Musya: The Classic Japanese Tale of Horror

[Zack Burner]

Time for another SNES game review! Combining elements of Castlevania and Revenge of Shinobi you play the role of lone pikeman named Imoto who must do two things: rescue his love Shizuka and recover a talisman to seal the world from evil which is being held by the evil one. To reach both Imoto must traverse the ghastly underworld battling Yokai (supernatural beings, ghosts or monsters) using his trusty spear and some spells (this won't be just a review, you'll get some mind broadening about Japanese culture as well). Gameplay is platforming action as you thrust with the spear, do a spear spin, or cast some spells you'll acquire after defeating a few bosses. Spells range from Fireballs raining from the sky, Lightening, Gem light that homes in and attacks foes, Silk which freezes foes, and life restoration. You'll at some point obtain scrolls that either destroys foes, restores health or grants you temporary invincibility. You can jump quite high many times, so use that to your advantage. The music is a mixed bag, between happy-go-lucky to subtly creepy, the boss theme could do with some working on though. The real stars are the monsters themselves. You get regular foes such as floating heads (possible reference to Nukekube), insect women (influenced by Jorogumo), mud creatures (Dorotabo), and ogres with clubs (Oni), and bosses that are either major yokai such as Tanuki (raccoon dog) and Kappa, to Japanese Culture items such as Daruma and Haniwa. It's not the best game, but if you're interested in Japanese Culture and monsters this could be your thing.

Japanese Culture and Yokai
Daruma- A round hollow Japanese Doll, though can be seen as a toy, it's often considered a talisman of good luck.
Haniwa - Terracotta figures used in burial service

Nukekube - a cousin of another yokai the rokurokubi (the one that stretches its neck indefinitely so the head can get up to mischief of licking oil of a lantern), the head completely detaches from the neck and floats drinking blood from cattle and humans.
Jorogumo - (translation - spinning bride) often appears as a woman playing a Japanese harp like instrument to lure men and then reveals its true form a giant spider to eat them. On some occasions its a woman asking a passerby to hold its "baby" but in actual reality its a sack of baby spiders
Dorotabo - (translation - rice paddy monk) originally monks who were mistreated while working on rice fields until they died, these appear as cyclopean monsters with three fingers representing anger, greed, and ignorance. They appear when someone has mistreated the land and boom "Give me back my fields!"
Oni - large ogre-like monsters carrying clubs that feed on human flesh and are near or practically invincible.
Tanuki - as mentioned above its a Japanese Raccoon dog that has 8 disguises wheres the Kistune (fox) has 7.
Kappa - (translation - river child) - among the most famous of Japanese folklore monsters with beaks, scales, and webbed feet, reside in rivers and can range from playfully mischievous to malicious which can range from looking up women's skirts to drowning people. Cucumber is its favorite food and you can get it to obey you by making it bow to you draining the water life force from the hollow on top of its head.