Welcome to Late to the Game, where Sarah Ingram of The Geekmates reviews games that she’s shamefully left unplayed up to this point. It’s like newbie recaps, but not. Scroll to the bottom for a few options as to what you can peer pressure Sarah into playing next.
Asura’s Wrath is something I bought almost 2 years ago after playing the demo, but then ended up putting aside because it’s not the type of game I usually play. It seemed really loud and in your face and fast, which is really different from the long, slow grind of JRPG’s that typically fill my systems. I was intrigued, but then, as usual, it was put off.
Until now.
I just put the game in and I already have 11% completion hahaha #latetothegame
— CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 19, 2015
First of all, the sounds for selecting things in-game are super annoying – it’s the Navi “hey listen” equivalent of a select noise. Luckily I am soon away from menus and collectible pages (omg so manyyyyy) and into the text background story. Asura and seven others are guardian generals, demigods that protect mankind and Gaea from Gohma, who for some reason just like to kill people, and try to do it every 12,000 years. Seriously, I have no idea why. But it’s happening, and that’s super bad, so the generals are once again going to try to stop them.
I start off by falling to earth and fighting through the credits. The game isn’t exactly clear on what you should be shooting at, but button mashing whatever they put on the screen seems to be working. Also, there are so many Quick Time Events (or “QTEs”)! I love these things, and I remember them from the demo it was one of the things that peaked my interest in the first place.
Yesssssssss. Later, Ghomas!
Ghomas look like squidies #latetothegame pic.twitter.com/vP4g1mkGZQ — CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 19, 2015
I’ve got some sweet buddies fighting with me, like Wyzen and his awesome fists, as well as Mithra, the mantra goddess who is ALSO my daughter and has some crazy ass powers, might I add. So proud.
SO. MUCH. PUNCH. #latetothegame
— CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 19, 2015
The generals have decided to shoot the giant dude-face (Brahamastra) at the earth, and then A GIANT GHOMA DUDE APPEARS and splices a whole bunch of our friends. This is like Dune. But with more arms.
this is probably not a good thing to be poking out of the earth. #latetothegame pic.twitter.com/xrTX5cqCWa — CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 19, 2015
There was an honest-to-god commercial break house at this point, with a crazy pink bright screen that made literally no sense. The screen read “to be continued” and then came right back.
Huh? Well, okay, fine.
The combat, or at least the shooting, is kind of weird. I’m mashing the shit out of the buttons, but there’s no indication on whether or not I’m doing damage to these things, or how much, or what’s really happening to me. The gauge is filling as I’m doing damage, at least, so that’s something. It’s literally all QTE’s and if you do enough, cool; if not – try again. It’s super different from anything I’ve ever played before.
Asura gets super blown up by the volcano dune monster (Vlitra) but is fine (?), and then subdues the bad thing. Rest time.
Apparently you get ratings after each chapter, based on how well you punched through things or how fast you were? No idea. I got an A though! The game plays like a show – there’s B-roll, voiceovers on scenes, and pretty much an “on the next” sequence before you start a new episode. It’s weirdddddddd.
The soundtrack is really intense at times and pretty in others, especially during the interludes they play to explain the story. Which, by the way, I am super thankful for, because OMG is it a hot mess of confusing. I dig it though – it’s like a weird super manly ultra god fight anime that I get to mash buttons to. The art is also really gorgeous during these recap sections. If this was a manga, or an anime, I would be really into it. (OMG IT IS A MANGA).
interlude art so pwetty #latetothegame pic.twitter.com/p3mrafLyyX
— CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 19, 2015
There’s something fishy going on. The other dudes are planning things behind Asura’s back that involves his daughter, somehow, and I doubt he will like that. His wife seems some sweet though!
