Square Enix’s Brave Fencer Musashi is a 1998 action RPG title for the PS1 released in Japan and North America. Unlike many other Square games of the era, Brave Fencer Musashi is a real-time action-adventure game more along the lines of The Legend of Zelda. That said, there are some RPG elements at play, such as the ability to improve the player character through battling and progression, a full day/night cycle, towns, and NPCs. As Square’s first 3D game with real-time combat, the development of Brave Fencer Musashi would prove to be difficult. Ultimately, though, the game would receive strong critical praise along with a positive reception from fans.
The legacy of the Brave Fencer Musashi series is interesting in that the title remains one of the more difficult-to-come-by PS1 games. While the title would eventually get a re-release on the PSN in 2008, the game is otherwise fairly obscure. Even in the emulation scene, a working ROM file for Brave Fencer Musashi is hard to come by, resulting in the title being highly sought after by collectors thanks to its “hidden gem” reputation. The game’s strong sales in both Japan and North America were helped by its inclusion of a Final Fantasy VIII demo, resulting in a sequel being greenlit and eventually releasing for the PS2 in 2005.
Brave Fencer Musashi Premise
©Brave Fencer Musashi gameplay screenshot – Original
In Brave Fencer Musashi, players take on the role of the titular hero Musashi, who is actually the reincarnation of a legendary samurai. 150 years before the events of the game take place, the original Musashi saves the Allucaneet Kingdom from a terrible evil. Realizing that the legendary hero has been reborn, the kingdom’s Princess Fillet calls upon the young Musashi to acquire the sword of the legendary hero and use it to beat back an encroaching darkness returning to the land. Wielding the new sword Fusion (which allows Musashi to absorb enemies’ abilities) and the legendary Brave Fencer’s sword Lumina, the young hero travels across Allucaneet, rescuing the civilians and defeating the Empire while growing in power.
The gameplay in Brave Fencer Musashi is very similar to what players would experience in a Legend of Zelda title, with players directly controlling Musashi and encountering enemies in real-time combat. Each of Musashi’s swords behaves differently and have different functions, requiring players to switch up tactics depending on the enemy’s behavior. The game’s world has a full day and night cycle, with certain activities only available at specific times. The more Musashi uses his abilities, he gains experience, which results in leveling those skills up and improving their power. Musashi can also collect pieces of the original Brave Fencer’s Legendary Armor, which each grants new abilities unlocking new areas similar to a Metroidvania.
Brave Fencer Musashi Main Characters
©CheatCC
Central to the plot of Brave Fencer Musashi is the young Musashi, a reincarnated version of the legendary Brave Fencer who previously saved the Allucaneet Kingdom. Sensing that the evil Empire is threatening the kingdom, Princess Fillet summons the legendary hero, resulting in Musashi’s arrival and the beginning of his quest. Along the way, he is joined by other allies and enemies who either help or hinder his mission to save Allucaneet. The main characters in Brave Fencer Musashi include:
- Musashi: The main character and hero of Brave Fencer Musashi. Musashi is a young swordsman from another world who finds himself transported into Allucaneet Kingdom. He reluctantly agrees to help the people of Allucaneet out thanks to his sense of duty.
- Princess Fillet: Princess Fillet is the young ruler of Allucaneet who is currently held prisoner by the Empire. Fearing for the safety of the kingdom, she performs a hero-summoning ritual that pulls in the reincarnated Musashi from another world.
- Kojiro: The second hero who appears when Princess Fillet performs the hero summoning ritual again. Kojiro is Musashi’s bitter rival who eventually falls in battle and turns to the side of the Wizard of Darkness.
- Wizard of Darkness: The main antagonist of Brave Fencer Musashi. After being defeated by the original Brave Fencer, the Wizard of Darkness is sealed away within his sword, Lumina. The new Musashi unwittingly awakens the Wizard by collecting the 5 Scrolls, resulting in the Wizard taking the form of a Dark Lumina intent on killing the young hero.
