"With very few action RPGs on the Playstation, Brave Fencer Musashi is a very welcome addition to the system's library. It's fast action, and unique, varied game play makes this game a blast and a half."

Platform: Playstation

Genre: Role-Playing

Publisher: Square EA

Developer: Square

ESRB: E (Everyone)

Released: Q3 1998

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Brave Fencer Musashi

While many of Square's game have taken a more traditional approach to role-playing, Brave Fencer Musashi has made for a nice change of pace. With its fast action, and excellent game play, it makes for one heck of a fun action / RPG.

From the moment the game starts it becomes quite clear that Brave Fencer Musashi was made to be something different. With cute polygonal graphics the villagers, monsters, and Musashi himself all have an endearing quality to their appearance. The environments are also very appealing to the eye, with a nice amount of detail to spruce things up. Bosses too are very well made, as they are of the gigantic variety, taking up large portions of the screen with their solidly animated, well-drawn frames.

The story itself is very light-hearted, as Musashi has been taken from his world to save the Allucaneet Kingdom. In doing so Musashi must go down the tried and true path of saving the princess, while defeating the Thirstquencher Empire. It's nothing new, but it's still fun. Besides, game play is what really makes this game tick.

Besides having rock solid controls, there are so many nice little extras in Musashi's game play. For starters there's the way the use of two swords is implemented. Instead of simply being used for some high powered monster whacking, Musashi's two swords, Fusion and Lumina, serve different functions. Fusion on the one hand is for absorbing the special abilities from the games monsters. This alone is a very cool feature, as Musashi can use these abilities to heal himself, improve battle skills, or reach otherwise inaccessible areas of the game. Lumina, on the other hand, is his attacking sword. Besides hacking up baddies, it can also be augmented for using certain magic attained throughout the game. If this were not enough, there are also special sword attacks that Musashi learns as the game progresses that add even more action.

With mini games to be played, action figures to be collected, and dozens of members of the kings court to be rescued, there are tons of things to do in this game.

The audio is the game's one mixed bag. While the sound effects are quite good, and the music very catchy, the voice acting is sadly lacking. While the game has a light-hearted, campy feel that the voices fit well with, they are still annoying. The princess' airhead-styled speech and Musashi's "attitude" can wear thin in a hurry.

With very few action RPGs on the Playstation, Brave Fencer Musashi is a very welcome addition to the system's library. It's fast action, and unique, varied game play makes this game a blast and a half.

- Mr. Nash