Muramasa: The Demon Blade is an action-adventure video game set during the Genroku era of Japan, ruled by shogun Tsunayoshi Tokogawa. Tokogawa's quest for power leads to a conflict over powerful but cursed Demon Blades, which can cause tragedy, madness and death in those who use them. To restore balance to the realm, players take on the role of either a male ninja or female kunoichi and traverse side-scrolling levels both horizontally and vertically while utilizing their ninja skills. Featuring hand-drawn 2D art that reflects the storyline's heritage and tone, Muramasa: The Demon Blade was developed by XSeed Games as a follow up to their critically acclaimed Odin Sphere.