0 to Z of Playstation 1 Games - Brave Fencer Musashi

      

Brave Fencer Musashi also known as Brave Fencer Musashiden in Japan, is an action roleplaying game developed by Square for the Playstation. The game was self published by Square in Japan, with Square Electronic Arts publishing the North American release. The company was a joint venture between Square and ElectronicArts from 1998 to 2003 when Square merged with Enix.

The game released in North America and Japan, with both releases coming in 1998, the Japanese release of the game coming first on the 16^th July, with a North American release coming on the 10^th of November. 

In addition to the original Playstation release the game also released on PSP and PS3 on the 9^th of July 2008, and the PS Vita on the 28^th of August 2012 via the PSN Network. The original release of the game came with a second disc, this contained a demo of the upcoming Final Fantasy VIII.

This game had some of the Square greats working on the game with Executive Producer on the game Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series as well as working on games such as Parasite Eve, Bushido Blade, Front Mission 3, Vagrant Story and Kingdom Hearts and many more.

Alongside Sakaguchi also working on this game as a Character illustrator was Tetsuya Nomura, who also moved onto the Final Fantasy series and was the Character Designer for Final Fantasy VIII. X and X-2. More recently however he has been most associated with the Kingdom Hearts series working in multiple areas of the games development from the Story to Production, Direction as well as the games art and graphics.

Brave Fencer Musashi is an action role playing game, in which the player users a sword to fight enemies in action based combat from a birds eye view perspective. In addition to the action side of things the game also features role playing elements.

The player controls Musashi as he fights off enemies using his two swords, Fusion and Lumina, with the player searching for five scroll to increase the power of Lumina and grant Musashi and the player additional abilities.

The two Swords that Musashi uses have varied abilities, the first weapon that Musashi receives is the Fusion, this sword resembles a Katana, this weapon is used to chain together rapid combo hits together, as well as being used to absorb Bincho energy, this energy is a type of magical points system which controls how many spells the player can cast as well as how quickly they can be cast as well absorbing enemies skills.

The second sword that Musashi can use is the Lumina, this sword can not be used effectively in combos, instead the player searches out elemental scrolls, these scrolls embue their elemental properties to Lumina and in turn allow Lumina to gain new skills. The two swords are often used together will certain techniques, these techniques are gained by various townspeople that have been rescued by the player.

In addition to the combat and exploration of the games world, it also features minigames and puzzles which are scattered around the world, these puzzles and minigames need to be completed in order to advance the games plot.

Basic movement around the world of Brave Fencer Musashi is done with the D-Pad, the game also supports the new Duel shock controller so the left analogue stick can also be used for movement. The player can slow down Musashi’s regular movement speed by pressing L1 to make Musashi move more cautiously.

Musashi can also jump, this is done by hitting the X button, double jumps are also possible after picking up certain items. The player can rotate the camera any time, except for certain parts of the game, outside of these areas the player can use either the L2 or R2 shoulder buttons with each corresponding to the rotation direction.

When starting the game the player only has one sword available the Fusion, soon after starting the game however the player will acquire a second blade the Lumina. Each of these weapons has their own button assigned, the Fusion is used with the Square button, while the Lumina can be used with the Triangle button.

These two weapons differ in both power and speed, with the Fusion the much faster striking blade, however it is much weaker. While the Lumina is your more heavy striking weapon, but at the  cost of speed. There are techniques that the player learns from townspeople that they have saved, these techniques can be used by using a combination of both square and triangle buttons.

In addition to the techniques you learn from rescued townspeople, you can acquire techniques through assimilation, this feature allows you to steal the abilities of enemies. To do this the player must press and hold the R1 shoulder button to fill up a gauge, when fill and keeping the R1 button pressed hit the Square button to throw your fusion blade at the enemy you wish to steal an ability from.

If you are successful in your blade throw and it hits the enemy you must hit the Square button repeatedly until a gauge fills up. Once the ability has been acquired the player can hit the Circle button to use the ability, some of the abilities acquire are static ones, this mean that they only effect Musashi for a certain amount of time, using the Assimilation skills will consume your BP.

