Brave Fencer Musashi is a Japanese style Action RPG with some Platforming also involved. It's based off (kind of) the real life legends of a samurai named Musashi  from Japanese folk-lore / history. It was developed by Square (Enix) in what I consider their glory days, and it's definitely a gem of it's time. Everything is in 3D and the combat is completely in real time, meaning no separate battle screens. The game features many advanced (for it's time) RPG elements such as fatigue and a day / night cycle, on top of your general EXP growth and stats. Another great feature of the game is the ability to assimilate enemies to absorb them and use their abilities, such as a firefly for lighting a dark path. This game at release was often compared to Legend of Zelda, for good reason too, as they share quite a few similarities. Now on to the criteria.

Graphics - The graphics are something worth a lot of praise. Not only by Square's standards, but by the entire industry, the graphics were extremely well done. Everything has a light-hearted and colorful 3D style. The character designs are great, and their looks are very different and detailed. Even the smallest NPC's outfit, such as a clown you meet, have a fantastic amount of intricacy. The graphic design for characters is very similar to Final Fantasy 7, where the character's bodies are somewhat misshapen, but it doesn't take anything away from the overall appearance. I especially loved how the environments were rendered as it's obvious a lot of detail went into making everything look good. There's a place with rocks in the shape of a dragon's open mouth that looks phenomenal. The boss designs are also great, showing just how menacing and powerful they will be. Even the animations for using abilities, absorbed or otherwise, look amazing for it's time. The Graphics get a 9 / 10.

Sound - I love the audio this game has to offer. The music can range from classic Japanese instrumentals, to medieval tunes that all set the tone perfectly. The composer did an excellent job with this title, as the OST is on par with Final Fantasy and other franchises of it's caliber. The sound effects are just as well done. Everything from foot steps, an explosion, to striking an enemy with your weapon sound great. I love the whirring sound created when Musashi swings like a gymnast on a bar. The voice acting is also great for the most part. It's used for more dialogue than not, which is a wonderful touch in itself. Other than a couple sub-par characters and Musashi's occasional overzealous-ness, the voice acting sounds incredible with most characters sounding appropriate for the situation. The Sound gets a 9 / 10.

Addictiveness - This game is super fun to play. It doesn't offer a whole lot in terms of replay value though. That said, there's more than enough to enjoy to keep you coming back for more. The game has a few mini-games to offer, such as running from an object that is chasing you down. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the game is the "Assimilation" technique. Holding in the block button charges a gauge, and when full, you can throw your sword into enemies to absorb them and use their abilities. Quite a few of these are required to explore new areas, such as absorbing a hopping plant to bounce over thorny vines. The game tends to focus a bit more on the action aspect over role-play, but it's still very well done and a good thing in my opinion. The bosses are another fun part of the game. Instead of simply hammering them to death, many bosses require you to use the environment or other external factors to bring them down. Overall, I will definitely play this game again soon. The Addictiveness gets a 7 / 10.

Story - The game has a pretty typical synopsis, but still manages to be interesting. It follows the lines of one kingdom warring with another, and you are summoned to save the righteous underdog. The evil empire will use any means necessary to accomplish their misdeeds, and you are the only thing standing in their way. Of course there are quite a few twists that keep you on your toes, but all in all it's pretty standard. That's not to say the game doesn't have good writing. The character's personalities are a joy to experience, and the dialogue itself is wonderful. I actually found myself laughing out loud from quite a few of the punch lines through out the game. I love the broad range of villains used, and how they interact with one another. A good example would be two sisters from the evil empire who are rivals yet comrades. It can get a little slowed down at times, but the story overall is great. Story gets a 8 / 10.

Depth - The game is quite linear, but still has a lot to offer. A huge chunk of the game is based on exploration, which adds quite a bit of depth in of itself. I love the game's concept of time passing, with day / night cycles. Accordingly, Musashi will suffer from fatigue when awake for too long, and must rest in his room or at an inn (you can sleep anywhere really, but sleeping outside will not refresh you as much). The game offers a huge variety of enemies and bosses, and also abilities to assimilate from them. In terms of raw game play, a single time through will generally offer 20+ hours of play, if not more. The game's main city is set up in your general RPG fashion, offering side quests, shops, people to talk to, etc. The game doesn't offer as much as your general RPG, but it's still enough to satisfy a fan of the genre. The Depth gets a 8 / 10.

Difficulty - The game is more difficult than you would first think. Everything from the combat, the stat growth, and the platforming all provide a significant challenge without being overly frustrating. Even the exploration aspect is a good challenge. The enemy combinations for each area are excellent, always keeping you on guard. One of the best examples would be an area that you must navigate over poison liquid, and the enemies are set up to knock you in if you're not careful. As for the platforming, some areas require you to make it over platforms that rotate upside down continuously, which is a fun yet complex task to accomplish. The bosses are all unique, and as stated earlier, usually have a specific way you must go about defeating them. This can get pretty challenging as the game goes on, since some of them can't take damage until these required actions are repeatedly done. There are also puzzle solving elements, but all can be done with some good amount of thought put into it. This game has a perfect level of challenge overall, which is a hard feat to manage. The Difficulty gets a 8 / 10.

This is yet another gem from Square, and deserves any fan of the genre's attention.
Hope you enjoyed the review

This is actually funny. I did consider to download this game before, and forgot to put it on the list! Anyways another great review here as done. I'm not surprised this game is rated high from square enix past games I expect them to be amazing lol. So when I can I'll download the game to my emulator and play it. I look forward to your next review.

Great review.
It makes me wanna play this game again.

I have the sequel(?) to this one. How does it stack up? Honestly this sounds better to me, though the other is still a good game.

Another good review , You told us all about the game without going on too much and you made me wish I had spent my money on this one instead...Breeding discontent ...sounds like a legit reviewer's job alright .