I never had the time or inclination to play Vanillaware’s Odin Sphere. It sure looked pretty, but when it came out, I wasn’t in the right mindspace to play through a lengthy RPG. Of course, when I finally came to my senses, the game had vanished off shelves, and was fetching too high a premium for my taste. When early information about Vanillaware’s next game, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, started making the rounds, I put it high atop my priority list. This was a game I would not let pass me by. I wasn’t sure what I was going to get when I put Muramasa into my Wii. The trailers certainly made it appear to be a very polished action RPG/platformer, but looks can be deceiving, particularly when you’re blinded by how pretty all the colors are. Luckily, the gameplay and story were as easy to appreciate as the wonderful art direction. In other words, Muramasa: The Demon Blade is probably the best third-party game on the Wii this year.