemingly all the pieces that strikes making an attempt to kill you, a medley of beautifully catchy themes from legendary composer Koji Kondo ties it collectively superbly.
Like many video games of the period, Murasame Citadel is troublesome – particularly so in its latter half. Although it is usually honest and surmountable, with a checkpoint system initially or mid-point of every respective stage. It’s totally a recreation of talent, with progress relying on the participant’s prowess in weaving via chaotic battles and grabbing power-ups for more practical killing blows.
Takamaru can parry most incoming projectiles whereas allotting fireballs, casting lightning bolts, and harnessing invisibility. Every fort brings progressively tougher foes and frantic battles, with the one reprieve being additional lives granted when daughters of noblemen held captive within the castles are rescued. The blue-haired warrior can face up to three hits from an enemy earlier than shedding a life.
In distinction to the fantastical Mushroom Kingdom and Hyrule, Takamaru’s world is one steeped in Japanese tradition, and it’s stated that this obvious lack of ‘common enchantment’ was the issue that the majority performed into its Japanese exclusivity. However the Nintendo Leisure System was no stranger to ninja video games and Jap themes, and Murasame Citadel’s gameplay completely speaks for itself.
In comparison with its localized first-party contemporaries of the time, it’s each way more fluid and forgiving than Child Icarus, and due to its relative linearity, it’s extra accessible than the unique Metroid’s mapless labyrinth. Additionally it is far much less cryptic than its sibling recreation, The Legend of Zelda, retaining an arcade-like pick-up-and-play high quality that any participant can shortly grasp.
Although he lacks identify recognition, Takamaru is a Nintendo icon in his personal proper with a handful of first-party cameos beneath his belt. The good Nintendo Land on Wii U prominently pays homage with the ‘Takamaru’s Ninja Citadel’ minigame that sees you launch shuriken at enemies on the TV through the GamePad, marking essentially the most absolutely fleshed-out first-party callback to this point.
He additionally seems in Tremendous Smash Bros. Final as an Help Trophy with an unlockable Mii fighter costume, along with earlier appearances within the collection. Based on Smash creator Masahiro Sakurai, Takamaru’s inclusion as a completely playable character was beforehand thought of, however he finally did not make the minimize due to his inadequate recognition.
Therein lies the conundrum: Murasame’s protagonist can’t be anticipated to accrue recognition when his one and solely title is stored from the Change’s large international set up base.
There’s precedent for Japan-exclusive Famicom titles coming to the Change, with 1986’s Namco-developed Thriller Tower, or Tower of Babel, dropping onto Nintendo Change On-line only in the near past. Fireplace Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Gentle was likewise a Japan unique that was absolutely localized for the primary time in December 2020, however inexplicably given a restricted four-month launch window on the Change eShop.
What little textual content Murasame Citadel incorporates was translated into English when it dropped on the 3DS, so Nintendo is now simply sitting on a localized model of a recreation it absolutely owns and wouldn’t must license. This truth irks us, particularly throughout lengthy stretches when nothing is added to NSO’s paid base tier for months at a time. It’s an actual headscratcher.
The considered PlatinumGames or Grasshopper Manufacture in the future taking a stab at a contemporary franchise revival is titillating, with each being a very good match for tactile hack-and-slash motion. However for now, we are able to solely hope the Huge N rises to the event to appreciate the modest objective of bringing an unsung and undervalued traditional to the Change, in whichever type it sees match.
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