After being slain in battle, most enemies will leave behind a colored orb, of varying size, called essence. The most common form of this energy is the yellow variety, which, when absorbed by the player, will be added to your treasury. This golden essence may then be traded at Muramassa’s shop for regenerative items, armor, projectiles and even weapon upgrades. The other two colors are blue and red, which recharge your health and ki (magic) gauges, respectively. Of course, exactly how much is refilled depends on the size of the essence.

Ultimate techniques are another of the game’s abilities that must be mastered if you’re to have any hope of prevailing. By holding down the Y button and collecting any essence in the area, you can supercharge your blade and unleash a devastating assault on one or more foes. The severity of the attack depends on the equipped (melee) weapon and how much essence you collect before releasing the button. Absorbing a small amount while holding the Dragon Sword, for example, will produce a powerful lunging strike, while a larger consumption will allow Ryu to unleash a devastating fury of attacks capable of crippling even the mightiest foes.

To complement the selection of blades, you’ll also have access to projectiles that include various types of shurikens. While these little weapons are great for breaking through an enemy’s defenses and dealing a little extra damage, your finite carrying capacity limits their usage. The bow and arrow also falls into this category, though it’s different from others in that it can be aimed manually using the handy first-person perspective. Simply hold down the B button and move the left analog stick to enter the aiming mode; this is great for picking off troubling enemies from a distance or activating switches that are otherwise inaccessible.

Ryu can also cast magical abilities called ninpo; the three techniques are inferno (fire), ice storm and inazuma (lightning). None of these spells can be cast until you’ve collected the appropriate technique scroll, and, even then, only one may be equipped at a time. Every time you use one of these skills, it will consume one slot on your ninpo gauge. Like your health bar, special items can be used to both recharge the meter and increase the overall capacity of the gauge.