BP as mentioned earlier is your Bincho Power or BP, this power is what is needed to use enemy abilities that you have assimilated, letting your BP fall to zero will not result in any harm coming to Musashi, but it will have a detrimental effect on his overall performance, with Musashi becoming weak and slow. BP will also naturally decrease over time.

The player can restore their Bincho Power by eating bread, the only way to increase your Bincho maximum level is to find Bincho Fields, these are large green crystals that the townspeople have been trapped inside, hitting these crystals with Lumina will release them and increase your maximum Bincho level.

Tiredness plays an important part of how effective Musashi will be, pausing the game with the start button will show Mushasi’s tiredness level at the bottom of the screen. The more tired Musashi the slower he will become, if his tiredness level reaches 70% or higher there is a risk of Musashi falling asleep on the battlefield.

To alleviate Musashi’s tiredness level you can sleep, doing so out on the battlefield however will only reduce Musashi’s tiredness level to 25%. You can also take mints with you one your travels. You can tell how tired Musashi is by looking at the portrait on the right of the screen, this will close the more tired Musashi is.

Like many RPG’s the progress of your character is based on experience and current level. In this game Musashi’s overall level is based on four factors, these are Body, Mind , Fusion and Lumina. Body is Musashi’s strength, this is levelled up as you defeat enemies, Mind is the player characters defence, this is increased by simply walking around the game world.

Fusion and Lumina are self explanatory with each representing your attack power with each of Musashi’s weapons, unlike Body and Mind each of the weapons has a maximum limit for each of the chapters of the game, so grinding early in the game to get the maximum level possible for your weapons is pointless.

When chapter 2 beings the player will be introduced to the Allucaneet Palace, while this area does have some plot related cut scenes the main purpose of the Palace is a hub area. The Great Hall is where you will find all of the townspeople you have rescued, this is also where you will learn many of the techniques you can use in battle.

There is a library where the librarian will read any books you want, the books are mostly to add some lore to the game, Musashi has his own room in the palace, here the player can sleep as well as play with any toys they have purchased from the toy store.

There are also a variety of shops, these shops have opening times with the exception of the Inn which is open 24 hours a day, here you can sleep, sleeping advanced the time, with the game having a day/night cycle. The inn is also the only place where you can save your game.

Other shops available include the Bakery, where you buy your bread to restore you decreasing BP, any bread purchased must be consumed within 3 days otherwise it will begin to go off. The Grocery Store is where you purchase your healing items, mints and antidotes. The store also stocks some food items such as rice balls, these like the bread will go off after a while, the only exception to this is Cheese which will increase the amount of HP and BP restored if kept longer.

Another shop is the Restaurant, here  you can again restore your HP and BP as well as play cards against Macho. The Pawn shop allows Musashi to bring rare and unusual items that he find, but has no clue what they are, at the Pawn shop Musashi can have the items appraised. The final shop is the Toy Store, here the player will be able to buy a range of toys that will appear in their room in the Palace, these toys have not bonus effects, and are merely in the game as a collectable

The games story follows Musashi, a young swordsman who is summoned to a parallel world to defend the Allucanet Kingdom from the invading Thirstquencher Empire. It turns out that Musashi is the the reincarnation of the great and legendary warrior Brave Fencer Musashi, who saved the Allucanet empire from a monster called the Wizard of Darkness 150 years ago.

Musashi who was summoned by the ruler of Allucanet, Princess Fillet and is tasked with saving the kingdom, Musashi is given the blade fusion and tasked with finding Brave Fencer Musashi’s sword Lumina, the Sword of Luminescence before the invading Thirstquencher army finds it.

Musashi sets out to find the sword even though he has not intention of helping, with his sole aim to return to his own world. Once he has recovered the sword he learns that Princess Fillet along with most of the people from the Allucanet Kingdom have been kidnapped by the Thirstquencher Empire.

In order for Musashi to rescue the all of the people and the Princess he must set out and find five scrolls, these scrolls each hold an elemental power that when combined with Lumina will allow Musashi to be able to greatly augment the power of Lumina.

