Even by today's standards, born in"Muramasa: The Demon Blade" from 2009 is also somewhat unique among VANILLAWARE's many works.
From a gameplay design perspective, it maximally consideredthe hardware characteristics of the Wii, using a one-button operation logic to greatly lower the entry barrier for side-scrolling action games. By reinforcing the core concept of integrated offense and defense, it strengthened positive feedback during combat, making it easier for players to derive pleasure from battles.
From a visual concept perspective, it remains VANILLAWARE's only Japanese-style themed work to date. In the game, players need to control the two protagonists, Momohime and Kisuke, traveling through various regions of Japan, inevitably featuring VANILLAWARE's detailed depiction of folk scenery during the Genroku period— Among them, the representation of local cuisines under different regional and cultural backgrounds has become an indispensable signature element in VANILLAWARE's works.
In fact, "Muramasa: The Demon Blade" wasback in 2013, it was once brought to the PlayStation Vita (hereinafter referred to as PSV) platform, along with the release of the standalone short story "Genroku Kaidan," which expanded on the original worldview. To this day, these contents can still only be experienced on PSV.
It is precisely because of these reasons that over the past decade or so, the issue of modernizing "Muramasa" has periodically been brought up— After all, for players living today, there are indeed not many channels available to revisit this game.
Earlier this year at the Nintendo Direct, publisherMARVELOUS suddenly announced that the remake of this title, "Muramasa Rebirth: Kaidan," would be coming to multiple modern platforms including PC, sparking cheers from players. Even more surprisingly, in addition to including the "Genroku Kaidan" chapter from the start, this remake has brought back the original staff from VANILLAWARE to modernize the systems, graphics, and other aspects.
So, taking advantage of the previousThanks to the opportunity provided by Bilibili's "Youxiankan" offline demo event, we were also fortunate to receive an invitation from MARVELOUS to conduct a brief interview with two key figures involved in the remake and porting process: MARVELOUS Producer Makoto Shiota and VANILLAWARE Development Director Wataru Nakanishi. We hope to gain more useful information from them.
Below is the original text of this exclusive interview:
Q: First, could you share the motivation behind developing this title? Why choose this particular moment to bring "Muramasa" back to modern platforms, including PC? And which party first proposed this port/remake?
Shiota:This port/remake wasMARVELOUS proactively proposed it. In fact, for a long time, there have been people within the company who hoped to let players experience "Muramasa" on current platforms, and I was one of them. Regarding this remake, we had several discussions with VANILLAWARE, and now that both sides feel the timing is right, we finally finalized the development plan for this title.
Q: During the porting and development process of "Muramasa Rebirth: Kaidan," what roles did MARVELOUS and VANILLAWARE respectively undertake?
Shiota:VANILLAWARE remains responsible for the core game development, while MARVELOUS handles production coordination, localization, and distribution and sales in various regions.
Q: Seventeen years have passed since the original release of "Muramasa." Among the development team responsible for this port, how many people had participated in the original development? After so many years, what were your biggest feelings when participating in the related development work for this title again?
Nakanishi:Many members who participated in the original development have also joined the project this time.
For instance, Mr. Fujiwara, who was responsible for character animations such as those for Kisuke and Ranmaru in the past, now serves as the Character Team Lead; he previously handledMr. Yamashita, who handled background art for the Wii version, is now responsible for UI design; Mr.ShigatakeMr. (Shigatake), who also continues to handle the same work this time. Similar cases of original members returning for this development are actually quite numerous...
For me, "Muramasa" happens to be a project I participated in as a planner when I first entered the industry. So, being able to join again this time as Development Director feels like a wonderful coincidence, and I'm very happy about it.
Q: From a market perspective, this title can already be categorized as an "older game." In the development team's view, were there any designs or content in the original game that didn't align with today's player habits? If so, did you make modifications to them?
Nakanishi:There are certainly elements that don't align with today's player habits, and in this remakeThe most representative modification is the adjustment of the movement system. For example, in the original"Sedan Bearers" could only move in one direction, limiting their practicality. In this version, however, players can freely travel to any location within areas they already have maps for, effectively adding a fast-travel function. We adjusted these parts to better align with current player habits, making the game easier to play.
Q: Actually, what surprised me most about "Muramasa Rebirth: Kaidan" is the customizable "Secret Arts" system. This new feature allows players to freely arrange skills on each cursed sword. Why was this change added? And how does this new system change the combat experience in this version?
