Based on ancient Japanese lore, Murumasa: The Demon Blade plunges players into the mystical Genroku era, ruled by the skilled shogun Tsunayoshi Tokogawa. But this culture is threatened; Tokogawa’s thirst for power leads to a conflict over the enormously powerful, though cursed, Demon Blades. Used in hatred, drenched in blood, the cursed blades condemn those who use them to tragedy, madness, and untimely deaths. As chaos spreads, denizens from the netherworld breach their realm as these malevolent swords summon evil spirits - and the Dragon and Demon Gods as well.

Featuring hand-drawn 2D art reflecting the heritage and tone of the storyline, Muramasa: The Demon Blade transports players into a little known mythology, envisioned by the creators of the critically acclaimed Odin Sphere. Players take on the role of a male ninja or female kunoichi, utilizing their ninja prowess to traverse the clever side-scrolling levels that feature vertical progression as well as the traditional horizontal stage advancement.

A number of cursed blades exist throughout the world. Blades that thirst for blood the moment they’re drawn. Even those blades thought to be holy slowly become corrupted over time as they are used in hatred and drenched in blood. Those who wield these blades slowly become homicidal. The curses laid on these blades are said to condemn those who use them to tragic and untimely deaths.

It is in the Genroki era, a period of time in which the shogun Tsumayoshi Tokogawa reigned, that the force of the damned began to emerge, threatening the peace and prosperity that had long existed in the world. The cursed blades became the focus of the greed, self-righteousness, and arrogance of those who’d gain possession of them, and inevitably it was these conflicting desires that led to war.

As the flames of chaos and disaster spread, denizens from the netherworld were dragged into the confusion as not only the evil spirits were summoned by the swords, but the Dragon and Demon Gods as well. How will the destinies of those drawn to these cursed blades unfold?

• Incredible Hand-Drawn Graphics - From the subtle movements of a character’s hair and clothes to their explosive battle animations, every detail is expertly animated by hand for amazing visuals that cannot be mimicked with 3D polygons.
• Become a Ninja – Playing as a male ninja or female kunoichi, you have a wide variety of ninja skills at your disposal as you progress through the levels in not only side-scrolling fashion, but vertical progression elements as well.
• Seamless Gameplay – Gameplay transitions seamlessly from player-controlled elements to story sequences to keep the player engaged within the world.
• Story Based on Japanese Mythology – Rather than the often told fables of Greek and Norse mythology, take an adventure through less commercialized, but equally rich and mysterious, Japanese mythology.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade is currently in development by Marvelous Entertainment and Vanillaware exclusively for the Wii, and is expected to ship in 2009.