Critically Brave Fencer Musashi was quite well received, with the game peaking with a couple of impressive 90 rated reviews, as well as a good number of review scores in the 80s range. The game also received a good number of decent review scores, and while the game did have a couple of lower rated reviews, the game did not fall below an above average 60.

As usual we will start with the best of them, which comes from GamePro (US) who rated the game at an impressive 90. The reviewer found that 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. They concluded by saying, If you're looking for a hero this holiday, Musashi's your man.

Thunderbolt Games were next up with the second 90 rated review for the game, this reviewer coming much later than most of the games reviews, with it being published in 2006. The reviewer finding that many may scoff at the light hearted nature of the game, but the reviewer enjoyed there time with the game all the way to the end.

The reviewer continued by saying, 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. The reviewer continued by saying, I’d much rather have a short and cocky samurai hero than a dull protagonist that consistently monologues about boring crap. Concluding the reviewer had the following to say, Brave Fencer Musashi is a game that makes it hard not to smile at the sheer silliness of it all.

Gamezilla are next up with a very good 88 score, the reviewer found the game to be a fast paced and fairly simple to learn action/adventure RPG, with a good variety of puzzles with some being easy while others can be difficulty, which the reviewer found to add a great variety of challenges.

The reviewer also found the games storyline and characters to be interesting and entertaining, they also found the different voices are a nice touch. The reviewer continued by saying, 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. The reviewer also praised the inclusion of the Final Fantasy VIII demo with the game.

Absolute Playstation are up next with another very good reviewer score, this time an 87. The reviewer finding the game to be another treat from Square, with the game managing to perfectly balance a unique blend of RPG and action all in the same game, without losing the focus on exploration.

Graphically the reviewer found the game to by your standard super deformed RPG variety, but at the same time are well designed and implemented, the reviewer also praised the musical score and extremely humorous voice acting throughout the game. Concluding the reviewer had the following to say, Looks like another winner from Square...just don't go into the game expecting a Final Fantasy style epic.

IGN are next up with a good 85 rated reviewer, with the reviewer finding that Square has managed to impress yet again, with the reviewer drawn in by the solid controls, clever puzzles and excellent visual design, as well as the loads of personality. The reviewer continued by praising the soundtrack as well which they called stellar.

The reviewer continued by saying, It’s obvious that Square was going for a Zelda-style old 8it game with Musashi, but the game ended up very action heavy, which the reviewer is fine with. And continued by saying, In fact, I found myself enjoying the action scenes so much at points that I almost wished the game was without its more "RPG-esque" town and exploration elements entirely.

While the reviewer did have plenty of praise for the game they did have some issues, with the reviewer not caring for the surprising amount of slowdown and the annoying voice acting. With the reviewer finding the protagonists beginning to grate on their nerves rather quickly, with the reviewer skipping it entirely after a few minutes.

Concluding the reviewer even with the couple of issues still found Musashi to be one of the years best Playstation games, concluding by saying. 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.

Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) are next up with a good 83 rated review, with the reviewer finding the game to be a nice change of pace from the typical serious traditional style RPGs that were use to from Square. The reviewer found the game as an Action/RPG it is definitely solid, but never reaches the depth of the likes of Zelda or Secret of Mana.

Still the reviewer found that the game is not afraid to poke fun at itself, with the game having great humour, and even though the game is relatively short, it is fun to play. The reviewer also praised the whole passing of time thing is well done, the reviewer also praised the games music calling it great.

Next we head over to France and Jeuxvideo.com who rated the game at a good 80, this reviewer came quite recently back in 2011, with the reviewer commenting that Brave Fencer Musashi is game with mixed success, and is a game that many players remember for the Final Fantasy 8 demo that was included in the box.

The reviewer continued by saying. This does not prevent it from being an extremely nice game, that we take pleasure in playing through again once in a while. The reviewer concluded by saying. If English does not bother you and you like old-school action-RPG, then this title is a very good choice.

Heading to the other end of the review scale we find a decent score of 75 from Game Revolution, with the reviewer finding the game has some cool gameplay elements in it that will wow the most jaded of console games. The reviewer continued however by saying. But the formulaic story, annoying characters and kiddie feel of the game will end up distracting the gamer as well as knocking the game down a grade.