The emperor wants to see me, which we think is for a good thing but SURPRISE, IT’S NOT; he is dead and also now your wife is dead and your daughter was taken and you have been super betrayed because surprise they made it look like it was you! Now the other demigods are against you because whatever sick plan they have for your daughter, they’re preeeeettyyyy sure you won’t be down for that. Just a hunch.
an arrow to the knee? HA! #latetothegame pic.twitter.com/1FGifvxFzG — CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 19, 2015
THEIR MASTER PLAN HAS BEEN REVEALED! They want to save the world and start over, and to do that they need to use Mithra, and so they throw Asura overboard to earth. You can’t kill ME that easily, he goes, so he plans his vengeance, with the help of a spider, from earth.
FLASHBACK TUTORIAL!
Apparently it’s been 12,000 years since I’ve last been to Earth (and was knocked out of heaven) and it is not looking good. Turns out that all this destruction was the demigods’ fault, not the Gohma, and Asura is not pleased. Also they are all trying to kill him. So, there’s that. Mithra, who has the power over mantra, is the only one that can help them defeat their enemies, and so I guess that means they have to kill her mother and banish her father to do that. For reasons.
There are no saves, which is kind of frustrating when it’s bedtime and you don’t want to have to replay an entire episode. Luckily they are on the shorter side, but it would be nice to not feel stuck in the segment you are in until you finish it.
The boss battles, however, are epic.
OMG I just got butt-slammed hahahaha #latetothegame pic.twitter.com/6BEyvl7Ngq
— CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 21, 2015
yeeeaaaahhhh … that’s Earth on the bottom left there ….#latetothegame pic.twitter.com/jvE2a7m8zF
— CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 21, 2015
he tryin to squish me but nah #latetothegame pic.twitter.com/4BOnb468VN — CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 21, 2015
I PUNCHED MY OWN ARM OFF #latetothegame — CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 21, 2015
my arms noooooooo #latetothegame pic.twitter.com/iJHQls3hfT
— CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 23, 2015
The way I play the game is pretty stressful. The button mashing is extreme and fast and hurts my eyes and makes me kinda tired, so I can only stand it for short amounts of time; but in those short amounts of time, I am kind of really in love with this.
There are so many trophies, and I want them all and I have no idea what they are but they pop up a lot. The funniest ones happen when enemies are monologuing: you can “shut them up” and get rewarded for it. Nice.
asuras wrath will be one of those games I love but can only stomach for a couple hours at a time #latetothegame pic.twitter.com/94kUxnAVKc — CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 19, 2015
REVEAL YOUR SECRETS #latetothegame pic.twitter.com/Erk2q8jDjE
— CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 19, 2015
The game is SUPER DUPER MACHO. LIKE WOWZA. At one point Asura is saved by another demigod, and instead of maybe “thank you” he tells him to mind his own business. They fight over whose turn to kill it is, and whose had “their share” – it’s like that scene between Gimli and Legolas when their counting deaths, but way less endearing. The generals also essentially enslave the priestess so they can be deities (because demigod was I guess not good enough) and use souls to get all big and super powerful. It’s to fight the Gohma, yes, but also probably makes their peens feel huge and they feel really good about themselves. Even the lady deity, Olga, is super macho.
The (now) deities think they are saving Gaea but Mithra must suffer, so of course Asura is not impressed with that. He faces off against them one by one IN ULTIMATE FIGHTING FASHION!
First, Asura fights Yasha and then drowns in lava. Yasha then rubs it in Mithra’s face.
Nice touch, though.
there are *always* credits on the screen #latetothegame pic.twitter.com/Bo8yO4DkK1 — CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 23, 2015
500 YEARS LATER?! #latetothegame
— CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 23, 2015
So Asura is back in Naraka, which I’m assuming is Hell? But I’ve got my arms back, woot! I am slightly really confused, buuuut were back with Charlotte the spider and climbing the pillars again.
