Asura's Wrath Is Deeper Than You Might Think

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Asura's Wrath released at a point where quick time events were seen to be the scourge of the games industry, and yet decided to fully commit to this control method regardless. It left many critics lauding its wild, universe-spanning bombast but deeming it a game more fun to watch than to actually play. That said, revisiting it 8 years later in 2020, I can't help but feel like the game got a bad rap. Let's talk about this absolutely insane game, its use of Buddhist mythology and its innovative approach to a widely derrided input method to show just how Asura's Wrath is deeper than you might think.
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Intro text animation by Draz - / drazgames
Spider-man 3 footage from Thatdoodleable - • Spiderman
The Order 1886 footage from Previously Recorded - • Previously Recorded - ...

[@WritingOnGames]

Hey! I hope you enjoyed the video and are doing alright just now. Just a reminder that the first 1000 people who go to skl.sh/writingongames7 will get two free months of Skillshare Premium entirely risk-free. Doing so really helps the channel! Also, a massive thank you to my patrons. Times are rough right now so make sure you're good first and foremost, but if you feel you can, heading to patreon.com/writingongames can get you access to perks like early access to completely ad-free uploads and the like. Your support allows me to keep doing this and I cannot thank you enough for that. You're the best!

[@pauliusbaranauskas7915]

I never though someone would actually speak about this game. I think the main problem of it's quick time events could be fixed by simply cutting out the timing part, 'cuz you basically can't see what the heck is happening in the background since you're focused on timing that shit right. That's probably why people say it's better to watch than to play. Btw, have I told you that the soundtrack is F*CKIN AWESOME??!

[@SquallNoctisGUX]

It’s just something about seeing people talk about Asura’s Wrath in such a positive way warms my soul

[@azharulislam-ds8rg]

same

[@pepiomega]

Use Wrath to warm you soul?

[@re11o]

Exactly

[@GoldenGoose69]

Just finished yesterday and its my favorite story game oat

[@lovewilcox6874]

Years ago a friend of mine bought me this game out of the blue. He told me "I've just watched a Let's Play of this game and just HAD to buy it for you. Trust me, you'll love it" and he was 100% right. That was the most thoughtful gift I've ever received.

[@sockitpoppet3665]

Aw

[@kairo3201]

Unexpected wholesomeness is still good wholesomeness

[@mediocri5y]

@@kairo3201 Indeed

[@dayaftertomorrow1]

My favorite bit of the game is (spoilers for the true DLC ending) when Chakravartin gets his own QTE popups. It's an oddly fitting, thematic link between protagonist and antagonist that would make even the biggest QTE skeptic feel like they did something seriously meaningful with them. I love this damn game.

[@dekdenfor9770]

that final chapter is one of my single favorite sequences in gaming

[@drakeford4860]

The most amazing bit for me is when Asura literally wipes away Chakravartin's input prompt. It's such a brilliant capitalization on the symbolism they had built up that it honestly blew me away.

[@OffAirProductions]

I held off on watching this video until I finished the game just yesterday, and that was the part where my jaw hit the floor. I literally shouted "HEY, THOSE ARE MY QUICKTIME EVENTS, YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" The QTEs are so integral to why I enjoyed the game so much, I don't think I'm gonna forget this one anytime soon.

[@Trombi01]

My favorite use of an QTE in the game is ironically the one that you shouldn't press.

[@cfields8507]

I really liked the chakravartin final fight. They go from super powerful, reality altering gods, to rolling around in the dirt, throwing punches.

[@DeadwingDork]

Honestly, Yakuza cut back on the number of QTEs in recent games and I miss them. Some games just do them right and they fit perfectly in the scenario.

[@godzilla4189]

I think the Dragon Engine might have made button presses an issue. They are back with a vengeance in Yakuza 7 though, even if it turned from an Action RPG to a Turnbased one similar to Mario and Luigi (Button presses during your turn to make attacks stronger)

[@chadhardt6136]

it really depends on the situation imo, The QTE of that weird mode that Kiwami 2 and 6 has feels more like a slowing the game to a crawl for no reason at all, but the QTE of the boss battles where so fucking cool.

[@thegatorhator6822]

ay lmao funny internet man. Agreed, Yakuza killed it with the QTEs just like Asura's Wrath did.

[@HenriqueHCA14]

Depends on how inconvenient and well done they are. Cyberconnect for example knows well how to make QTEs enjoyable and great to watch. The famous ''standing here, i realize'' meme from MGS is iconic because Raiden did the punches the same speed you were pressing the button

[@rocketpunchgo1]

Yeeeees Asura's Wraith finally gets some respect that it deserves

[@Zandeyninja]

@@The_WIll_OF_D99 Ya actually I thought it was underrated but most people who played it enjoy it despite the gameplay being shallow. The overall package is so fun despite ending being locked behind DLC. I do think it's kinda been forgotten because it didn't get rereleased on pc like many other games of the time.

