Doesn't matter if you read this game before or after Muramasa, you must read both because together they offer a more complete picture of what Narahara wanted to say by making these two games.

Hanachirasu is very short and to the point, it does not overstay its welcome. Its main ending is perfection, and the gag ends are killer.

Hanachirasu is not as ambitious a work as Muramasa, but I was surprised by how well-realized its world felt to me anyway. I can understand if someone considers this equal to Muramasa, even if it doesn't look it at first. It's actually just really hard for me to think of this as a separate work from Muramasa at all.