This game seriously reminds me of God of War, even though some people disagree with the connection. But I mean, c’mon now: giant epic bosses. Super daughter drama. Lots of yelling.
just punched an elephant in the facehole #latetothegame — CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 23, 2015
After face punching an elephant two of the deities invite my back to Shinkoku. But then wife is there with baby Mithra, and I realize it’s a flashback OH NOOOOO and Yasha is my brother in law WTFFFFF
cuuuutteeeeee! #latetothegame pic.twitter.com/nffh8x2QmX
— CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 23, 2015
seriously gorgeous #latetothegame pic.twitter.com/c8Cd4Id2qF
— CeraTopz (@cerajoy) February 25, 2015
Asura falls again, gets incased in stone (as you would), gets prayed to by a little girl that looks EXACTLY like his daughter, and then awakens and realizes that the deities are KILLING PEOPLE FOR THIER SOULS. FOR MANTRA. That is seriously fucked up. You fuck-ups.
Asura is so pissed, he goes flying upwards to the fleet kicking super ass. Apparently punching the ground gives you wingsssssss! The fleet tries to blow up the ship I landed on but SURPRISE MOTHERFUCKER I’m just fine.
OMG Asura said ” I’m not the one that started this fire,” and now this is suck in my head: Further and further into the ship we go, and finally catch up to the old guy, Kalrow! expect he’s not actually there he’s in a little escape pod trying to blow me up again.
So I squished him.
Seriously though, the controls and QTE’s, while fairly simple, really make you violent on the controls. You want to SUPER MEGA PUNCH everything and I feel like I’m getting a raging hard-on or something. The machismo is strong in this one. JUST punch forever until you get a burst and then MURDERRRRRRRRR!!
if I was to ever break a controller, this would be the game to do it #latetothegame — CeraTopz (@cerajoy) March 7, 2015
Augus comes down to Earth and we have a little hot tub H2H. Some serious big boobs and way over-sexualized women for the first time, complete with boiiing sound effects. I get shitfaced and try to cop a feel but instead get punched by a naked deity so… yay?
was wondering when something like this would happen #latetothegame pic.twitter.com/8ERf1klxdS
— CeraTopz (@cerajoy) March 8, 2015
FRIENSDHIP FLASHBACK.
“You never taught me how to stop my fists.”
“In that case… let’s see who gets there first.”
Fight to the death, complete with classical music. Seriously prefect choices in this sequence – the first time I’ve really noticed how much it enhances the intensity of what is happening. Lots of slowmo face punches. This is definitely the most intense deity battle yet: master vs. pupil. It ends with a sword that goes through the entire planet ( and also through Asura) and then he punches the blade so hard his arms fall off and it breaks, so he can catch it in his mouth and slice the other dude in half.
Wtfbbq?!
I don’t know why, but after the battle I was made of stone and then I wasn’t, and that little girl, from the village was back. I’m armless again, though. So, kicking the bad guys. As you would.
Bombs are dropping everywhere, and – sigh – the little girl is dead when dust clears. Asura is now in pure rage form, and explodes some ships in the sky with anger. It’s hard to describe but she represented so much for him and now she was lost. You can really feel how desperate Asura feels. He couldn’t save his wife, he can’t save his daughter, though he’s been trying for literally thousands of years, and he couldn’t protect the one little girl on Gaea that believed in him, that wanted to be saved, and needed his help. She trusted him, and he failed her. And he couldn’t deal with it.
The other gods are not happy with me, so they are readying the Brahamastra, the giant space dude that fires mantra. But there’s infighting! Suddenly I’m another dude who’s rebelling. And Yasha! He made it to the mantra beam and knocked it off course, but not before Asura was fried to a crisp and his arms fell off, for like the 5th time. He’s like one of those crabs that pulls its own arm off and regrows another.
Godly issues means nobody is agreeing on the cause anymore, and while a couple are fighting – SURPRISE – Asura is back all burnt and demon-y looking and gives one of them the ‘ole slice. He’s like an anime Venom with fire mouth.
Asura has done something with his hair? #latetothegame pic.twitter.com/OeAqalPzff — CeraTopz (@cerajoy) March 9, 2015
my favorite – FAVORITE- thing about Asura’s Wrath is when he punches the ground reeeaaaally hard so he can fly #latetothegame
— CeraTopz (@cerajoy) March 10, 2015
As Yasha, you have a mega fight with Asura, super punch the rage soot off of him, and then renounce your godliness and hop on a sweet flying motorcycle – all in three and a half minutes! Eventually Asura (after having a conversation with different memories and versions of himself/ levels of anger ) wakes up from punch slumber and goes to finally get Deus. But – surprise again! – Yasha is there and claiming dibs on kicking the leader man’s butt!
