The Onimusha series may not be as popular as other CAPCOM franchises, but it remains to this day one of the most unique series ever released by the Japanese publisher. Starting out as a different take on the formula made popular by the Resident Evil series, the franchise evolved considerably until the launch of Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, the latest entry in the series, which plays slightly differently from its predecessor, doing away with the signature fixed camera angles that make the series so different from the vast majority of action-adventure games of the time.
With a new entry in the series called Onimusha: Way of the Sword on the way, CAPCOM has decided to bring the second entry in the series, Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, to modern gaming platforms with a remaster that aims to faithfully recreate the original game with improved visuals and some small additions which have little impact on the experience. This is, in my opinion, not a bad thing at all, as the game has aged incredibly well.
The Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny remaster is so faithful to the original, which I have gone through countless times back in the PlayStation 2 days but never revisited in over 20 years, that it felt instantly familiar. So much so that I could remember how much of the stiff but incredibly charming English language script was delivered by the voice actors, awkward pauses included. I also had no trouble getting used again to some of the game’s unique mechanics, which, as mentioned above, have aged so well that I have no doubt even newcomers will have no trouble getting into the game and enjoying it.
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, much like its predecessor, is a rather unique action-adventure game that strikes a happy medium between the survival horror experience of the first three entries in the Resident Evil series and the more action-oriented approach of the original Devil May Cry, whose development started back in the day, as a new entry in the Resident Evil series. Employing the same fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds of the older entries in the popular CAPCOM survival horror series, which have been touched up and upscaled like the 3D character models in the remaster, players control Jubei Yagyu as he embarks on a journey to gather the five orbs created to protect humans from demons and defeat Nobunaga Oda, the famous daimyo and one of the three great unifiers of Japan, who has become the lord of the demons following the death of Fortinbras by the hands of Samanosuke Akechi in the original Onimusha. During the course of his journey, Jubei will encounter multiple companions who will help him, depending on his actions, and involve him in their personal stories that will evolve as he continues his war against the demon lord.
The epic journey depicted in Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny is extremely enjoyable right from the start. In the first few hours, the game immediately shows its best cards, featuring a combination of simple puzzle solving in the vein of the Resident Evil series and fast and engaging combat against all sorts of enemies, ranging from regular humans to powerful demons, which is made extremely enjoyable by Jubei’s mobility and the many techniques he can employ using the currently equipped weapon, which include the thunder katana Buraitou and the ice spear Hyoujin-yari. Unlike the original Devil May Cry, which requires good knowledge of every ability at Dante’s disposal, Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny is a little less hardcore, meaning that even newcomers will instantly have fun unleashing elemental magical attacks and avoiding enemy techniques while they get to learn the intricacies of the combat system, which features plenty of advanced techniques, including a satisfying Issen critical attack with a strict timing that can kill enemies in a single blow. The fixed camera angles, sometimes, don’t provide the best view in combat, especially against the powerful but incredibly memorable boss encounters, but even this flaw is part of the charm of the experience. Combat in the remaster is greatly enhanced by a new feature that allows Jubei to switch between different weapons on the fly, removing some of the downtime of the original, as weapons could only be swapped via the menu in the PlayStation 2 release.
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny couldn’t be releasing at a better time. With the next entry in the series still a ways off, this remaster will be an excellent way for veterans to get re-acquainted with the unique quirks of the franchise as well as for newcomers to understand why the series is so beloved. Jubei Yagyu’s war against Nobunaga Oda will return on May 23rd on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Source: Wccftech / Digpu NewsTex