Playing an episode every day or so helped me appreciate the game's structure and cadence. Asura's Wrath reminded me that this method might sacrifice enjoyment for efficiency. If I don't set aside a large chunk of time, I'm probably not going to play anything. My game habits have followed this model for a long time. If I watch a series, it's usually in a compressed timeframe made possible by Netflix.
Like many folks, I've all but abandoned broadcast TV at this point. It's something that I hadn't thought about too much in the context of gaming, largely because even the most "episodic" games rarely span the length of a single TV season, let alone an entire series. Watch enough episodes of anything in a row and you'll quickly see familiar plot arcs, the same sets, and reused soundtracks. In short, it's a lot like an episodic television show. Even the sound effects and musical themes get reused regularly. There are only so many possible QTE prompts. The game is repetitive in multiple ways: combat is the same basic charge-to-special move every time. It takes a little while to get used to, but I think it was ultimately a great design decision. We're talking full-on, Saturday morning cartoon style episodes here: intro credits for each chapter, episode previews, dramatic breaks right before a confrontation. In a bizarre, yet highly-entertaining move, the game is presented episodically. What's special is the framework in which all this happens.
The game's quicktime events aren't all that challenging either. The actual direct-control fighting isn't all that interesting compared to other games you have a weak attack, a strong attack, and a handful of contextual moves. What I got was more like an interactive Dragonball Z show. I expected a more formulaic character-action style game in the mold of God of War. I had been casually following Asura's Wrath up to its release, so I was surprised by the final product.