PlayStation

Brave Fencer Musashi

Brave Fencer Musashi masters the art of mixing game genres in a way that will appeal to a wider range of PlayStation owners than most RPGs. If you're looking for a hero this holiday, Musashi's your man.

I’m sure plenty of gamers would scoff at the light-hearted nature of this game, but I enjoyed it all the way to the end. Whether I was collecting action figures or hearing Musashi threaten to kick someone’s butt, the exuberant energy of it all made it hard to stop playing. I’d much rather have a short and cocky samurai hero than a dull protagonist that consistently monologues about boring crap. Brave Fencer Musashi is a game that makes it hard not to smile at the sheer silliness of it all.

This is a fast-paced, fairly simple-to-learn action/adventure RPG. Some puzzles are easy, whereas others can be difficult, which adds a great variety of challenges. The characters and storyline are interesting and entertaining, and all the different voices are a nice touch. This game is guaranteed to keep you challenged and busy for many hours, and I would recommend it to anyone who is into this type of game. When done with this game, you can open the other half of the jewel case and pop in the Final Fantasy VIII demo included for even more fun. Hats off to Square for another winner.

That aside, I still consider Musashi one of the year's best PlayStation games. If you're looking for a top-quality action-adventure game, it's an absolute must-have this holiday season. However, if true Zelda-style play is what you're after, the already-released Alundra will be more up your alley.

BFM is a nice change of pace from the typical serious "traditional-style" RPGs that we're used to from Square. As an action/RPG it's definitely solid, but it never really achieves the level of depth of say, Zelda or Secret of Mana. Still, it's not afraid to poke fun of itself (the humor in the game is great) and even though it's relatively short, it is fun to play. The whole passing of time thing is well-done and the music is great.

So, why doesn’t Musashi get more credit? Who can say. It’s not perfect; sometimes, the perspective can be cumbersome and the control, while jumping, can get shaky. Undoubtedly, a lot of people will get turned off by its less than oustanding appearance. In the end, all its small quirks can be forgiven when considering the amount of joy it’ll bring to any person that is willing to give it a chance. Hunt BFM down. It’s a keeper.

Overall, Brave Fencer Musashi goes a long way towards repairing Square's reputation, which had taken a beating after the release of shaky efforts like Soukaigi, Saga Frontier, and Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon. It's a fun game that relies more on gameplay and exploration than it does on flashy special effects, and it features a lengthy (although linear) quest that should satisfy even the most critical gamer. A Zelda killer it's not, but considering what's being offered here, it should more than make up for any unfortunate comparisons.

Although Brave Fencer is a good game it lacks some strong elements that Square has come to be known by. The game mixes elements of a platform jump and slash adventure, and the level gaining elements of an RPG. The two do mix well in the game but as I said there are some elements that fall short. The story for example tries, but doesn't have the depth and character development of other Square games.

Brave Fencer Musashi has some cool gameplay elements in it that will wow the most jaded console gamer, but the formulaic story, annoying characters, and "kiddie" feel of the game end up distracting the gamer as well as knocking it down a grade.

Overall, Brave Fencer Musashi is quite a marvel: a game that is easy to get involved with while at the same time boasting simple game play and a vast world to explore. It's not quite a Zelda, but it's many unique features are enough for it to stand out among Action/RPG's. In fact, BFM may just be Playstation's best adventure platformer. Check it out.

Finally, the game is pretty short. My final time was 14 hours, with perhaps half of the sidequests and max levels. The game prompted me for a save after the credits, so there is a replay option, but no added endings or challenge, meaning it's for completists only. All said, the nasty, evil puzzles gave me a terrible impression while struggling through the games mid-section, but the last chapter and the game's humor saved it from a dismal grade.