Back in 2012 developer CyberConnect2 and Capcom released Asura’s Wrath on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and while I didn’t jump in at the time what stuck with me over the years was the praise given by people to the wild story and so on a recent sale I thought it was finally time to see it for myself. I’m glad that I did too because the game is absolutely bonkers and utterly unique.

You take on the role of Asura, a demigod who is defending their world against the hostile Gohma. After a victorious battle Asura is quickly betrayed by his fellow demigods and must exact revenge to save his daughter.

The game primarily plays out like a third person brawler with a strong reliance on quick time events (QTE) that support the cinematic presentation. A number of on-rails shooting sections help transition between areas and also break up the action. Timing your button presses to the QTEs probably have more impact to the overall gameplay than anything else, especially on the easy setting, but once you start playing you can see it’s all just there to propel you through the story and if that grabs you, then you have nothing to worry about.

The presentation of Asura’s Wrath is amazing and still stand up well more than a decade later thanks to great art direction and a style that makes me think it might be the most anime game I’ve ever played. Exaggerated movements, overly dramatic dialogue and insane battle scenarios make for a lot of memorable moments in the game. All of these are broken up into a number of chapters which are in easily digestible five to ten minute chunks which does wonders for managing the pacing of the game and story. Plenty of recaps and cinematics between chapters help fill out the story further and keep you invested.

Despite my enjoyment of the game there are a couple of negatives worth discussing. The first has already been hinted at as the game is probably more an interactive anime than “a game” so if you are looking for more it may not be for you. The other negative is a bit frustrating in that a whole chapter that follows the “true” ending is only available as DLC – how it’s sold could make people feel they are being screwed for more money over something that should have been in the game.

Negative feelings aside, I could not stop playing Asura’s Wrath until I finished it. The structure with its bite sized chapters make it a perfect game to pick up and play and the spectacle of it gives you plenty of cool moments no matter where you are in the game. It’s short but a lot of fun to experience if you are open to accepting the game for what it is.

Asura’s Wrath was available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Purchased and played on an Xbox Series X via backward compatibility. Screenshots via xbox.com.