Impressive storytelling can't save Asura's Wrath from the fury of fruitless, derivative mediocrity.
Asura doesn't have a sword, a gun or the fellowship of immediate allies (save for one). His weapon of choice? Pure, unadulterated rage. In fact, Asura's Wrath makes the point of emphasizing anger as an integral part of its combat system. The player is given the opportunity to tap into this demigod's frightening fury by dispatching multitudes of enemies using a series of punches, tackles, throws, body slams---anything at his disposal that demands his natural strength. This is the general framework of the entire experience. The goal of each action interlude is to build up a Burst meter by disposing of enough enemies or dealing enough damage to a single entity to call up an on-screen indicator that, when pressed at the right time, will end the battle in a spectacular interactive cinematic finisher. In his current state, Asura is a brutally violent powerhouse who uses his anger to his advantage. But when he REALLY gets pissed off, he will tap into his inner Mantra and transform into a hulking, six-armed behemoth that will utterly decimate anything and everything in his path---all in a spectacularly produced cinematic.
Yet, we reach the point where Asura's Wrath goes downhill fast. For one, the combat is derivative, stale in its execution and repetitive in its flow, and you can finish most battles quickly in under 2 minutes. There are synchronistic sequences with timed button presses that liven things up a bit---particularly the cinematic finishers---but their overt, wild nature can be distracting at times. Apart from that and everything else about the gameplay system, the story cutscenes are roughly twice the length of the combat. To its credit, Asura's Wrath is roughly inspired by Asian mythology featuring characters inspired by popular folklore---blended with an interesting fusion of science-fiction. Most of the characters themselves are likeable enough with decent voice acting and, in a strange way, you'll emphasize with the incredibly angry Asura and his plight to right the wrongs done against him. Although the story is quite interesting, it tends to slog on through lengthy cutscene after lengthy cutscene......after lengthy cutscene. It's sort of like watching one long $60 anime. In some instances, the story scenes themselves tend to tread longer than the gameplay portion, prompting the player to skip them just so they can get to the game. And what gameplay exists in the threadwork is few and far between with little to no variation whatsoever. There's no exploration to be had, and no opportunities to develop your character outside of the arsenal he's got. There's simply nothing beyond the standard, formulaic action, and the stale, on-rails shooting sequences that make a pathetic attempt to spice up the works don't help matters. As such, no amount of thrilling story cutscenes can deliver Asura's Wrath from the button-mashing borefest that roughly makes up 80% of the entire experience.
Asura's Wrath is comprised of eighteen individual chapters that are spread out like a Japanese television program----complete with a credit introduction and episode previews. You can revisit these chapters in any difficulty setting to earn trophies or attempt to earn a higher ranking, and your efforts will pay off in the form of a secret episode that will reveal the game's true ending. There are also a modest array of unlockables to earn through meritorious play---like artwork, gauges, bumpers and movies. While not spectacular, these things at least compensate for the game's relatively short length and makes an attempt to add to the replay value.
Overall, Asura's Wrath is a game of numerous missed opportunities. It has an interesting story framework with a deluge of likeable characters and a plot that possesses many of the right elements. But everything gets bogged down by formulaic, derivative gameplay that is few and far between, and won't likely hold a gamer's attention for more than several seconds. In the end, Asura's Wrath may be competent as a rental, but as a full fledged purchase, you'll be feeling the anger of paying $60. Simply put, Asura's Wrath doesn't cut it.