[@georgedellapiazza380]

If only it'll come to steam, or something.

[@DrSalad-ye6hr]

Hell yeah

[@Xannyphantom905]

it's great visually, as an animated movie, 10/10. they just drained the fun out of the gameplay itself. which is pretty stupid cause cyber connect was flawless in their Naruto

[@abdualrhmanaljasmi2107]

Yep he must be that guy can beat goku

[@MauZangetsu]

It tooks literal years to see people appreciated this gem and Asura as a character. Nobody is angry at this game anymore, I hated how everyone tried to bash it into oblivion, and now my wrath... is finally... ...gone.

[@Jttg648]

I swear I just saw "Asura's Wrath" and suddenly found myself clicking without question

[@GeeMannn]

Facts. I did the same too hahaha

[@Zandeyninja]

One of the most underrated games of the last gen. It's gameplay is weak to almost non existant but it has the best usage of QTE, classic music and some of the greatest cutscenes ever. It rivals even some animes/movies in the cutscene production. Hope CC2/Capcom make a rerelease on PC at some point.

[@K4LAD1N]

@@Zandeyninja you can play it with the rpcs3 emulator, I did it a few days ago, I love that game

[@GeeMannn]

@@K4LAD1N really? Awesome I can finally replay this thing. Thanks a lot man

[@K4LAD1N]

@@GeeMannn and sorry for my bad English to everyone that has seen my comments

[@tehNinjanaut]

Asura as a protagonist reminds me a bit of Guts in the archetype of "the struggler". A guy who is driven by anger, but also by the simple act of survival against oppressive characters and powers

[@rockingtundra2830]

Exactly! I love these kinds of characters! They’re literally in a situation of impossible odds, yet while they know for a fact that it ain’t gonna work, they do it anyways!

[@goofyvoi4129]

Expect he not a weak ass mf

[@tylerslagel5485]

Asura is also literally the most pure character among the anger archetypes ever. This super scary, savage rage fighter who’s always shouting “die!” like he’s Bakugo is also a very pure and goofy family man. Seriously, check the art. He ate Mithra’s vegetables with a goofy look on his face when Durga chewed him out for it.

[@joshuahendra4918]

his hair kinda look like guts' as well, except that asura's is white

[@TheMaskedMan]

I absolutely loved this game. Asura is one of the coolest characters ever, and I would really like to get some more of his backstory. Either in an anime or like a prequel game. Capcom frfr need to bring it back!

[@merceralex1935]

Holy shit it's you

[@ianjohns5701]

@@Largentina. i wish

[@gutsusama2671]

Wait , the masked man ? You're the GOAT man

[@goofyvoi4129]

@@Largentina. smash is for lil losers like u

[@samnimations1170]

Let's just hope that capcom don't fuck up this game like the others

[@teehundeart]

Did we just come to the conclusions that this game's quick time events are art?

[@rodrigosoares8247]

We sure did

[@jayfolk]

and cyberconnect2 is still trying their platnium hardest on every budget project they get, like the jojo and naruto titles, storms included.

[@Reloreee]

jay folk yeah but they throw it out of the window with kakarot: i was expecting some serious in-cutscene qte but no, massive let down even if i still enjoyed the game very much.

[@godzilla4189]

@@Reloreee I think its because they were going for more like their .Hack games, focusing more on the RPG side of things.

[@katzenjammer626]

My guys just want to make another .Hack but Bandai Namco won't let them :(

[@darthsreepa2820]

sad to see people not giving this game, a non-preexisting-IP one, perform so not-well. I think this is the final straw that broke CyberConnect2's straw, who focused only on licensed games thereafter. sad tbh.

[@saiova1526]

It helps that Asura's Wrath has a strong voice cast. Who would of thought that Gaara could scream and rage so well? 😁

[@memorableman3709]

AKA, Akihiko from Persona 3

[@StarForgers]

Wait this was yhe English voice actor for Gaara from Naruto?!? Holy shit its been so long since I even heard any English from any part of the Naruto series! Like 5 years other than maybe the pain diogue and such but never anything older that had the younger cast in it! I can kind of see it now.

[@saiova1526]

@@StarForgers Sergei was also voiced by Steve Blum->Orochimaru 👍

[@handmethatpochitussy]

Don't forget Dr tenma from monster and a quarter of the npcs in fallout new Vegas

[@TommyAck102]

One other great aspect of this game I love is utilising the music to really hammer home the type of anger asura is feeling, especially when he goes fully beserk.....gives me chills and genuinely tears me up since it's such a heartbreaking moment displaying sorrowful anger, those screams man.....