Games in the Brave Fencer Musashi Series
While the main draw for Brave Fencer Musashi‘s Western release was its inclusion of a playable demo for Final Fantasy VIII (a common practice with lesser-known Square titles at the time to help get them an audience), the title would end up becoming a cult classic on the PS1. Surprisingly, the game remains somewhat of a hidden gem despite some strong critical praise and a strong reception from fans. Brave Fencer Musashi would ultimately sell enough copies to warrant a sequel, though it would take several years for the game to arrive. Released in 2005, Musashi: Samurai Legend is the sole other game in the series. Games in the Brave Fencer Musashi series include:
- Brave Fencer Musashi (PlayStation, 1998)
- Musashi: Samurai Legend (PlayStation 2, 2005)
Brave Fencer Musashi Cheats & Secrets
While there are no official “cheats” in Brave Fencer Musashi, there are plenty of unlockables and secrets for players to discover. Additionally, there are several Game Shark codes available for the title that significantly alter gameplay.
Brave Fencer Musashi Unlockables
Complete certain conditions to gain access to special action figures for Musashi to add to his collection.
Special Series Action Figures
After reaching Chapter 6, the Toy store will begin to have Special Series Action Figures in stock. Still, players must complete the prerequisite conditions before being able to purchase the figures.
| Figure | How to Unlock for Purchase |
|---|---|
| DLumina 1 | Beat the game |
| DLumina 2 | Raise Musashi’s Fusion and Lumina levels to 30 |
| DLumina 3 | Acquire every other Action Figure, including all Special Series figures |
| Jon & Leno | Open every treasure chest in the game, including the chests at Soda Fountain |
| Kojiro | Talk to Farmer Lacter during Chapter 6 |
| Mom Minku | Find all 13 Minkus and defeat Monther Minku in the Meandering Forest |
| Princess Fillet | Free all 35 NPCs in the Bincho Fields |
Brave Fencer Musashi Secrets
Regenerating Plants
Using the Water Scroll and shooting bubbles at plants makes them regenerate and grow larger.
Resume Complete Game
Complete the game and watch the ending credits, waiting for the Squaresoft logo to appear. When prompted, press the X button to save your game. You can now load this save file and resume play in Chapter 6, where you can clear up any remaining activities.
Special Fan Art
Purchase all Action Figures (including all Special Series figures) and beat the game. After the Squaresoft logo appears, a special image will show depicting all the characters in the game. There is also a message that appears saying “Perfect!! Thank you for playing!”.
6th Legendary Armor
After rescuing Weaver from the Bincho Field in Twinpeak Mountain, make sure you have the Legendary Cloth. Go visit Weaver in the castle and she will make one piece of Legendary Armor for Musashi — either the L-Quilt or the L-Glove.
Brave Fencer Musashi Glitches
Cheap Bread at Jam’s Shop
To get a permanent discount at Jam’s Bread Shop, complete the following steps:
- Walk into the door and get as close as you can without entering the building
- Have Musashi sleep in the small area with the wooden floor
- The Bread Shop will close, forcing Musashi inside the building
- The normal entry scene will play out but now, no matter the day, Jam will always announce that there’s a sale happening
Brave Fencer Musashi Game Shark Codes
Like most other PS1-era games, there are a plethora of Game Shark codes available for Brave Fencer Musashi. To use these codes, players will need a PlayStation console and a Game Shark device. Note that some codes require a Game Shark 2.2 or higher. Alternatively, players can input any of the following codes into a PS1 emulator’s “Cheat” menu.
