Asura's Wrath is an action game where the player controls Asura , one of the eight elite demigods. He leads a legion to fight against a race of beasts called Gohma who roam Earth, known as Gaea in the game. Demigods derive their power from mantra, a source powered by the emotion of mortals. The civilization that unified all nations, Shinkoku Trastrium, drained the planet's resources and led to the War of Creation. This war neither side can win, leading to the awakening of Vlitra, a Gohma the size of the continent.
The game starts when the Gohma attack the Karma Fortress, an orbital space station. Asura's daughter Mithra is chosen by the 128th Emperor Strada to become the main priestess to guide mortal prayers and provide mantra. The story follows three parts with 18 episodes in total, following the style of an anime series with opening and ending credits.
The gameplay consists of large parts played as a third-person fighting game with a focus on melee combat. Asura has different attacks that can be chained into combos. He also has a ranged cannon that can lock onto enemies and blast opponents and projectiles out of the sky. The player must fill up an Unlimited gauge near the top of the screen by inflicting and receiving damage, which can be activated for more strength and no overheating.
The game shifts into rail shooter sequences where Asura soars through the skies. In these sequences, movement is limited to a fixed axis for the area shown on the screen, and the camera rotates automatically. The player must attack and lock onto multiple targets while evading projectiles in a style similar to Space Harrier. The game features many cinematic events that require direct input from the player.
The game has quick-time events that are rated based on accuracy and speed, and even during cinematics missing them can cause Asura to die or lose significant health. These events appear during gameplay but also during static cinematics or flight sequences.