Gameplay

Asura's Wrath is an action beat 'em up game that also has some on-rails segments. The gameplay of Asura's Wrath is a combination of multiple genres and types of gameplay, while overall being presented in the style of an episodic anime series.

Gameplay

Episodic Anime Presentation

Each level is played out like an episode more akin to an anime television series, with subtle introductory and closing credits at the start and end of each episode. This is then followed by a preview/brief promo with cut together footage for the next episode, along with a narration recapping and previewing upcoming events. In between episodes, there are also snippets of additional narrative and back story that are presented in the form of a series of illustrations, with each different segment drawn by a different credited artist.

The entire story is split into four parts/chapters. Each cutscene at the end of a part/chapter is overlaid with lengthier production credits.

Player Gauges

In all forms of gameplay, however, player progress is determined by two gauges presented at the top of the screen, the Life and Burst Gauge. The Life gauge determines the current health and damage taken by the character that if depleted results in a game over/restart screen for that current section. The Burst gauge, however, starts empty at the start of every encounter that needs to be charged fully. In order to do this, players must successfully defeat enemies, inflict large amounts of damage and press the current quick-time prompt correctly and in time. Once filled to maximum, the Burst icon (Burst Mode) appears onscreen and players can unleash a powerful burst attack, which in the majority of cases is required in order to finish off strong opponents and advance through the story/gameplay, even commencing another cutscene. In the story, when in Burst Mode, Asura's boiling rage stockpiles itself to an intense degree to start a devastating attack on the enemy.

In addition to these two gauges, an additional one which is known as the "Unlimited Gauge" fills up in a similar way to the Burst gauge but instead can be activated to enter in "Unlimited Mode", which temporarily increases the damage that can be inflicted on opponents.

Certain gameplay elements can affect the player's (Asura and Yasha) abilities, which are the unlockable Gauges.

Beat 'em up and rail shooter

The gameplay throughout shifts between a third-person action and a rail shooter/shoot 'em up game. The third-person action sequences resemble "beat 'em up" style gameplay where the player must defeat enemies in close combat, utilizing light and heavy attacks, counters, dashes, and projectiles. While regular light attacks are fast, heavier attacks inflict more damage and can throw back multiple enemies yet can overheat, requiring a cooldown period between uses. Players can also perform counter moves if they input the current prompt during an enemy's attack. When an enemy is knocked down, special moves can be performed that further help fill the Burst gauge. If, however, the player character is knocked back, they have a chance to quickly recover by landing on their feet and saving additional health.

The rail shooter portion of the gameplay involves the character moving yet on a fixed axis, being only able to move to dodge and maneuver against incoming enemy fire and obstacles, all the while locking on and firing upon enemies.

The player will generally fight small fodder enemies and some larger enemies simultaneously, who are normally of easy difficulty to defeat. The boss fights in Asura's Wrath is mainly where the difficulty presents itself, and even on normal, it is not entirely easy.

In the Lost Episodes DLC, it alternates between a fighting game and a beat 'em up game. Certain gameplay elements can affect the player's (Asura and Yasha) abilities, which are the unlockable Gauges.

Quick-time events

The player is prompted during a fight to press the Circle button in order to increase and maintain their burst gauge, represented as the slowly filling orange bar at the top of the screen (PS3 version).

The interactive cutscene element is integrated with the gameplay, however. The game also requires the player's direct input during cinematic events in the form of interactive cutscenes with various Quick-time events (QTE) and context sensitive button prompts. Correct inputs when prompted will advance the story while failure can cause the restart of a sequence and damage to health in a previous gameplay sequence.

While some sequences may continue regardless, certain synchronization quick-time events have degrees of success where the player may attempt to press at an even more specific time than when the prompt immediately and initially appears. For example, a press too early or later might register a merely "Good" or "Great" while the exact correct moment will register as "Excellent".

Performance Grade

After completing an episode, the player's performance throughout that episode is given a grade. The player's performance regarding the synchronization rate of the QTEs, the time taken to complete the episode, and the overall damage inflicted is graded at the end of each episode, which ranges anywhere from D to S Rank. After the grade in those parameters is given, the player is awarded a final rank based on the sum of the grades.

Difficulty Settings

The game includes three difficulty modes: "Easy", "Normal" and "Hard".

• Easy: For players who want to enjoy the story.
• Normal: For players who want to seek revenge on those who betrayed them.
• Hard: For players who want to unleash their wrath.

Hidden Episode and DLC

Achieving an S Rank in 5 episodes or completing 50 episodes in total unlocks an extra hidden episode, which subsequently leads to the true ending of the game in the form of a DLC. The DLC comprises of Part IV: Nirvana which concludes the story of Asura's Wrath, which is not available from the disc.

Another DLC includes the special Episodes 11.5 and 15.5, which use fully 2D hand-drawn animation with quick-time events, mostly to fill gaps between the game's episodes.

The Lost Episodes 1 and 2 are the last DLC to be released, which include a crossover with Street Fighter and a two-dimensional fighting mode using the Street Fighter IV engine.

Unlockable Gauges

Main article: Gauges

Throughout the game, the player is able to unlock different Life and Burst Gauges with various effects in gameplay. Except for the default gauge, the different gauges can be obtained by completing certain tasks. They can be equipped in the "Extras" menu.

Achievements/Trophies

Main article: Achievements/Trophies

Achievements/trophies are awarded to the player throughout the game, with a total of 53 achievements/trophies and 1195 Gamerscore points. Achievements/trophies are obtained normally as the story progresses or by completing certain tasks.