General Cheats
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| Have All Legendary Armor Pieces | 30126C00 4115 |
| Infinite HP | Have All Legendary Armor Pieces |
| Infinite BP | 80078EB6 0212 80078EB8 0212 |
| Infinite Cash | 80078E8E 0001 |
| Quick Level Gain | 80078F08 FFFF |
| Have All Techs | 800AE658 FFFF |
| Have All Legendary Armor Peices | 300AE64B 00FF 300AE64C 00FF |
| All Rescues Complete (1) | 800BA1F8 0101 800BA1FA 0101 800BA1FC 0101 800BA1FE 0101 800BA200 0101 800BA202 0101 800BA204 0101 800BA206 0101 800BA208 0101 800BA20A 0101 800BA20C 0101 800BA20E 0101 |
| All Rescues Complete (2) | 800BA210 0101 800BA212 0101 800BA214 0101 800BA216 0101 800BA218 0101 300BA21A 0001 |
| All Rescues Complete (Requires Game Shark 2.2 or higher) | 50001102 0000 800BA1F8 0101 300BA21A 0001 |
| Time is Always 00:00:00 | 80078E7C 0000 80078E7E 0000 |
| Tired Always at 0% | 80078EA6 00A0 |
| Stop Village Rescue Timer | 80078E90 BE2A 80078E92 041B |
| Stop Valve Reset Timer | 801204A8 0700 |
| Moon Jump | D0078DCA 0040 80126B8E FFF1 |
| Infinite Mid-Air Jumps (Requires Legendary Belt) | 80126D98 0000 |
| Never Lose a Log (Raft Stage) | 800BA286 0400 |
| Max Body | 80078EE4 031B |
| Body Exp Modifier | 80078EE8 0??? |
| Max Mind | 80078EEC 031B |
| Mind Exp Modifier | 80078EF0 0??? |
| Max FUS | 80078EF4 031B |
| FUS Exp Modifier | 80078EF8 0??? |
| Max LUM | 80078EFC 031B |
| LUM Exp Modifier | 80078F00 0??? |
Item Slot Cheats
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| Slot 1 | 300BA1E7 00?? |
| Slot 2 | 300BA1E8 00?? |
| Slot 3 | 300BA1E9 00?? |
| Slot 4 | 300BA1EA 00?? |
| Slot 5 | 300BA1EB 00?? |
| Slot 6 | 300BA1EC 00?? |
| Slot 7 | 300BA1ED 00?? |
| Slot 8 | 300BA1EE 00?? |
| Slot 9 | 300BA1EF 00?? |
| Slot 10 | 300BA1F0 00?? |
| Slot 11 | 300BA1F1 00?? |
| Slot 12 | 300BA1F2 00?? |
Values for Item Slot Cheats
| 00 – Nothing 01 – Riceball 02 – Sourball 03 – Moldball 04 – Gel 05 – W-Gel 06 – C-Drink 07 – Ex-Drink 08 – Mint 09 – Antidote 0A – S-Revive 0B – Orange 0C – Sporange 0D – Ryebread 0E – Bagel 0F – Scone 10 – Gr-Bread 11 – Ol’Bread 12 – Rotbread 13 – Rock 14 – Crystal 15 – Oldsword 16 – Shovel 17 – Shield 18 – Frisbee 19 – Oldbook 1A – Comic 1B – Agedcoin 1C – Goldcoin 1D – Oldcrown 1E – Cakepan 1F – Oldpipe 20 – Flute 21 – Oddhat 22 – Pieplate 23 – Dagger 24 – Penknife 25 – Powder 26 – Soap 27 – Cloth 28 – L-Cloth 29 – Helmet 2A – Bedpan 2B – Usedboot 2C – A-Boots 2D – Oldglove 2E – A-Glove 2F – Armor 30 – Largepot 31 – Longtube 32 – Bigstraw 33 – Redcloth 34 – E-Undies 35 – Wh-Cloth 36 – B-Undies 37 – Bl-Cloth 38 – T-Hanky 39 – Lrgtool 3A – Pickaxe 3B – Oddbone 3C – Baton 3D-46 – ? 47 – Glasses 48 – Uglybelt 49 – Bracelet 4A – Oldshirt 4B – Redshoes 4C – Wellh20 4D – Jon’skey 4E – Log 4F – Manual 50 – Log 51 – Log 52 – Log 53 – Milk 54 – Sourmilk 55 – Yogurt 56 – Misteria 57 – Aqualin 58 – Rope 59 – Key 5A – Statue 5B – Handle#1 5C – Handle#4 5D – Handle#8 5E – Calendar 5F – Rocksalt 60 – Redeye 61 – Blueye 62 – Greeneye 63 – G.Gizmo 64 – G.Gizmo 65 – G.Gizmo 66 – G.Gizmo 67 – Handle#0 68 – Jambread 69 – Biscuit 6A – Neatball 6B – Cheese 6C – Profits 6D – H-Mint 6E – Note |
Toy Cheats
Note that with the toy cheats, all toys will appear in Musashi’s room. Series 1, 2, and Special toys will still show up in the shop.