[@lovewilcox6874]

The OST is amazing. Probably the most underrated in gaming.

[@heitorbatista5392]

One of the uses of quick time events in games that I like the most is in the end of God of War 3. You just mash the same button to punch Zeus a bunch, as the screen gets red with blood. However, the catch is how long you have to do so. I think that was the longest quick time event I’ve seen and I believe it was a really smart design choice. It is a extremely cathartic moment if you follow the saga, but it requires so much effort and is so brutal that any sense of humanity that could have been left in Kratos is gone.

[@BryanTheCritic]

Some might see it as catharsis but to others it might be uncomfortable. With each punch I was wondering just how many more there was because I was finished long before Kratos was. Like you said, it showed the loss of humanity in Kratos; I still had mine though and it continued to grow more and more uncomfortable with what I was complicit in with each punch.

[@pedrobulby7639]

True ! What i love is that it is indeed a very long qte but the REAL catch is it doesn't tell you exactly WHEN you can stop... So you keep punching the meatbag until it's just wet mush but you can't even see it cause the camera is covered in blood. So, yes, it feels absolutely weird when you just stop, because you did it so long and nothing really tells you to keep going nor to stop ... Great memory, thanks !

[@jahjah74]

The qte in God of war 3 in the Zeus's fight you have yo get keep going until the screen is all red then you're supposed to stop but you can keep going

[@cannonfodder4000]

quick time event i like the most is in Wonderful 101, saying what it is would be spoilers, but its beyond amazing

[@Milkra]

I remember I hit that circle button for at least 5 minutes because I had no idea I could just let go

[@timothymclean]

Asura's Wrath is like a good shonen anime; the action is ridiculous, but rooted in solid character writing. The balance of fight scenes to anything else is a bit...different, but I guess that's video games for you.

[@lukeism2]

This game absolutely wrecks your hand. I can’t play the damn thing because I have carpal tunnel syndrome lol. I really want to play it though.

[@seanv42]

I think this brings up the question, "what is the next evolution of the quick time mechanic?" This game shows how the mechanic can be refined into an intergral, thematic part of game play. I think an interesting direction would be adding branching paths within the qte. Things like choosing to dodge an qte boss attack or counter it. If you dodge, your next fight section would be in an arena with huge death trenches made by the bosses attacks. If you counter, the force could shatter the arena terrain, making cover sparse. You could make the qte a way to create unique arena, that change based on the players actions. Break up the fight ending qte with a small, extra difficult boss section that changes based on how you fought during the qte, before jumping into a finishing qte. It would be a tremendous amount of work, and would have the gameplay issue of there being an optimal choice path, but it could allow them to be more thematic.

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

Good comment. It seems like when you mess up on QuickTime events, it doesn’t seem to matter because Asura will just do what the devs wanted him to do anyways in the cinematic, right?

[@Dzzy123]

Final Fantasy XIII-2 kind of did what you're suggesting. There were times in the game where a QTE would give you the option of casting magic or doing a physical attack during a cutscene. Some QTEs affected how the cutscene played out, but Square Enix didn't go as far with the idea as your comment suggests.

[@karenamyx2205]

Havnt they basically phased out QTEs though? I doubt they'll bring it back to try to innovate or whatever. It works with this game, because it is kinda like watching an anime that you get to play. But im not sure its great mechanic for an average modern game. It has to be used right. The scene in MGS4 with snake in that thermal corridor comes to mind. It works because the desperate mashing mirrors what your character feels. As just a mechanic for general play though, it kinda sucks.

[@tombaker3731]

THANK YOU I think Asura's Wrath is a great game, not just a fun movie, and it always hurts me a little when a creator I like says "yeah Asura's Wrath is great but just watch the cutscenes online." You really do miss out on something if you're not the one smashing those buttons like a madman.

[@triplenike2753]

I'll say friend. I got the game after watching it, and it truly feels like a different experience compared to watching it.

[@kirbyc9042]

I hope capcom will port this to pc

[@andreamichelezucchi8600]

There are emulators, like rpcs3, that runs the game very smoothly. It's the only option so far for PC gamers.

[@eep6903]

@@andreamichelezucchi8600 The problem is it is really hard to get the DLC for PC. Atleast I havent been able to find the DLC from the great world of internet still.

[@siemuel7553]

@@eep6903 I can send a link if you still need?

[@eep6903]

@@siemuel7553 Nah I got the links already!

