Musashi vs Cthulhu Pits Sword Against Tentacle In Feudal Japan

Well color me cream and call me a codfish. I thought we’d seen every version of Cthulhu there is to be seen. We’ve seen steampunk Cthulhu, cyber Cthulhu, medieval Cthulhu, space Cthulhu, ad infinitum. But I can’t recall having seen a feudal Japan Cthulhu! I did some cursory research and there is a Secrets of Japan expansion for the Chaosium Call of Cthulhu game, but that’s modern Japan. And why not? Samurai are cool. I want to see them fight fish monsters. Luckily, Cyber Rhino Studios is here to make it happen. Releasing today into Steam Early Access, Musashi vs Cthulhu pits a samurai against endless hordes of mythos monsters.

Now, I’m not gonna lie to you. Musashi vs Cthulhu (or MxC as the devs like to call it) looks like a Newgrounds flash game. The 2D side-scrolling action looks very basic. Playing as Musashi, you’ll fight off increasingly large waves of monsters. Monsters have giant glowing outside hearts, which need to be stabbed. You’ll have to attack in the direction of the heart to land a hit, with some monsters requiring multiple hits to kill. Presently, there are only 5 different enemies in the game. Overall, it seems like more of a rhythm game like One Finger Death Punch.

That being said, Musashi vs Cthulhu has some things going for it. We have to remember, Early Access is supposed to be for games that aren’t yet done. We’re so used to Early Access being an extended beta, that we forget that it can be also used for indie games that are still in pre-alpha. Even though there’s only one game mode now, the team at Cyber Rhino Studios has stated they are looking to include two more modes. Titled Story and SkillTree mode, these will be developed with the feedback of the community. The game also has a pretty bitchin art style, mixing Darkest Dungeon with… well, Newgrounds. But I played a shit ton of Newgrounds back in the day, so I really can’t knock it.

Most importantly, Musashi vs Cthulhu is ultra-budget friendly. At just $3.99, it’s affordable for even the stingiest of gamers. So you get to fight Cthulhu as a samurai for just $3.99, and take part in the development of something cool. What more could you want? If you’re interested, you can click the link to check out Musahsi vs Cthulhu‘s Steam store page. Or you can buy a Big Mac. The choice is yours. But one of the choices makes you a bad person. You decide.