Muramasa heading to PSN and XBLA?

By Fred Dutton Published 18 September, 2010

HD Odin Sphere remake also hinted.

Vanillaware's stylish Wii platformer Muramasa: The Demon Blade could be on the receiving end of an HD makeover, according to multiple sources at the Tokyo Games Show.

1UP has reported that the Japanese developer is planning to port an HD version of the Wii exclusive to XBLA and PSN, along with Odin Sphere, its cult 2007 PS2 RPG.

We asked Muramasa's UK publisher Rising Star to confirm or deny, but it pled ignorance. "Our deal was with Marvelous for the boxed retail version of Muramasa, so I believe that if Vanillaware are planning a digital release then it has nothing to do with RSG," said a spokesperson.

Eurogamer's Keza MacDonald awarded Muramasa: The Demon Blade 7/10 back in 2009, branding it "a fleeting but indisputably beautiful affair."

Last year, Marvelous, the game's Japanese publisher, expressed interest in releasing its games on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Until then it had predominantly made games for Nintendo platforms.

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About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (12) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Rufus #1 2 years ago

    I love Muramasa on the Wii so this is great news.

    I was looking at getting Odin Sphere for PS2 just yesterday. Might have to hold on now!

    Whilst they're at it, why not do an HD update of Princess Crown?!

  • Razorus #2 2 years ago

    *sigh*
    Am I the only one who DOESN'T like it when this happens? It's a shame and I feel cheated in a way. A great Wii exclusive, one of the few Wii owners can comfortably say is "all ours" is being ported in high definition to other consoles. It will most likely be superior and cheaper. It's like the HD port of No More Heroes. It's times like these when I wonder why I bought a Wii in the first place. And with Move on the PS3, motion sensing games will probably be superior on that console now.
    Not a happy start to my day tbh. Anyone with me on this?

  • menage #3 2 years ago

    HOLY SHIT, SOLD!!!!

    @ Razorus. Exclusives suck and don't serve anybody.
    Edited by menage at 18/09/10 @ 11:18

  • Lusterpurge #4 2 years ago

    It's true that exclusives don't help anybody, but these days, it seems they only go one way. If the Wii got more 360 and PS3 games, I'd be happier when it lost exclusives. But if selling this allows Vanillaware to make more Wii games, then I'm all for it.

  • menage #5 2 years ago

    The Wii is arguably the console with the most exclusive games already, so that's one factor. Maybe that will change with move and Kinect around I don't know.

    It's probably cheaper to develop and port a game for Wii to the others. I don't think the other way around would work just as well in some cases, especially the triple AAA titles which rely heavely on tech would take serious hits on the overall experience. Not that a lot of games couldn't just do a graphic downgrade. I don't see why a game like Batamn AA or Enslaved couldn't work. They would just look worse, that's all. Although I would be missing out I think after expriencing the games like they are now.
    Edited by menage at 18/09/10 @ 12:25

  • Sharks #6 2 years ago

    Would gladly buy this again. Easily one of the top 3 most beautiful games I've ever played.

  • Dylbot #7 2 years ago

    Honestly, I don't know if I'll bother double-dipping on Muramasa, it looks brilliant enough over component on a 42" screen. Odin Sphere, on the other hand, is one of the PS2 classics I missed out on, so I'll probably hold out for the update rather than tracking down a used copy.

  • JahB #8 2 years ago

    This is awesome. I never got around to buying a wii, so i'll happily pick up the HD ports of the gems.

    edit: @Razorus
    brand loyalty doesn't help anybody. it's not "yours" or "ours", it's 3 companies run by suits trying to get as much money out of everybody as possible. and since buying all 3 consoles is quite pricey, i'm all for abolishing exclusives.
    Edited by JahB at 18/09/10 @ 13:41

  • Der_tolle_Emil #9 2 years ago

    Exclusives suck and don't serve anybody.

    True, but I think you missed the point. I also bought the game when it came out on the Wii because I want to support both the developers and the publisher. I even paid full price even though I knew that I did not have enough time to play it anyway. A year passed and I still haven't played the game, but let me get to the point:

    Why should I continue to bother getting games when it seems like it's getting more and more common that the same games come out later with an improved version and a fraction of the price they originally launched? I also have a 360 and I don't care if it's not a Wii exclusive anymore - It's great more people get to experience this game and that the developer gets more money to continue making great games.

    However, I do feel a bit cheated. This is not the first time this has happened and it certainly won't be the last. Buying games should be fun and nowadays you have to worry about way too many things. Will there be a Deluxe edition with all the DLC later? Will there even be DLC for my console? Maybe it will come out with improved graphics on another console as well? I neither have the money nor the time to get every game I am interested so when I actually do buy one I really don't want to start regretting it because of things like this. I might be nitpicking a bit but that's just how I feel.

  • JayKwon #10 2 years ago

    This would be a great addition for XBLA. Always looked like a very beautiful title I had to buy someday, but not really into wii gaming. Would love to add it to my almost-bigger-than-retail-games-arcade collection!

    EDIT: @ Der_Tolle_Emil, I do have to agree with you. That happened to me a lot of times. I also hate it to buy a LE of a game with seemingly very exclusive DLC, only to have it included for free on an ultimate edition with even more extra's and a cheaper price. I find myself waiting for an ultimate editon of a game far more often now. I want to support original developers, but it most of the times it seems when you're buying their games from launch you're getting screwed from all sides.
    Edited by JayKwon at 18/09/10 @ 17:07

  • youhavenomail #11 2 years ago

    It's a shame in a way. Muramasa was one of those Wii games that said 'you can stick your HD graphics up your arse, we can be pretty without them'.

  • Kaminari #12 2 years ago

    Woud make sense to remaster Princess Crown as well, since it's probably the best of the 'trilogy'.