Justice kinda, sorta Liveblogs Asura's Wrath

Justice4243

I've decided to detail my feelings on Asura's Wrath (AW) a bit more. It's not REALLY a liveblog, because I'm not really playing then immediately blogging, but hopefully people will get some idea of what the game is like.

Game is in italics because that doesn't seem to be the focus of AW. It's more an interactive anime where the action is broken up by quick-time events and brief fights. 

I was initially very excited for this game as I love mythology and games based on mythology. AW has some pretty obvious Hindu mythology vibes coming off it. Asuras are powerful Hindu entities often driven by emotion. It translates well to a very angry dude who solves problems by punching them until they stop moving. 

First thing you'll find out is many companies helped bring this to life. And they're not going to let you forget it. Every-time you start the game you have to set through four or five logos.

Episode 1 (AW is broken into episodes) starts as many space operas do. A whole lot of space ships fighting. In this case it looks like Earth (Or Gaea in this case, why they pulled out a Greek name for a game that looks to have heavy Indian and Hindu Mythology influences is beyond me) has been taken over by angry red and black space squids (in space). The begin to introduce the cast now. You see Asura and the other eight Guardian Generals either on the front lines fighting space squids 
(in space) or piloting ships. We also see Asura's daughter, who is in a space ship being the "white mage" for the group. Worth noting that between the characters they dug deep into the well of anime character cliches and did not stop digging until they hit bedrock.

Cool and collected, handsome man, with a devil may care attitude? 

Check

Effeminate man who thinks battles and destruction are art?

Check

Character who is brilliant, but rather sit back and let others do the fighting?

Check

Strong and voluptuous female?

Check

Dainty but beautiful and devote female character with healing powers?

Check

REALLY big, brash, muscly man? 

That's like...five checks. 

I WOULD give them credit for making the impulsive, ANGRY character the main guy over "Devil may care" at the top, but it's really hard to see this as something besides a God of War clone. Not that that's a BAD thing, per se, they just don't score any originality points.

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Anyhow, you end up playing a sort of 3rd person Space Invaders type came in this level where Asura most "shoot" all the angry, red/black space squids (in space) with energy bolts he seems to be throwing from his arms. Kinda dull, especially since there seems to be no repercussions for not actually killing one or more of the squid things as they come towards you. The Squid Blasting is often interrupted by videos of the plot unfolding which are often interrupted by quicklime events. 

Eventually, one of the generals decides the epic Space Squid vs Golden Ship fleet battle (in space) is taking too long and they use their death star like weapon on the earth (which apparently isn't at full strength, apparently). The earth seems OK despite taking a hit to Antarctica. This is until Antarctica seems to explode upwards revealing the giant black/red sarlacc that was apparently resting underneath. Despite the fact that it looks to be about a tenth or more the size of earth and it just exploded out of the earth's crust. The rest of earth seems to be taking this in stride and seems strangely absent all the super-volcano action that would normally befall the planet if a good tenth of it exploded upwards.

Apparently it's king of the evil, space squids and the real reason all the ships and general are out. It unleashes a barrage of red energy that decimates the golden ship fleet (seriously, why did you even bring those thing?). Asura responds with a number of quick time events the culminate in him punching the bejesus out of the giant Sarlacc with his many, large, robot arms.

We are told this will pacify the beast for quite some time (no one knows how to kill it yet) and Asura is hailed as a hero.

Then we find out a bunch of the Guardians are conspiring and their evil plans involve Asura's daughter, but that they're thinking of killing off Asura or using him as a pawn in the plan...

My first impressions of the game where not great. I'm not a huge fan of quick-time events, and what little game play they showed was pretty boring, the characters where pretty cookie cutter and I found myself not caring about the plot even a little bit (this will change... eventually).

Another thing that sort of irked me was just how EPIC the game opened. As if it was trying too hard to be God of War where epicness is expected. I would have been OK if there where a couple more filler episodes to get a feel for the world before I have a space squid war (in space). Sure, God of Warpulls this stuff all the time, but it built up to it and made a reputation for itself first.

It's sort of like if the kool-aid man broke into your house through the wall and offered tasty, sugary beverages, you'd probably be like "Oh, awesome! Free kool-aid" despite the flagrant property damage, but if some random Sumo wrestler broke through your wall with a jug of some bright colored, unknown liquid, you'd call the fucking cops. 

Episode 2 to follow sometime soonish.

Justice4243

Episode 2: The Cliche pile doesn't stop from getting taller!

