Incredibly unique game. I highly recommend that people give it a try.
Asura's Wrath works the same way. Whatever "game" there is here flat out stinks. The combat is made up of jump, one attack button, one special move button and evade. There is no depth to the combat whatsoever, no strategy or tactics, not even any combos. The camera/lock on controls are PS2 level atrocious. In spite of this the combat can still be visceral and fun at times, but, on the other hand, the shooting portions have nothing redeeming about them. They are an absolute button mashing, can't tell what you're shooting or is shooting at you mess. To make matters worse one third of your progress and success in the game is dependant entirely on QTEs. If I haven't made my opinion on QTEs abundantly clear then I will say it again… they stink!
But here's the catch. The game tracks how quickly you beat the 19 chapters by providing you with the time you spent in gameplay. On most chapters this ranges between 2 and 7 minutes. So all together there is maybe an hour and a half of actual combat through the course of the entire game. That's how small a part the "gameplay" plays in the actual experience. The gameplay is also unique in that you don't progress through a level or defeat a certain amount of baddies as seen in… every other game I've ever played. Instead you just fight until you build a burst, or "damage inflicted", meter then trigger the end of the level whenever you want. This means you can focus on bigger enemies or ignore them for small enemies only. It's just a novel approach to level design.
Speaking of level design, that's where Asura's Wrath is really odd. I'm not going to do this justice but here is a rough description. Each chapter is like an episode in a television series. It starts with artistic stills and written text describing a situation ancillary to the plot. Then you have a "next time on" set of clips foreshadowing the coming chapter. Then the cutscenes start with credits rolling like the beginning of a movie. Cutscenes makes up the majority of the level with QTEs sprinkled throughout. Great music. Then you have one or two brief combat sections. Halfway through the chapter stops and there's two pictures from the game, like a before and after commercial break. Then the chapter ends with a "to be continued…" and each of the three segments ends like a complete game with full credits. Overall it's just a really cool presentation.
Now layer on top of all this the really awesome, over the top, crazy Japanese nonsense. At one point you fight on the moon then get pushed back to earth and stabbed by a sword so big it travels through the entire planet. It's absurd, but so amazing. The game takes place over 17,000 years and the religion come to life story is so dark. It draws you in using just pure rage and emotion with zero subtlety or human dialogue. I absolutely despise and I'm disgusted with Kratos. I can't stand the God of War plot or story for so many reasons. Asura's Wrath is how you do a revenge story properly.
I could not put this game down and beat it in two nights. It's short and unfortunately tries to create artificial length by forcing you to replay the game five times for the platinum. I absolutely, one hundred percent recommend that everyone at least rent and try this game out. Again it's not a great game by conventional standards, and it may frustrate you at times, but as a really unique and interesting gaming experience, this game has to be played.