As any Tekken fan will tell you, the name Ganryu is associated with a larger-than-life sumo wrestler that has been a part of the franchise since the very beginning. So, initially, I thought this was a sequel to a Tekken spin-off I had never heard of. The truth is far cooler though. Available today on Xbox, PC, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch is Ganryu 2; the sequel to the 1999 NEOGEO arcade platformer.
Heavily inspired by Japanese literature classics ‘The Stone and the Sword’, Ganryu 2 takes places after the events of the first game. Miyamoto Musashi has defeated Kojiro and is spending his time doing a bit of meditation. However, he hears the voice of Kojiro once again, and must set off again to defeat him.
Set in a fantasy version of feudal Japan, it should come as no surprise that Musashi’s weapon of choice is a samurai sword. And it is fair to say that he is pretty lethal with it. Unleash devastating attacks of enemies and bosses as Musashis sprints, glides, slashes and swipes through this gorgeous, pixelated representation of 17th Century Japan.
Ganryu 2 is available to download now on the Xbox Store priced at £12.49. It doesn’t sound like extensive knowledge of the first game is required, but our review coming soon will have all the details you need. For now though, hit us up in the comments if you remember the original game, we won’t judge.
Game descriptionAfter his victory against Kojiro, Musashi decided to meditate and try his hand at art, in the north of Japan, in the province of Hokkaido. During one of his meditations, a spirit contacted him : “Miyamoto Musashi, our fight is not over, I am waiting for you to finish our fight once and for all! All of Japan will pay for your insult! I’m waiting for you Miyamoto Musashi!” There is no doubt for Musashi that the voice was the Sasaki Kojirō’s one. His body was defeated, but his spirit remains, and his intentions were destructive. Miyamoto Musashi then understood that he would have to travel across Japan from north to south and go to the island of Ganryû-jima, where he firstly defeated Sasaki Kojirō, to fight again and liberate the spirit of Kojiro forever. Ganryu 2 is the sequel to the Ganryu game made by VISCO on NEOGEO back in 1999. The universe takes place in a feudal fantasy Japan which is strongly inspired by the story of Takezo Musashi, whose adventures are unfolded in a series of books (mainly “The Stone and the Sword”). You play as Miyamoto Musashi travelling through a 17th century fantasy Japan, from north to south to the island of Ganryu-jima where everything started between Musashi and Kojiro.