GameCola.net are next up with a decent 74 review score, with the reviewer finding that overall Brave Fencer Musashi is quite a marvel, with the game being easy to get involved with, while at the same time boasting simple gameplay and vast world to explore.

The reviewer continued by saying. It’s not quite Zelda, but it’s many unique features are enough for it to stand out amongst Action/RPG’s. In fact, Brave Fencer Musashi may just be Playstations best adventure platformer and you should check it out.

Just RPG are next up with another 74 rated review, with the reviewer finding the game to be pretty short, with the reviewers final finishing time for the game 14 hours, with half of the side quests and max levels, with the game prompting the reviewer to save after the credits.

With the reviewer finding replay value in the game, but no additional endings or challenges, with the reviewer finding this is only for completionist’s. The reviewer while playing the game did not have a good time with the games puzzles, calling them the nasty and evil puzzles which gave them a terrible impression while struggling through the mid section of the game. The reviewer finding the last chapter and the games humour saved it from a dismal grade.

Back to France for the next reviewer, a 70 from Legendra from 2012. The reviewer finding the game to a rather solid and entertaining RPG despite it’s faults and being a little annoying, but will offer a good does of fun, but definitely not the Zelda killer that it was touted. The reviewer continued by mentioning the games lack of crazy commercial success and unfortunately will be remembered as the game that contained the demo for Final Fatnasy VIII, which the reviewer found to be a little unfair.

For the penultimate reviewer we drop down to an above average review score of 60, the first of two that rated the game at this score which comes from RPGDreamers. With the reviewer finding Brave Fencer Musashi to be a beginners RPG, with the game being a great warm up before tackling the harder action RPG’s like the Alundra series.

The final review comes from Adrenaline Vault, who also rated the game at an above average 60, the reviewer finding the game to be fraught with inconsistencies and potholes. The reviewer found the game to be a satisfactory, basic RPG, it is nowhere near the level of excellence that it should be.

The reviewer did praise the game for having some terrific moments, but at the same time they found the game to have some real downers, with the reviewer comparing it to like having to watch Jerry Springer while recovering health.

This is the part of 0 to Z where is visit four online retailers and see what the availability of the title is, and what price you would be looking at if you wanted to pick this title up, the sites that I will be using for this are Amazon.com, eStarland.com, retrogames.co.uk and Gamedude.com I know the last one is very location specific, but from a podcast I listen to, I’ve heard they have a huge stock of older games, Ebay has now been dropped unless the game is unavailable at other retailers.

So lets get down to business with Gamedude, where we find this a quite rare game, with a trade in price of $30 if you are looking to trade in your copy of the game at Gamedude. On the other hand if you are looking to buy a copy from them you will be looking at a $59 outlay.

Next up is Retrogames.co.uk who sadly don’t have the North American release of the game listed, they do however have the Japanese release of the game listed. With a single copy of Brave Fencer Musashiden listed, this copy comes in excellent condition, with a disc quality rating of 10/10, the game also comes complete and can be picked up for £20.

Moving on to eStarland.com where we find the game listed, sadly at the time of writing eStarland are currently out of stock for the game. When in stock the game has a usual used price of between $29.23 and $64.95. 

Also on offer at eStarland is a trade in for the game, with up to $34 being offered for a complete copy of the game. As well as the game eStarland have a copy of the games guide on offer, this used copy can be purchased for $14.50, a trade in is also offered with up to $4 paid for a copy of the guide.

Lastly we have Amazon.com where we find a modest supply of the game available where we find the entire first page of listings are disc only or incomplete copies of the game, with the cheapest disc only copy of the game priced up at $36.69.

The first confirmed complete copy that is currently on the market is the Black Label edition of the game, this copy comes in like new condition and is priced at $89.99, this copy also comes with the Final Fantasy VIII demo disc included as well. Hiding away on the final page of listings is a very good condition and complete copy of the game, this copy will however set you back $103.89.

Another couple of like new condition copies are also on the market, these two copies however are significantly more expensive priced up at $153.98 and $153.99, with a fourth like new copy priced at $204.62, this copy does not state the completeness of the game.

Written by

P J Gibbon