[@siemuel7553]

@@eep6903 noicee

[@BIRDasPROPHET]

I can only absolutely agree with everything you said, thank you for this video. Asura’s Wrath is a game that left such an impression that I haven’t found anything that gave me the same kind of experience.

[@I-Rex232]

now this needs a remaster with all the dlc included, its a shame its so hard to get the full experience nowadays

[@Deathven1482]

Honestly, best fight ive witnessed in a while was between Augus and Asura. That fight was masterful.

[@AluminumFusion22]

Something else really significant that isn't talked about as much is how Asura's character is the positive inverse of characters like Kratos, characters motivated entirely by rage, anger and vengeance but unlike Kratos, Asura never loses sight of who he's angry at and never hurts innocent civilians and is even regarded in-universe as a very benevolent god. Kratos started with an understandable motivation but that gradually eroded away as Kratos ultimately decided to just wipe out the Greek pantheon, whilst Asura only attacks those who hurt him or those he cares about, i.e. humanity. Asura's Wrath did something not commonly seen in gaming where furious anger is justified, but only when it is wielded by a righteous heart and is kept under control.

[@brothersofwrath4785]

those who are also willing to sacrifice their own goals for a greater good

[@domenriono]

Hey you. Yes you, the guy who's watching this video and lazily browsing the comments. Go get Asura's Wrath. I don't care if you take away nothing from this video and just go watch it instead, but get that story in your brain meats SOMEHOW. Because this game got slammed for it's quick time events so hard no one even bothered to mention what a truly fantastic and genuinely unique story it is. It DESERVES your appreciation.

[@RenoDojima]

Joke's on you, I got the game physically on PS3, and digitally on Xbox, both with their DLCs.

[@ElectricBarrier]

Asura's Wrath is so anime that it even embodies the "seems really stupid and bad until you look closer" nature of anime.

[@williamchristensen7354]

I saw this and wanted to comment for engagement because I can't watch this right now, but I will soon, okay, thanks.

[@Fredomato]

I love this game... but as an experience rather than a video game. I never felt like the spectacle was my doing. That being said, I'm happy to see the game get some recognition again, even if the game's ending is locked behind a price tag, which is honestly ridiculous.

[@BlazeMakesGames]

Yeah the biggest issue with QTEs like this to me is it doesn’t matter how ‘impactful’ the fame tries to make the button presses feel, it never feels like I’m actually the reason behind those impacts, rather that I’m just stopping the movie from pausing over and over. It’s a great anime, but The gameplay is so brain dead that it manages to bore me despite the action going on. My eyes are entertained but my hands are bored.

[@Fredomato]

@@BlazeMakesGames That last line perfectly summarises how I feel exactly.

[@AAhmou]

To be fair, it feels more like Asura is willing to do the beating up and you unleash him by the press of a button.

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

The DLC was meant to be in a sequel, but the game didn’t do well so that is why they ended up putting the content as DLC. Makes more sense now, right?

[@goofyvoi4129]

@@BlazeMakesGames then go play Minecraft lil kid

[@memorableman3709]

While it is true that most of what you are watching is just a cutscene with button prompts put on top of them, but if you ask me, it helps me relate to Asura that much more. When I have to mash my entire life force onto the circle button and I internally scream and feel the pain of doing it so fast, but also wanting to push forward to see it to the end, I know that this is how Asura must feel. I am facing a nigh insurmountable struggle WITH HIM. Not WATCHING HIM do it for me, no, we are BOTH facing a hard challenge. And when I have to press the triangle button at JUST the right time to get an “excellent” I get all tensed up only to unload my stress in an instant with a heavy blow. And because I get so nervous and hit the triangle button so hard and with so much tension, it helps me feel the strength behind Asura’s punches even more. I can understand how some people may see it as “taking control away”, but in my opinion, all Asura’s Wrath is doing with all these QTE’s is immersing me THAT MUCH DEEPER into the narrative and the combat. Its fucking amazing.

[@rhymenoceros3303]

It's funny I've been recently been binging on old Asura's wrath video's and then I find you've made a video on it literally just 4 days ago. What a happy coincidence.

[@russetwolf13]

The only playthrough I'd recommend watching is Maximillian Dood's playthrough. Dude gets hype about those buttons.

[@RegnieRiku]

Asura's Wrath is a game I have played once through, every single year since it released. I've always understood why it got a bad wrap during the time that it came out, but personally it's always been the only reason I've kept my PS3 all these years.

[@maythesciencebewithyou]

It didn't really get a bad wrap. The problem was that they didn't advertise the game. Most people didn't even know it existed. Only half a decade later did it somehow get some popularity after someone uploaded it as a "movie".