Asura returns home to spend some quality family time with his very anime looking wife and daughter.

This is cut short when the Emperor  requests Asura's presence. 

Asura arrives but the Emperor collapses, he catches him getting blood all over himself and discovers the Emperor has been murdered! 

At this point guards conveniently come in to label Asura a traitor. He responds by going into the first fun (but short) part of the game where we get to see the actual combat.

Meanwhile, people murder his wife, because fuck that bitch, and kidnap his daughter.

Not sure why the wife murder was necessary, she seemed completely helpless. Also, she's the sister of one of the other generals (devil may care) so the fact that he didn't arrange for her not to die is pretty disconcerting.

Asura eventually makes it to the other generals. He's quick to through around the "j'accuse" at them. And hey, they openly admit it! /Mystery Solved.

 Head Guardian goes all Emperor Palpatine on Asura's ass and then tosses him to the earth.

END OF EPISODE 2 

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Episode 3: Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka Dakka!

Asura wakes up holding on to what appears to be Korin Tower. A golden spider helpfully informs our hero that he is in Naraka.

It seems we're going with the "darkness" descriptions over the "Hell" ones as Asura has trouble remembering a great deal of things, including his name.

A quick-time event moves the plot along into flashback territory. 

We're invited to do a combat tutorial. I elected to do this as I thought combat was the best thing about this game.

Some basic punching the the hell out of things and power moves follow. Eventully, one discovers not every enemy lives on the ground and you have ranged attacks.

Ranged attacks that work like a machine gun of pure anger fired at all those you hate.

Enemy NOT in the air? No problem, blast the bejesus out of those fuckers, too.

Enemy still has some fight in them, but not moving so much? If you're not overheating (Yes, that's a thing) you can do some quick time event and punch him so fast there's a good chance he'll make Einstein reevaluate some of his theories.

You get to continue climbing when you're done. Your reward? More annoying spider and MOAR combat! Basically a more complex version of what happened in Episode 3.

When you're done, you find out  Asura is just reliving his memories j'accusing him. Eventually, Asura makes it back to Earth (I refuse to call it by it's bullshit Greek mythology inspired name. If you're going to come up with a different name for "Earth" at least use something true to the mythology you're borrowing/homaging from  or use "Terra"). Apparently, Earth is a shit hole now. Mr. Gold Spider helpfully informs Asura that he's been out of commission for several thousand years (I think...it's either 1,200 years or 12,000 years. You get to pick which one depending on how much you trust uncle Justice's memory when he's been drinking like a Sailor on shore leave.)

Asura is kinda pissed at the other Guardians. Partially for killing his wife and kidnapping his daughter, but also for managing to fuck up earth while he was dead.

So...this is where the game seems to really start, and I think the promo stuff + manuals reflect this. Asura has been "DEAD." for a long ass time as far as they're concerned. Also they like to mention how angry he is regarding daughter and such.

Also, we're about a sixth into this game and we finally get a tutorial for combat, so there's that.

I'd recommend getting at least this far before deciding on opinions of the game as the first two episodes don't really do this one justice. :P 

One-Winged Eagle

I've watched the entirety of the game and while I quite like watching it, I'm not too sure if it's that much fun to play.

And yes, most of why I like watching it is because of the Dharmic tradition aesthetics and because it reminds me of Roger Zelazny.

Justice4243

I still plan to play more, but you could very likely watch it and not be missing much.

Though the battles are fun, if few and far between. 

TheMightyAnonym

Effeminate man who thinks battles and destruction are art?

Check



Dat trope.

Justice4243

4 & 5: The fat guy always dies first.

 

The fat guy shows up (or maybe he was already there? It' been ages since I played four let alone 3) and you proceed to beat him up in between him delivering explanatory dialogue. When he's not beating YOU up and delivering explanatory dialogue during the cut-scenes that is.

When he's done having his large ass handed to him, he shows just WHY they are now Deities instead of Generals and turns into a giant. He reveals this has something to do with gross misuse of your daughter's powers.

Then you beat him up so more. Then he sicks in entire starship on you. Which you blast with energy bolts and pick up the missiles and throw it back at the ship until it explodes.

 

And you punch fatty some more, until HE'S IN ORBIT WITH THE MOON, BITCH! He gets pissed and goes ultra god mode so he's the size of earth and tries to crush you with a finger which is about the size of a mid-sized American state (like, one-a the square ones).

