Musashi: Samurai Legend
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| Musashi: Samurai Legend | |
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| Developer(s) | Square Enix Co., Ltd. |
| Publisher(s) | Square Enix Co., Ltd. |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release date | NA March 15, 2005 |
| Genre(s) | Third-person action |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (T) |
| Media | DVD |
| Input methods | Dualshock Controller |
Musashi: Samurai Legend, known in Japan as The Legend of Musashi II: Blade Master (武蔵伝II ブレイドマスター Musashiden Tsū Bureido Masutā?) is a third-person action game developed and published by Square Enix Co., Ltd. in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2. Much like its predecessor, Brave Fencer Musashi, the game involves real-time combat in a 3D environment, and character designs by Tetsuya Nomura.
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[edit] Story
In the city of Antheum, carried by a magical beast called Anthedon (a large skybound whale), young Princess Mycella prayed in the mystic Chamber of Rites to summon a hero who will save her world from the growing threat posed by Gandrake Enterprises. However, Rothschild interrupts the ritual, which causes the summoned hero – Musashi – to land just a bit off course. He's found by old martial artist Master Mew, who immediately takes him under his wing. Once Musashi's ready, Master Mew sends him into the heart of evil Gandrake Enterprises to rescue the captured Princess and thereby save the world.
Unfortunately for Musashi, President Gandrake kidnaps the Princess again to further the plots of his evil corporation to excavate the world's supply of nebulite and use the Mystics power to power his nebulium engine. To stop Gandrake, and ensure that he can return to his world, Musashi goes in search of the five Maidens that protect the five magic swords that have been lost in order to restore power to a mythical creature known as the Anthedon, which houses the city of Antheum. Along the way, Musashi will have to smash his way through Gandrake Enterprises's endless swarms of killer robots and directors, as well as native monstrosities.
[edit] Characters
- Musashi: A young fencer summoned by Mycella to save Antheum from Gandrake Enterprises.
- Princess Mycella: Princess of the magical realm of Antheum; she's the one who summons Musashi at the beginning of the game.
- 'Five Maidens: The girls who help Musashi, by powering his sword with their abilities.
- Master Mew: Old cat-like martial arts master. He discovers Musashi after the summoning deposits him in the new world, unconscious. Teaches Musashi the "Way of the Stray Cat".
- Gandrake: The evil president of Gandrake Enterprises. He is actually a former Samurai from Musashi's world.
- Rothschild, Director of Administration: His success comes from his cold, cunning tactics. While trusted, no one knows what he's really thinking.
- Malbec, Director of Research and Development: An intelligent 10-year old boy. Creates the robot bosses that Musashi has to deal with in his encounters with Gandrake.
- Shiraz, Director of Intelligence: A disturbing villain. His position is suited to his frugal use of words. He can speak volumes with one lash of his razor-sharp tongue.
- Riesling, Director of Security: Not the brightest, and quick to anger. What he lacks in brains, he makes up in brawn. Frequently partners up with Glogg.
- Glogg, Director of Negotiations: His brute strength is unmatched, and he utilizes it in aggressive negotiations to secure his company's deals.
[edit] Cast (English)
- Musashi: Lenne Hardt
- Mycella: Jasmine Allen
- Gandrake: Douglas Kirk
- Fontina: Michele Stayner
- Mirabo & Maribo: Bianca Allen
- Istara: Gerri Sorrels
- Clochette: Rumiko Varnes
- Rothschild: Michael Rhys
- Glogg: Murray Johnson
- Riesling: Michael Naishtut
- Malbec: Yuko Yunokawa
- Shiraz: Jack Merluzzi
- Master Mew: Barry Gjerde
[edit] Cast (Japanese)
- Musashi: Yuki Kaida
- Mycella: Miwa Kouzuki
- Gandrake: Takehito Koyasu
[edit] Music
The score for Musashi: Samurai Legend was primarily a joint venture between Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano, with a few contributions from Wavelink Zeal. The Surf Coasters, a Japanese surf band, provided the main theme tune, "Samurai Struck". (They also released an album by this same title, which featured a full version of the tune.)
[edit] Translation
The game was translated from Japanese to English by Brody Phillips and Laurie Spillane.
[edit] Cultural references
Several elements of Brave Fencer: Musashi and Musashi: Samurai Legend are superficially derived from the legend of Miyamoto Musashi, a famous Japanese swordsman, though the game's plot is unrelated to Miyamoto's life.
Another example is that in Musashi: Samurai Legend the secondary weapon of choice is called "The Great Oar," which is based upon the oar that Miyamoto Musashi used in one of his more famous battles, against Sasaki Kojiro.
Gandrake's revealed name was based on Sasaki Kojirō's samurai name, Ganryu, and the attack he used to incapacitate Musashi is called the "Swallow's Tail," a reference to Sasaki Kojiro's most famous technique, the "Swallow's tail strike." Also, the five swords Musashi must collect over the course of the game are possibly a reference to The Book of Five Rings, the Five Rings being Ground, Water, Fire, Wind and Void, based on the classical elements of Japanese philosophy.
There is also the reference behind the AK47 a real life weapon while Malbec(one of the games final bosses) wields a cannon called the AK4D7.
It should be noted that Mycella, Burrini, Fontina, Mirabo, Maribo, Istara and Clochette, are all in fact different kinds of cheese. There is even a dog named Asiago, which is a sharp Italian cheese and a cat named Tomme, a common type of cheese produced in the French alps.
The villains on the other hand, have wine-related names. Rothschild is more than likely named after Baron Philippe de Rothschild (Late famous Bordeaux winemaker and owner of the Château Mouton Rothschild), Glogg is a Scandinavian mulled wine, Riesling gets his name from the German/Alsatian white grape varietal while Shiraz and Malbec are red grape varietals.
There is a tribute/in game joke at the end of the game when Gandrake is impatiently waiting for Musuashi just as he did in real life at the beginning and there is also a hint that the duel had already taken place in Musashi's homeworld when Gandrake says "I never thought we would repeat those words again"
[edit] Series Relations
Samurai Legend Musashi shares many similarities with Brave Fencer Musashi.
- The characters of this game are named after different food much like the BFM.
- The main objectives are almost identical: To gather 5 objects which carry classical elements and to fight a monster which relates to that element
- The princesses' of both games get kidnapped twice throughout the entire game
- The final boss of both games are an enfusion of the reoccuring energy source and the main enemy
- Both Musashi's get dragged from their home world and fight with a Katana and an oversized broadsword
- Both games have civilians captured by the enemy that can only be released by the power of Musashi's sword
- In both games, there is some kind of collectible items. In BFM there are toys, while in MSL there are imagicards (collectible cards).
[edit] References
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