It’s been a while since I played the Onimusha game, but once Onimusha: Way of the Sword regains itching again after 18 years of rest.
Onimusha: Warlords was clearly remastered in 2019, but Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny holds a special place in my heart. The PlayStation 2 still has an original copy.
The preview covers only 2-3 hours of the story opening. We will do our best to touch on everything here, but please look forward to the full review for more detailed ideas.
Changes in pace
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Fate is familiar to anyone who has played the original version, but Capcom certainly confirms that it feels more modern, both visually and mechanically. In this game you see Jubei Yagu, a samurai warrior who returns to his hometown village and discovers that everyone is being killed by the iconic demon Gemma army.
Below is a relatively simple story of revenge, with the opening hours of the game allowing you to pass through the village and enter a small mining town.
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Fate may be considered by many in the series as the best entry, but it can also be a little more linear compared to its predecessor, Onimusha: Warlords. That being said, it’s far more appealing through more frequent cutscenes and cinematic quality, and feels relatively solid in 2025.
The game does an amazing job of overseeing you through many corridors and environments, as Jubei has to get five powerful orbs to gain the power needed to defeat Nobunaga. We touch it a little further down the track.
There’s even a cast of decent characters you can meet early in the game so that you can help and change the playthrough depending on whether you help them at a specific point in the story, and even dive into existing cutscenes. I’ve experienced it a little later, but it’s a great change in pace compared to Onimusha: Warlords and I like.
While slashing
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s fate allows the use of tank control via directional buttons. Certainly, it helps to make the experience feel more modern, but the fixed camera angle is still a bit annoying.
You get the inspiration and origins of Resident Evil, but it still feels a little unstable as you need to adjust in which direction you are heading as the camera shifts suddenly. It’s also really annoying in combat when the enemy is located between two camera angles and keeps jumping between them.
That being said, the battle is still decent. It’s easy to learn because there is a basic attack button, but you can also block blocks, dodges and counters by attacking as last as possible before an enemy attack. Players also get access to magical abilities early by gathering souls. This game also allows you to bank special souls. This activates the invincible Onimusha mode. In the original, this will automatically become active as soon as it is picked up.
Weapon switching can also be done on the spot by holding the button on your left shoulder and switching with the directional button, but in the original you will need to enter and exit the menu. It helps to experiment on the spot while maintaining the flow of combat and reduce friction.
Please look at the parts
This also looks pretty good in the case of a remaster of a 23-year-old game. A better resolution certainly helps, but the more detailed character models and pre-rendered backgrounds look much cleaner without sacrificing or modifying the original aesthetic of the game.
So far it has been working relatively well and at this point it does not allow any kind of framerate drop. This seems like a par on the course of an old game like this, but it simply makes it even more appealing.
I’ve been thinking about it so far
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remaster is becoming a welcome return to one of the best games in the franchise. Its quality improvements, such as 360-degree movements and in-game weapon switching, seem rather tame, but in the end it helps the fantastic game feel fresh and modern.
It also looks incredibly enthusiastic and incredibly running. I can’t wait to dive into the full review for next month.
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny will be released on February 4th, 2025 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PCs. Stay tuned to bring the official review closer to release.