Apparently being crushed by a giant finger is the cure to amnesia because suddenly you remember everything and a few quick-time events and you've punched his finger so hard he explodes.

 

So I give #5 here a "HOLY BALLS, I'M BLOWING UP EVERY THING?! DID I JUST EXPLODE A STARSHIP?! DID I JUST PUNCH THAT GUY INTO SPACE?!?! DID I JUST PUNCH HIS FINGER SO HARD THAT HIS ENTIRE BEING JUST EXPLODED?!"

 

#4 I barely remember. It was comparatively dull. I guess but five was so obscenely fun to watch and play I don't give a damn.

 

This game does seem to get better the further I get, it's definitely got this ever growing "Beyond the Impossible thing" going strong, let's see if it can keep it up.

 

Also, there's like $15 worth of DLC now. Might pick that up next week as none of it seems to really come into play until at least after episode 11.

 

Justice4243

My reward for finishing is a picture of a handful of the deities.  Explody looks angry, red guy looks bored, old guy looks old.

 

Apparently this is the "Shinto -Meeting Chamber"...which, OK, I guess I wasn't expected Shinto to be thrown in the religious themed pot, but there's already a ton of Hindu and Buddhist themes, so the more the merrier, I suppose.

Justice4243

Also, I lost all but one arm punching that giant finger. That's probably important to mention...

Justice4243

Did I say one? I have no arms.

 

I have no arms and I am now fighting a somewhat Native American themed deity while music reminiscent of the Good, Bad, and Ugly plays.

 

I'm hoping I go Hearts Boxcars on the dude with gold feather earrings and eat everything from the waste up in one bite. 

Justice4243

Episode 6: Cripple fight

 

OK, no devouring, but a fight where all I could do was kick and head-butt was still pretty rad and worked pretty well except for during cut-scenes.

 

Despite raging my opponents golden mask off, he still kills me again...unless lava is like Azura's brier patch.

 

You know, he's pissed off enough, it just might be.

 

Also, that was the end of part one of three from the disk, and there's a forth that's downloadable.

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Welp. Looks like I'm dead for another 500 years.

 

Also Masky explains to Azura's unconscious daughter that her suffering is to ensure the giant red things don't go hog wild on everyone and that when this is all over she has his permission to kill him.

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Episode 7: I got up at like 5 A.M. and had all this goddamn flashbacks.

Azura remembers more about his wife, daughter and the general while climbing the tower. Then he get tired of climbing it and runs up it vertically. 

A crying baby (reminiscent of his daughter) wakes him from the slumber of being caught in the cracks of a mountain.

Also, I punched a giant, red, evil elephant into the sky.

It was a good day.

Justice4243

Episode 8: The tortoise is surprisingly hard.

The evil red things show up and start ruining the villager's shit. An apes off with the girl and baby. You give chance and shoot energy at the ape only stopping to kick it's ass when you get close (so cool).

Eventually you save the girl and baby, but  more red things and a giant turtle red thing shows up.

The turtle took me a few tries, first time I've died actually.  Funny how you can die in a cut-scene and wake up a few hundred years later, but die in battle and it's game over.

Anyhow, after shooting the bejesus out of the giant turtle, the old dude shows up and starts collecting mantra. Apparently this means the rampant slaughterer of all the villagers Azura takes his time intervening, but does eventually come to the rescue of who is left. You fight one of the giant buddha guys. 

At the end it looks like everyone except the girl (even the baby?!) is dead. The girl follows you as you go off to punch the hell out of some space ships. 

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Episode 9: Aerial Combat

OK, so mostly you daka everything into non-existence. 

This turns out to be something of a trap as you break into a main ship and old dude has the fleet blow it up.

This only makes you hulk out more and you break your way into old dude's ship and punch your way through several mooks and a mini-boss or two.

Eventually, you discover the ship is basically holding the souls of those killed for their mantra. Old dude runs to fight another day via escape pod rather than put up with your gamma radiation like ways...except for the part where you jump on his escape pod and start crushing it while old dude explains that their plan is all for the greater good and their will be no more big, red things once they are done.

Predictably, you crush him anyways. Take that, old dude.

Looks like the next battle is with your old master who has a giant fricken sword. Apparently, he allows you to rest up in a hot spring with some scantily clad ladies before the big match.

Camera angles where not my friend at times, and the lock on system was a pain when I was fighting one of the mini-bosses and I'd simply lock on to a closer mook every time.

Still, it was fun for the most part.