We have been following the development of the Vita version of Muramasa: The Demon Blade (which is being published in Japan by Marvelous Entertainment) since it was revealed last year, in hopes that the port of Wii cult-classic would eventually find a publisher willing to bring it to Western audiences. Aksys Games answered that call today, announcing that they will be publishing the title in North America under the name Muramasa Rebirth.
Aksys confirmed in the announcement that in addition to upgrading Muramasa: The Demon Blade‘s already amazingly beautiful hand-drawn artwork to hi-res on the Vita’s OLED screen, Rebirth would also contain the option to purchase additional downloadable content in the form of four playable characters and scenarios.
The original title contained two separate stories that followed Momohime (a princess who becomes possessed by an evil spirit and occasionally bathes with monkeys in hot springs) and Kisuke (an amnesiac ninja who also occasionally bathes with monkeys in hot springs) as they traveled through ancient Japan. It is unclear how Muramasa Rebirth‘s downloadable characters will fit in with the existing two stories, but it should add a good amount of extra content to what was already a rather large game.
Currently Marvelous Entertainment is planning to launch the Vita version of Muramasa: The Demon Blade on March 28, 2013 in Japan. Aksys did not reveal a release date, or even a possible window, in today’s announcement but it seems unlikely that Muramasa Rebirth is on track with its Japanese counterpart. As soon as the publisher announces the game’s launch date we will let you know.
In the meantime, we have embedded Muramasa Rebirth‘s Japanese debut trailer below. The original Wii game retained the Japanese voice work, so it should give you a decent idea as to what to expect when the game does arrive in the West. Make sure to check around the 2:30 mark to get a look at the new DLC characters.