| Cheat | Code |
|---|---|
| Musashi Toy | 800BA21A C1C2 |
| Bee Plant & Soldier 1 Toy | 800BA21C C1C2 |
| Soldier 2 & Rootrick Toy | 800BA21E C1C2 |
| St-Knight & Soldlier 3 Toy | 800BA220 C1C2 |
| HerbPlant & KManeater Toy | 800BA222 C1C2 |
| Magician & Sleepie Toy | 800BA224 C1C2 |
| Skullpion & R-Vambee Toy | 800BA226 C1C2 |
| V-Soldier & Bowler Toy | 800BA228 C1C2 |
| Cure Worm & Bubbles Toy | 800BA22A C1C2 |
| R-Keeper & Penguin Toy | 800BA22C C1C2 |
| HayaWolf & SlowGuy Toy | 800BA22E C1C2 |
| S-Golem & Ginger-E Toy | 800BA230 C1C2 |
| F-Dragon & GiAnt Toy | 800BA232 C1C2 |
| ToadStool & Ed & Ben Toy | 800BA234 C1C2 |
| Topo & Col-Capri Toy | 800BA236 C1C2 |
| Queen Ant & Soldier H1 Toy | 800BA238 C1C2 |
| Soldier 2H & Soldier 3H Toy | 800BA23A C1C2 |
| Big Walker & Flatski Toy | 800BA23C C1C2 |
| T.O.D & Fillet Toy | 800BA23E C1C2 |
| Jon & Leno & MomMinku Toy | 800BA240 C1C2 |
| Kojiro & DLumina1 Toy | 800BA242 C1C2 |
| DLumina2 & DLumina 3 Toy | 800BA244 C1C2 |
Brave Fencer Musashi Cheat FAQs
What is the max level in Brave Fencer Musashi?
The way that Brave Fencer Musashi handles character progression and growth is slightly different from other Square RPGs. Musashi’s power is determined by four different attributes: Body, Mind, Fusion, and Lumina. Body is essentially Strength, Mind is Defense, and the other two relate to Musashi’s special abilities. The max level for each of these stats is 30. Using the abilities will equate to gaining more experience, including the number of steps Musashi takes representing his total EXP.
How long does it take to beat Brave Fencer Musashi?
In terms of action RPGs, Brave Fencer Musashi is actually a fairly long game. A standard playthrough will take most players about 15 hours. For those hoping to 100% complete the game and see or collect everything, expect to spend about 18 hours.
What are Musashi’s powers in Brave Fencer Musashi?
Musashi has standard melee attacks using both his swords, but he also has special abilities. Some of his unique abilities include telekinetic projectiles and special jumps. Perhaps the most important ability Musashi has, though, is Fusion. Musashi can absorb foes and take on their abilities for a short amount of time, similar to Nintendo’s Kirby games and their titular hero.
Is there a sequel to Brave Fencer Musashi?
While it’s lesser known than its predecessor, there is a sequel to Brave Fencer Musashi. Musashi: Samurai Legend is the PS2-era follow-up to Brave Fencer Musashi released by Square Enix in 2005.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©CheatCC/Matt Karoglou.