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

Someone stole my copy, and I just spent a lot more extra money than I originally paid for it to replace it off of eBay. So happy to be replaying it right now, despite the money!

[@DeCoR18]

I remember writing this game off for being another quick time focused game years ago when it first released, and now that I've seen more of it absolutely love the look of it and how unique it is, weird how time can do that, shame there's no steam version, definitely would have gotten a sale from me after your video, nice one man.

[@brentramsten249]

personally i couldnt help but shout "BURST!" every time i pressed the R2 button

[@Nightbanekaizer]

Asura needs to come back at some point. Shame CAPCOM won't put him in another game. It would be great to see him in a fighting game or a guest in another action game.

[@JodaroKujo]

Asuras Wrath is one of my all time favorite video games The story is amazing And the Quick time events are beautiful I could replay it over and over again and never get bored

[@CallMeCJ_]

Thank you for summing up my thoughts perfectly. I absolutely love this game, and it's still made in such a way that watching the right person play it can still be super exhilarating. Maximillian_dood did a playthrough on his Twitch stream a few years ago, and posted them to his KZbin channel as parts of his compilation series "HYPE and RAGE", and as a part of his hilariously masochistic "Boss Rage" series. I still watch them regularly because they're so well made. Just from his tone of voice, you get swept up in it all alongside him, and Max is a master of hype. The full VODs exist as well as a part of his second channel Yo!Videogames, but I love the edited videos a lot more. If you watched this video, and want to play Asura's Wrath but can't, go watch those videos. And then go watch his full playthrough if you'd like.

[@memorableman3709]

While it is true that most of what you are watching is just a cutscene with button prompts put on top of them, but if you ask me, it helps me relate to Asura that much more. When I have to mash my entire life force onto the circle button and I internally scream and feel the pain of doing it so fast, but also wanting to push forward to see it to the end, I know that this is how Asura must feel. I am facing a nigh insurmountable struggle WITH HIM. Not WATCHING HIM do it for me, no, we are BOTH facing a hard challenge. And when I have to press the triangle button at JUST the right time to get an “excellent” I get all tensed up only to unload my stress in an instant with a heavy blow. And because I get so nervous and hit the triangle button so hard and with so much tension, it helps me feel the strength behind Asura’s punches even more. I can understand how some people may see it as “taking control away”, but in my opinion, all Asura’s Wrath is doing with all these QTE’s is immersing me THAT MUCH DEEPER into the narrative and the combat. Its fucking amazing.

[@supersharp0431]

I just played and finished this game 4 days ago, what a giant coincidence. I thought it was one of the best games I’ve ever played.

[@johndavidtibbetts7320]

What I love about Asura is that he is, at all times, fully in control of his rage. Even when in full berserker mode, no humans are ever harmed by him directly, to the point where a cutscene even has a soldier say that berserker asura has gone out of his way to avoid human settlements. Asura KNOWS why he's angry. He knows who is to blame. He knows who needs to die for the wrongs to be righted. And he never pulls anyone uninvolved into the middle of it if he can at all help it. Asura is the epitome of the good kind of angry

[@ibendover4817]

This game deserved better than Capcom. The worse part is there was supposed to be a sequel, but capcom fkd up there too and cancelled it, so everything was basically squeezed into a dlc.

[@jpraise6771]

hello fellow struggler. In this dark world, i just thought i'd let you know that God loves you and that you should also always love yourself

[@explosivesraspberry6795]

Im only a little bit in to the video and im not sure you mention this but id like to mention the masterful camera work that went into this. For the quick time events instead of the screen being rigid or static in asura's wrath the screen is fluid and constantly moving whether that be panning or the camera follows asura. They managed to avoid the slowing down of time during quick time events by instead making it appear sooner but making you wait until it hits a certain point for the best result.

[@extreme_junky]

There is a great deal i could say about QTE's but honestly Asura's Wrath to me was the first game to get them right. Before Asura's Wrath QTE's were either assigned to random buttons or buttons that were randomly selected. Asura's Wrath made the great decision to put context behind those button presses.

[@DMitr0]

love that you show some love to asura. i got every achievment in that game, and every second of it was a blissful anger 😊 and the dlc ending, uh boy if that wasn't the most batshit insane gaming moment, your enemy breaking your quicktimewheel, you slowly overpowering your enemy, just to see the backside of its quicktime wheel 😂 sadly, no vsync and 30 fps hold it back, but i heard that it's slowly becoming more and more emulatable. this game deserves a remaster.

