GŌSŌ JINRAI DENSETSU MUSYA
( Musya : The Classic Japanese Tale of Horror )
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豪槍神雷伝説 武者
©DataM Polystar 1992
Release: 1992-04-21 (¥8880)
Cartridge SHVC-MY
Action/Platform game
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Released in America as
MUSYA: THE CLASSIC JAPANESE TALE OF HORROR
(SNS-MY-USA)
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Musya is a mystical platform game by Datam Polystar. The game
borrows many elements and characters from traditional Japanese folklore and
legends such as Tanuki, Kappa, Tengu and Daruma monsters.
The player takes control of Imoto, a spear-man warrior bored by the horrors of
war and on a journey through the dark demon world. Evil spirits are about to open the
Gate of the Abyss and Imoto seems to be the only one capable of fighting
them. He also needs to rescue Shizuka, a maiden who holds the magic talisman, only
artifact capable of sealing these demons away. Imoto comes equipped with a spear,
which can be upgraded to improve its reach and power. Imoto can pierce his enemies,
quickly spin his spear and use it as a shield or jump up in the air and crash down on them,
although not doing as much damage as anticipated. He can also trigger thrust attacks, crouch
or execute long jumps by holding the up button. Special capsules in the shape of odd looking
eggs are scattered around each stage and contain items such as life containers or magic orbs.
Magic, yet limited, plays an important role in the game and each defeated boss rewards
Imoto with a magic spell scroll. Various Japanese gods can also be summoned during
the game - Ashura, for instance, provokes a destructive storm and wipes out most
enemies on screen whereas Daikisshō refills Imoto's precious life bar. Finally,
a simple password system allows the player to save his progress.
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The american version of Musya was slightly edited. In the first stage, the large
Tanuki boss from the Japanese game was changed and the large 'testicles' edited out.
The power menu was also changed and the small swastika crosses removed (picture on the right).
Controls are also slightly different, Imoto can jump higher in the American version
and can change direction while attacking.
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Story copied from the American version's introduction sequence:
Long ago, a pikeman
name Imoto survived
a great battle.
He alone escaped
defeat by fleeing
to a mountain
village.
Imoto started for
the village but
collapsed after a
few steps.
"Awaken soldier!
I'm Akagi, mayor of
this hamlet.
This is Tengumura.
We're the gatekeepers of the
abyss.
Shizuka holds the
talisman that seals
the abyss. She was
taken today by a
guard of the 'evil
one' that is locked
in the abyss.
Please help her!"
"I know why I alone
survived. Akagi-san.
My destiny lies
within the abyss!"
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Click on picture to enlarge |
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Japanese level passwords:
MITA (level 2)
KASI (level 3)
KAMI (level 4)
RENJ (level 5)
AKU四 (level 6)
NO一N (level 7)
0六六F (level 8)
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American level passwords:
MWTV (level 2)
KVSMI (level 3)
KVMW (level 4)
RQNJ (level 5)
VKX4 (level 6)
NZ1N (level 7)
Z66F (level 8)
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LK
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Add your Pov here !
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P
O
V
s
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Musya is a tedious and unrewarding game. Ok, maybe I was a bit
harsh but if you happen to play it, you'll soon realize how adequate
these two little words are to describe it. Musya looks amazing and
wicked, there's nothing wrong in this regard. Graphics are sharp and sprites
are beautifully drawn with gorgeous details and eye-dropping enemy designs.
But here comes the fall - the gameplay and controls are terrible. Imoto
is agonizingly sluggish, his jump is pretty useless and his spear is utterly
underpowered and incapable of killing anything (it gets more powerful as the
game progresses though). How did he survive the war mentioned in the
introduction sequence is beyond me. And enemies need to take an atrocious
amount of hits before they finally go down, which sometimes doesn't even matter
as they just keep respawning again and again. Finally, and not the least, the
game designers have decided to recycle levels later in the game - I knew about
"boss recycling", but entire stages ? What a Shame ! Musya could have been
a first class platform game but it falls short in a number of key areas.
Another missed opportunity...
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