“You are so thickheaded.”
“You wanna fight?!”
We defeat him together – kinda – and then he flies up into the giant man gun Brahamastra thing. The odd couple take off (with Asura standing on the super speed of light space chopper no less) towards the slightly bigger than them Deus ultra god man. We make it inside, duel him, and then… lose? Like, Deus is stomping on Asura’s head and laughing.
But then mithra starts glowing and he is reinvigorated! Battle ensues! Deus is defeated! Mithra caught from falling! Success! But then of course …
right on cue … #latetothegame pic.twitter.com/qiR8UCl0XQ — CeraTopz (@cerajoy) March 10, 2015
Vlitra has returned.
I honestly don’t understand how this whole thing even fit in the earth. it’s like the clown car of Gohma #latetothegame
— CeraTopz (@cerajoy) March 10, 2015
Pasha and Asura do a lot of kick punching on just one tentacle, decide they should focus on the face instead, and then get blasted into space. It’s not looking good. Mithra does some praying and uses the magic word (it’s “win!” btw), and then Asura has 100 MILLION ARMS that turn into 2 ultra omega arms an then combined the two of them PUNCH THROUGH THE ENTIRE WORLDDDDDDD… AND ALSO THE VLITRAAAAAAA
BUT on the inside, low and behold: the core, the ultimate final actual last boss – and it was a doozy. I have a headache from mashing the buttons so hard, and I’m sweating a little bit. Who said gaming couldn’t be exercise? The Gohma SUPER EXPLODES (somehow not damaging the earth it was sitting in AT ALL) and – our heroes are okay!
*triumphant music*
“Is it over?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is your wrath over?”
“I said, I don’t know.”
So much for closure.
what in the shit hell is this?! #latetothegame pic.twitter.com/SpjjY0Kegc — CeraTopz (@cerajoy) March 11, 2015
Apparently I need to get an ’S’ level in 5+ episodes, or play 50 (!!!?!?!?!?!) episodes to unlock the damn thing, which then allows me to unlock the “real” ending, which then makes you buy DLC to get the “lost” ending.
NO THANKS!
Asura’s Wrath is like Dragon Ball Z on acid having a God of War love child that is trying to dick punch the entire planet into oblivion. And not DBZ Kai, either – the original, 6 episode kamehameha ones. You mostly watch and don’t do things but then you have to do surprise QTE’s – like cut scenes that you occasionally help along. It’s a visual novel that you watch and then occasionally slam a controller around. It’s amazing.
If you like anime, cut scenes, anger and rage, pretty graphics, or replacing your controllers, then I would seriously recommend Asura’s Wrath. It’s a really different take at narrative storytelling than what I’m used to, and I appreciate that the developers focused on the story and not necessarily just on cool mechanics. Not every game needs to have the best everything, and Asura takes the interactive novel idea to a whole new level. I went into this thinking there would be little-to-no story, but I was wrong; it was simple, yes – but emotional, and relatable, albeit on a grandiose scale. I like where my story ended, and I loved mashing buttons to infinity to get there.
I also feel like I know now what it feels like to have roid rage.
COME AT ME, BRO.
So my fellow Mary Sue friendships: what next? I leave this in your capable hands! And yes, Skyrim is coming, but after graduation! I promise!
1. Uncharted (stop saying 2, I have to start at the beginning!)
2. Wolfenstien: The New Order
3. Pikmin 3
4. Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments
5. The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker HD
Sarah Ingram is part archaeologist, part geek, and mostly runs on coffee and red wine. She is a historical archaeologist obsessed with seventeenth-century colonial taverns and social interaction; hosts a technology news and reviews show called Tech Up; and podcasts on The PVP Podcast. You can follow her on Twitter (@Cerajoy) if you enjoy a lot of Futurama quotes, wine musings, and Sony fangirling.
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