[@Aries27379]

Usually ima game “watcher” instead of a “player” like my brothers the gamer and I’m content just watching and providing funny commentary but when he plays asuras wrath ..boyy I be damn near tryna break his fingers for that remote 😂

[@casthedemon]

Hating on this game makes no sense if you're also a fan of God of War. The story of this game is actually better as well (until GoW 2018.)

[@EeveeShadowBacon]

Asura's Wrath was so big, *they ran out of space on the disk* and had to sell the ending seperately. The game is fucking huge.

[@spinningninja2]

It seems like this game goes about QTE’s the _right_ way: they’re a punchy end cap to a battle, not a substitute for the fight itself

[@TheCompleteMental]

This game has a very astounding ability for every aspect of the plot and even the design to be more solid and tightly written the more you look into it

[@ryuuronin9852]

Critics: It's basically just an interactive anime. Me: ....And what's wrong with that?

[@AquarialTV]

capcom port asura's wrath to current gen consoles and pc you cowards

[@TheUbberman]

It sucks so much that this game is genuinely difficult to get nowadays. I'd take even a direct port (WITH the DLC), fully digital or what have. Just really want to show this game off to some friends who haven't played it.. and on current gens and PC do not allow that.

[@lichylickyrick8864]

Getting this game on the internet with all dlcs included is actually super easy

[@KazeMemaryu]

Asura's Wrath is pure, condensed, maddening hype. It eases you into its own design structure right from the beginning with shooting section that has you wrecking shit and the presentation already going nuts, but has a heroic undertone at first, making it seems like it's about Asura doing his job. But with the betrayal and his subsequent struggle to get out of Naraku to save his daughter and make the gods pay, this is thrown out of the window just as hard as Wyzen is launched into the atmosphere. And it doesn't stop there. The game has a great way of escalating the action more and more with each fight while refusing to back down at all - the hype train just gets faster and faster, and just when you think you've reached the pinnacle of ridiculousness, the next fight starts and is even crazier. When I first SAW Asura's Wrath, I was hyped to see what was coming next, ut when I finally PLAYED it, I never wanted the good fights to end. Hell, I started roaring along during mashing sequences to push MYSELF far enough to succeed. And as you said, this game knows how to convey the sheer rage of the best dad in the universe. It's such a pumping load of fun. Too bad the DLC plan majorly soured impressions on the game while it was already suffering from QTE hate.

[@videotroll72]

In defense of the true ending being locked behind dlc. I have heard there was originally plans for a sequel, but after the game failed to sell within expectations, they retooled everything they had planed into the final chapter.

[@leeviheiskanen1271]

This game would be one hell of a VR game

[@sanfransiscon]

"Something as simple as mapping the QTEs to the buttons you'd normally press to carry out those actions elevates the game above the Simon Says approach you'd see in many other titles." This is why I love the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm games. I got the collection not long ago and may do a let's play series of their story modes, starting with 2.

[@EezeeEmporium]

I got screwed by not having the DLC. Ended up watching you say run goes with everything asuras wrath

[@JodaroKujo]

Still nice though

[@zelithos]

YES

[@jtlego1]

I’m a simple man. I see a video on Asura’s Wrath, I hit the Like button.

[@dApOnTe145]

i enjoyed this game immensely when I first played it using the free trial of the playstation now free-trial. I wished for the longest time this would get some kind of PC port or PS4 remaster. Alas, I don't think either is ever going to happen. Thanks for rekindling some great memories.

[@lagaronoscar]

I love Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden, Monster Hunter, God of war and so on, and Asura Warth dont have a combat near close to the others, but it's me guilty pleasure in the genre. It's the most crazy spectacular game ever.

[@UltraRed1992]

This is personally my favourite game of all time. ~ SPOILER ~ Just the final battles with chakravartin and the akuma DLC alone was enough for me to decide that. This game is on a grand scale of epicness. It makes me so upset it didnt get the love it deserves.

[@Ancient_Tribesman]

Capcom failed to promote this game correctly 😔, hope they give him another chance

[@bambi20082148]

Yakuza games do QTEs in a way i enjoy They make the fights cooler by showing flashy and fluid moves between rivals and either giving you a cool as shit scene when getting it right with the qte, or just getting humilliated and some less health you dont inmediatly lose normally and it doesnt ruin the fight, it makes it more memorable and you are not punished a lot for not seeing the qte coming (which is usually obvious too)

[@brawmedia]

people here for emulating this on PS3 and xbox360 pc

[@Exel3nce]

oh, that video came on in perfectly. the other day i was thinking if i should pick it up because i was in the mood for some rage moment animes or games. i adore type of characters who are too angry to die to the topic of quicktime events: i can see why those are often looked down on and i also agree on that but there are some games that use it to their advantage and to generate hype. there was a title on the psp called "lord of arcana" and on the last boss you had to do some quick qte and it was great

[@asurashun9695]

Asura's wrath deserves way more recognition than what it got, and a remake or sequel

[@thesaviorofsouls5210]

Asura is bassicly guts from berserk, which is a really good thing, love em both.

