Nazo no Murasame-jō
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| Nazo no Murasame-jō | |
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| Publisher: | Nintendo |
| Developer: | Nintendo |
| Designers: | Keizo Kato, Minoru Maeda, Aki Hashimoto |
| Music: | Koji Kondo |
| Platform: | Famicom Disk System, GBA |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Released: |  April 14, 1986 |
| Modes: | Single player |
Nazo no Murasame-jō(謎の村雨城,"Mystery of Murasame Castle") is a video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Famicom Disk System on April 14, 1986.
Nazo no Murasame-jō was one of the earliest games for the FDS, and was one of the first original titles along with The Legend of Zelda. However, unlike the latter, Nazo no Murasame-jō never saw release outside of Japan.
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[edit] Plot
The Game takes place in Edo-period japan, and stars the Samurai, Takamaru. There was once a castle, named murasame castle, that housed a giant stone statue known as "Murasame." One day, during a stormy night, A mysterious shining gold object fell into the castle. A loud shreik was heard, and the strange alien object gave life to the giant statue, and took over the castle.
The object later took control of the daimyos of the 4 nearby castles, Aosame Castle, Akasame Castle, Ryokusame Castle, and Momosame castle, by handing each a mysterious orb of power. The possesed daimyos made thier troops cause havoc in the once-peaceful lands of Japan.
Hearing of this, the fourth shogun Tokugawa Ietsuna(who was the ruler of japan at the time) Sent the apprentice samurai Takamaru on a secret mission to stop the madness caused by the evil entity.
[edit] Gameplay
The gameplay is very similar to The Legend of Zelda, enough to be called Zelda's "sister" game. Like Zelda, the game is top-down, non-scrolling. However, unlike the Legend of Zelda, which is open-ended, and exploration/puzzle based, Nazo no Murasame-jō is more linear, is fast-paced, and action/skill based. Takamaru is equipped with a katana, and some shurikens. Like in Zelda, you fire a projectile, this case being kunai, when you're far away from an enemy or projectile. When you're near an enemy or projectile, you slash away at the foe, or deflect a projectile, besides fireballs. You can occasionally obtain other items as well, by finding tanookis.
A surprising trick for the game can be performed when the player collects a total of 99 lives. When he or she does so, Takamaru will become invincible forever. Many players assumed it was a hoax when the Famicom magazine in Japan reported it, though players soon found out that it was in fact real. However, doing so will require the player to play for at least 12 hours and would virtually be useless for anyone who is capable of doing so as they would have to be a master of the game to do so.
[edit] Alternate version
Nazo no Murasame-jō was rereleased on the Game Boy Advance in Japan as part of the Famicom Mini series, the Japanese equivalent to America's NES Mini series. Virtually no changes were made to the game.
[edit] Super Smash Bros.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii, music from the game can be unlocked. Plus, a sticker of the game's protagonist is also featured. As expected, the game is also present in Brawl's Chronicle, as is every Nintendo published title.
[edit] Captain Rainbow
Takamaru appears as a supporting character in the Wii game Captain Rainbow, alongside many other Nintendo characters such as Birdo and the golfer from the NES title Golf. His wish is to control his "excitement" around women.
[edit] Samurai Warriors 3
Takamaru makes an updated reappearance as a playable character in Samurai Warriors 3. There is also a Murasame mode, which is essentially a remake of Nazo no Murasame-jō. This will mark Takamaru's first playable appearance in over 23 years.
