Today’s image is a commission that I recently completed for the most recent Shadowfist Expansion.  It’s also a good representation of how I am feeling right now. The family is away on a vacation, so I am here at the house with the opportunity to play all of the violent games that I can’t play when the kids are around.  I have a huge backlog of games, and I struggled to figure out where to start.  After considering several games, I settled in on Asura’s Wrath.

Asura’s Wrath

I wanted to start with something that I can chew through quickly. I heard that one can get through Asura’s Wrath in a few hours, so I figured I’d give it a try.  I also heard people refer to Asura’s Wrath as “Quick Time Event: The Game,” and I have to say that this isn’t an unfair assessment.  The experience of Asura’s Wrath is a constant pendulum swing between confusion and excitement.  The storyline is all sorts of insane, and that insanity is punctuated by moments of badassness.  I wrote about my introduction to this game a while back during my post-PAX debriefing, and my assessment has changed much.

While quick time events are fun, I can only take so much of them.  In fact, toward the end of the game, I was itching for the game to finish so that I could move on to something else.  I found the game to be enjoyable, and just about the perfect length, but I hope this style of play does not become a new genre.

I’ve had people ask me “Did you beat the full game, with all of the DLC?”  It takes a lot to make me want to buy the DLC to a game, and Asura’s Wrath didn’t meet that standard.  I beat the base game, and as far as I am concerned, the ending that I saw was the end of the game.

I cautiously recommend this game.  If you think you might like it, play the demo.  If you like the demo, you will like the game; if not, you can save your money and go with something that is more your speed.