[@FlutterSwag]

And yet they wont put him in MvC, tekken, or any other crossover

[@lankyGigantic]

Because he will win everything. He is literally too angry to die

[@godzilla4189]

He was supposed to be in Infinite as DLC, but as we all know how that game turned out, yeah....

[@TheEliteJohan]

I'll never not laugh at 00:59. Really nice video.

[@ParadoX505]

I picked this game up a week after release all those years ago, never stopped hyping up this games story and experience. Its fanfuckingtastic

[@The_Belkster]

I feel like I should be eternally grateful to my older brother buying Asura's and Dark Souls for our PS3 way back when. He had great taste.

[@dragondelsur5156]

It's still such a waste that Asura wasn't present in any Capcom Vs title.

[@salas0727]

This is still one of my favorite gaming/interactive cinematic experiences I’ve ever had. Such a satisfying story with so much depth, and the amazing boss fights are some of the best I’ve played. Which is a bold statement for a game with truly basic gameplay in itself. But it is uses the music/QTE and environmental changes(as well as the beautiful style) to truly elevate the experience to an actual emotional level at some points. Lol amazing game, love seeing it get talked about still

[@brandonnunez6566]

Yes, keep bringing up the homie so that people can be cultured of this beautifully crafted game.

[@seporokey]

Another series I think gets the QTE correct is the Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm series. You usually control your character, but during boss fights you use the QTE at certain sections and I love these sections. They really sell the emotion of the moment, especially the later games.

[@ThePunishersRevenge]

My dream with this game in particular is get Platinum Games to remake it.

[@BPLOL]

Lol at Spidey failing and getting fryed.

[@SimonHill94]

The downfall of this game was the ending being cut and resold as DLC. That is so shady and unacceptable. Imagine buying a game in early access and then buying it again for the final product. Didn't buy it for that reason alone

[@Chronoplague]

Agreed. If I remember right, there were three chapters of the game missing from the retail release. It’s a shame, because it’s such a satisfying experience until the game stops you, and tells you to go back and get all A ranks to see the real ending. Then, after doing that, you finish the game, only to be stopped again, and told you need to purchase the REAL real ending. Great game, bad business.

[@drakeford4860]

It was the best of a bad situation. The game was originally made with the intention of spawning at least 1 sequel, possibly more. It's reception and performance, however, precluded this possibility, so the story was going to go unfinished. Instead, the devs worked to retool and condense later plotpoints into something which could be released as an addition to the base game. We can criticize the pricing of the content quite fairly, I think, but we shouldn't act like it was an intentional and malevolent cash grab- it simply wasn't.

[@Chronoplague]

Drake Ford You raise an important point about developers not acting out of malice, however, I’d need to see a source about future ideas being crammed into the DLC. The timeline doesn’t really support that. Asura’s Wrath was released on Feb 21, 2012 with chapters 11.5 and 15.5 releasing on March 28 and April 3 respectively. Part IV (the real ending) was released April 24. There’s just no way that the critical and commercial reception could impact the DLC, otherwise we’d be looking at a two month window of dev time. My guess is that Cyber Connect2 had more ambition than time and resources, and weren’t meeting their deadline. They likely made the decision to release what they had finished, and release the rest as DLC. That’s just a guess, though. Either way, there’s probably an interesting story behind the development of this game. As a side note, Capcom wasn’t very altruistic during this particular time. Street fighter X Tekken got a lot of flak for its DLC practices.

[@SimonHill94]

@@Chronoplague I think you're definitely right with that. It's also important to note that releasing DLC for the PS3 and Xbox 360 also cost money for them, it's why left 4 dead had paid DLC when the pc version didn't and also why Call of duty 4 had paid map packs when the pc version didn't.

[@supersnackbros2423]

The closure of the PSN store prompted me to download this for use with RPCS3. I hate how Capcom's buried it so.

[@cyrilv6598]

Wow. I played this game when it came out and I remember having a looot of fun but the only reason I never thought about it again was because I was pissed off that the end was abrupt and it was incomplete. Thank you for reminding me about this game and goddamn I'm going to look for and play the game again. This time the whole thing.