Nakanishi:In order toTo breathe new life into "Muramasa" in the modern era, one of our goals was to expand players' gameplay options— In the original, Secret Arts were fixed to specific swords. Although there were as many as 108 Secret Arts, most of them gradually became less useful in the later stages of the game.
In this version, players can freely configure learned Secret Arts, with three slots each for ground and air combat. We retainedthe simple and intuitive "Directional Pad + Secret Art Button" control scheme, while allowing players to flexibly switch Secret Arts based on the situation or organize combat around their preferred Secret Arts. This way, each player can gradually develop their own fighting style.
Q: In the original "Muramasa," the three modes "Musou," "Shura," and "Shikyo" offered completely different gaming experiences, arguably making "Muramasa" as an action RPG most worth replaying. In this port, will you make further adjustments to these three modes?
Nakanishi:We have readjusted the overall balance of the game, but the positioning of the three modes has not changed significantly— "Musou" allows players to fully enjoy exhilarating combat; "Shura" offers tense, breath-taking battle experiences; while "Shikyo" is characterized by the tension brought by high-risk, one-hit-kill combat.
It's worth mentioning that this timeThe "Shikyo" mode can be selected from the very beginning of the game, no longer requiring completion of the game to unlock.
Q: When talking about VANILLAWARE's works, stunning 2D art and visual effects are always what players talk about most. And "Muramasa" is one of the few Japanese-style themed works among VANILLAWARE's titles. In the development team's view, what are the special compositional elements in the game's scenes that players should pay attention to?
Nakanishi:The game features many distinctive backgrounds worthy of careful appreciation. These include beautiful landscapes varying across the four seasons, intricately structured and majestic castles, and turbulent seas inspired by Katsushika Hokusai's famous work "The Great Wave off Kanagawa." Even I find it difficult to pick a single favorite spot.
However, if I were to highlight a unique feature of this version, I'd especially recommend the newly added hot spring scenes. From the stunning open-air baths with views of Mount Fuji to the cave baths known for their clear waters, each location has been crafted with as much care as the familiar areas from the original, resulting in excellent quality. We hope players will also enjoy a hot spring tour during their travels.
Q: I heard that "Muramasa Rebirth: Kaidan" will add more food and gameplay elements on top of the original. Could you briefly reveal some of the content worth paying attention to and looking forward to? Also, did you encounter any difficulties or challenges when creating these new elements not present in the original?
Nakanishi:Regarding cuisine, we have added some new dishes to tea houses, soba noodle shops, and kappo restaurants. Additionally, as mentioned earlier, Mr. Shigatake (シガタケ), who was responsible for food design in the original, will continue to handle this part in the remake. All dishes, including those from the original, have been polished anew, with smoother motion performance and more appealing visuals. We hope you will carefully appreciate these details.
As for the new gameplay content, we not only considered how to make these new elements interesting in themselves but also thought about how to naturally integrate content absent from the original into the game without making players feel it's abrupt. To achieve this, we tried to ensure the new elements延续 (continue) the original gameplay experience while maintainingUI design consistency, ensuring they blend harmoniously with the overall game.
Q: In fact, "Muramasa" and VANILLAWARE have many loyal fans in many countries and regions overseas. After the announcement of this ported version, did you pay attention to the reactions of overseas players? Which feedback left a deep impression on you?
Shiota:Thank you very much for the enthusiastic responses from players around the world. Not only in Asia, but we also received a lot of feedback from other parts of the world. What made me particularly happy was that there were more players interested in Japanese culture and history than I had imagined.
Nakanishi:I'm very happy to receive so much feedback from overseas players. When this title was first announced at the Nintendo Direct, I also keenly observed everyone's various reactions and found them very interesting.
Q: Finally, do you have any message you'd like us to convey to Chinese players?
Shiota:To allow Chinese gamers to immerse themselves more deeply in the world of "Muramasa Rebirth: Kaidan," we have added Chinese language support for the first time. We hope you will fully enjoy this story revolving around the mysterious and beautiful cursed sword, Muramasa.
Nakanishi:This time, we're finally able to let everyone experience the game in Chinese. We hope you'll fully enjoy the more dynamic and versatile sword combat, as well as this journey set in the Genroku era, filled with Japanese aesthetic beauty and spectacular performances.