Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny remaster review: Peak feudal action dating sim

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Reflecting on the game within the broader category of action games and specifically in its own series, Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny stands out as a remarkable anomaly. It offers robust combat, rewarding progression, intricate weapons to master, and engaging adversaries to vanquish. What sets it apart, however, is an unusual subplot that involves forging alliances with notable figures from Japanese history, which plays a significant role in the storyline and adds to the game’s replay value. The remaster preserves these essential features, updating its visuals, enhancing user experience, and making it available on contemporary platforms.

Great warriors against a common foe

In the world of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, I find myself stepping into the shoes of Jubei Yagyu, a few years after my past encounters. The demonically resurrected Nobunaga, once defeated by Samanosuke Akechi and the King of Demons, Fortinbras, has now seized the throne of demons and embarks on a new conquest across Japan. Returning home to find my village ravaged by Nobunaga’s demonic ambition, I am driven by vengeance.

As fate would have it, I uncover the power of Oni within me, enabling me to battle demons and seize their souls, amplifying my strength. Meanwhile, in the nearby town of Imasho, a gold rush ensues, drawing many renowned warriors. Hearing whispers of demons lurking in the mines, I set off on a quest to track down Nobunaga.

In essence, Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny is predominantly an action-packed game where you take on the role of Jubei. Your journey involves battling demons, capturing their spirits to enhance magical weapons, and progressing through various game zones. Notably, it follows in the footsteps of Resident Evil with intricate puzzles that lead to advancement or hidden rewards. The original content, including campaign completion bonuses and secret unraveling, remains intact. After reacquainting myself, I found my gaming instincts were as sharp as they were back in 2002.

This updated version seems to offer even more enjoyment due to several significant enhancements. The most noticeable is the graphical overhaul that enhances textures and allows for a smoother 60fPS performance, generally speaking. The control system has also been refined. Initially, tank-style controls are mapped to the d-pad (moving right and left to turn, up to advance, down to retreat), but you can opt for free movement using the stick, allowing Jubei to move swiftly in any direction of choice. Lastly, there’s a weapon switching function that lets you cycle through your arsenal by holding a shoulder button without having to access the menu. Overall, these changes make an already strong game even better.

Although the presentation has noticeable enhancements, there were instances when the game, with numerous enemies on screen, would experience some frame rate drops during room-clearing magic attacks. I appreciate that the tank controls are more flexible in this fixed-frame game because it switches between various environmental scenes, but moving Jubei between these scenes didn’t preserve direction orientation, leading to unwanted running or attacking directions. This can be particularly annoying during battles, so having d-pad tank controls and effective lock-on mechanisms was beneficial for those situations.

Honor, loyalty, and gifts among friends

In Onimusha 2, there are two primary modes of gameplay, one being conventional and as expected, while the other offers an unexpected yet essential aspect of the journey. The intriguing part I’m referring to is the character relationship system. “Character relationship system? In Onimusha?” That’s right! At a certain stage in Onimusha 2, you gather presents and unlock a store where you can buy more items with gold earned from defeating enemies in nearby mountains and mines. The reason for this? To gain the support of other characters, naturally!

Over the course of the game’s narrative, you’ll meet several key characters like Magoichi Saiga (gun team leader), Ekei Ankokuji (spear-wielding monk), Kotaro Fuma (ninja master), and Oyu (western-style warrior). By gathering various items throughout your journey, you can present these gifts to the characters, earning rewards in return. Making thoughtful choices will endear you to them, unlocking more substantial rewards as well as unique interactions and assistance from each character in relation to Jubei. Some alliances may even omit specific cutscenes with other characters, making it essential to favor certain characters across multiple playthroughs if you want to experience every aspect of the story.

The gift system is rigid and restrictive, making it challenging to modify your choices significantly as the adventure progresses. This means you often need to accumulate gold and items earlier in the game, which can feel like repetitive grinding. However, the characters may not deliver Oscar-worthy performances, but they have a certain vintage charm that I find endearing, reminiscent of their time. A more recent audience might label these performances as overly dramatic or hammy.

To put it simply, Onimusha 2’s remastered version continues to feature intense combat, which remains enjoyable. The enhancements made to controls and quality-of-life features serve to make the game more accessible and reduce time spent navigating menus. In battle, you can perform normal attacks that lead into combos, use magic based on your weapon, lock onto enemies with a stance button while charging your weapon if possible, defend against attacks with a block button, and dodge using another button. Each of the five main melee weapons offers unique and satisfying combat styles.

In Onimusha 2, you accumulate souls which enhance your weapons and broaden their attack ranges. The foes are many, pushing your defensive and offensive abilities to the limit, yet mastering moves like performing a devastating counter-attack that cuts down most enemies nearby makes you formidable even on Normal difficulty. Fortunately, there are additional challenging modes and difficulties for experienced players, such as Hell Mode where Jubei loses the game if hit once. In summary, Onimusha 2’s remaster delivers a substantial amount of engaging content.

Prepare yourself!

In a unique yet satisfying manner, Onimusha 2 delivers as an engaging action game. It’s hard to find games similar to it, but I’m thrilled it’s back in its original form. The combat and character development are exceptional, while the story is intriguing due to various choices you make at critical junctures, making each playthrough a fresh adventure. The quality-of-life and visual enhancements complement the game without overpowering or diminishing the overall experience. This remaster may not be perfect, but it successfully updates Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny in significant aspects, and I’m pleased to have it as part of my collection.

For this critique, I received a copy of the game on PlayStation 5 from the publisher. Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny is set to release on May 22nd, 2025, and it’s coming out for multiple platforms including PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

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2025-05-21 01:32