[@rockingtundra2830]

Probably cuz you need the DLC pack

[@Fillthrill]

Thankies for a video that addresses the exact thing that put me off the game, I'll definitely give Asura's Wrath a try - it looks incredible. And thanks for the two months of skillshare :)

[@Finalblue1234]

Not sure if I'm the only one, but I notice ALOT of screen-tearing going on for the cutscenes. Maybe it's just a youtube glitch but it's pretty distracting

[@WritingOnGames]

That's the PS3 version of Asura's Wrath for you.

[@Finalblue1234]

@@WritingOnGames oof. Makes me really wish for a remaster even more now :(

[@In.New.York.I.Milly.Rock.]

@@WritingOnGames just turn on v-sync kappa

[@saitoXamaterasu]

I think 360 dont have that issue i dont remember that

[@MrRodrigues520]

@@Finalblue1234 The 360 version is backwards compatible on the XO

[@gran86251]

This game was boss!!!!!!! When my man got stabbed with the sword that went THROUGH THE EARTH....or when he go pissed and punch big Buddha’s hand from space, into space....best shit.

[@boolboi2296]

absolute banger video man, very glad to see someone show admiration and recognition for Asura’s wrath and what makes it so great, it’s been one of my favorite games ever since i first played it

[@Xannyphantom905]

just wish the playing it had as much depth. the trailers had actual gameplay in em, yet for some reason it's all removed when the game drops

[@jash3881]

I thought you were talking about asgard's wrath

[@thegatorhator6822]

Always hated how much hate QTEs get. They got hate because too many games overused them when they either didn't suit the game's other gameplay very well or they were rapidfire guessing games of which input it would put up. Asura's Wrath went hard with it's QTEs and it's simple gameplay. It was more about the story and about the gameplay being 'fun' than 'complex' or 'hard' and the QTEs mapping to the in-game actions is how ALL QTEs should be, not some HOW QUICK CAN YOU REACT TO RANDOMNESS bs.

[@darthsreepa2820]

Great writeup... no, great videoup? Anyway, I love how the final fight between Yasha and Asura uses QTEs not just to relay the truly immense scale of the fight and the physicality but also the emotional aspect too. In the last part of the fight, you are presented with a QTE(that's more of a Slow TE) that's meant to be the final blow Asura gives to Yasha. The previously quick-filling QTE circle for the ∆ button now takes a while to do so, as Asura is confronted with his past memories of Yasha. And then, just as the 10 second button prompt finally seems to be active, Asura notices something. He sees Yasha, the literal embodiment of melancholy, crack a faint smile beneath his mask. And then, the only time this happens in the game, the QTE disappears. I think that's the most cohesive player-protag experience I have experienced to date. Really good stuff.

[@TuRaTic]

finally someone who understand me when i say "im actually quite happy when im angry enough to carve from this world whats mine". this very VERY masculine trait is the answer to depressed men in more cases than you may think; stop letting your rage dissipate into despair and submission. take them out before you take yourself out, have more faith in what you know is right.

[@whereDIDericGO]

I just got this up and running on RPCS3... I mean my PS3

[@franktheninja2]

TLDR: Beserk And I love Berserk

[@jordanloux3883]

They made you pay extra for the actual ending of the game. Stuff like that is going to sour a game for a lot of people.

[@TrevorNWhite]

Solid analysis! Maybe it’s just because Ive been playing a hobbled version over stream on PS Now (just got the bare-minimum ending), but for all its definitely-awesome OTT moments, I must confess I still found the moment-to-moment gameplay generally tedious. Maybe it’s just because I went in expecting “anime God of War”; for better or worse, there’s no real upgrade system or collectibles, so the sense of progression and light exploration I tend to enjoy in the subgenre isn’t there. Though, with how powerful Asura is, I guess he’d have no need for that! And those Bursts and “synchronic” presses are definitely satisfying.

[@AedannTracy]

I truly wish they adapted this into a full fledged anime. Every character has so much lore and history it could easily have its own series

[@marctradler7014]

I replayed this some months ago, it´s short but sweet and a great ride.

[@Juggalozen]

Bless you, sir. I’ve loved this game since the day it came out. I’ve always found myself having to apologize for loving Asura’s Wrath. I’m glad at least a handful of people gladly voice their appreciation of its experience.

[@therecklessreploid4342]

This game will always be my favorite. Asura's Wrath is such a beautiful game, with a simple yet entertaining story and some badass fights. Not only that, rage is portrayed well in this. It can be a powerful force when unrefined, but focused it becomes even more potent. 10/10 game, wishing for a sequel

[@minisquirtle9702]

Is no one gonna mention the one fight in Gods of Men where you play as Yasha fighting Asura where your character is trying to give a speech everytime there's a cutscene and Asura can just interrupt it and start the fight already? JUST like he does when you're the one playing Asura fighting a boss????