Repeat after me: Remasters are necessary. They permit for longtime followers to re-engage with a chunk of media they love. Remasters additionally open the door for a complete new crowd to expertise one thing for the primary time. I am within the latter with the remaster of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Future, and I am very glad to have the prospect to play this beloved collection.
Beloved, certainly. The Onimusha collection might not be as well-liked as Capcom’s bigger franchises, however it’s nonetheless revered by followers throughout the globe. This action-oriented collection takes components from the Resident Evil franchise and makes it a faster-paced, Sengoku-era journey as we step into the position of Jubei, a samurai hell-bent on revenge towards a demonic Oda Nobunaga.
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Future Will get the Remaster Remedy
I loved Onimusha 2: Samurai‘s Future a lot that I went again and performed the unique virtually instantly after. Admittedly, I ought to have performed the primary sport within the collection, properly, first, however the upcoming Onimusha impressed me to leap into the collection in no matter approach I might.
Onimusha 2 is a pleasant remaster that incorporates virtually all the things you’d need to see: Enhanced visuals, help for contemporary platforms, and quality-of-life updates. By way of visible constancy, Onimusha 2 does so much to remaster the graphics of this almost 25-year-old PS2 sport.
Onimusha: Warlords, the unique sport within the collection from 2001, obtained a remaster in 2019. It is roughly the identical age as its sequel, but the remastered visuals within the authentic aren’t fairly as much as snuff if you examine the 2.
Onimusha 2‘s enhanced visuals are crystal clear. The backgrounds are exceptionally properly performed, respiration new life into an getting old title. Textures look fantastic on greater resolutions. The assorted Japanese castles, dense forests, and supernatural, demonic environments are very properly performed right here. Having a hard and fast digicam assures that each angle appears fairly spectacular.
The one factor it is lacking is help for greater body charges, however like its predecessor, it is locked to 60 FPS. It isn’t the top of the world, however it will have been good to see. Apart from that, the remaster ran flawlessly on PC.
By way of controls, Onimusha 2 interprets properly over to trendy controllers. I like the choice of utilizing the d-pad for tank controls (because it was within the base model), however utilizing a joystick is a much-needed and welcome quality-of-life enchancment.
One extra quality-of-life function, which wasn’t within the remaster of the primary sport nor within the authentic model of this title, is auto-save. There are mounted save factors, like Resident Evil‘s typewriters, so with the brand new auto-save, you probably have an influence outage or simply must go at any given second, you will not lose as a lot progress.
What is not included that I might have loved, aside from help for greater body charges, is New Recreation +. The story is structured in such a approach that you’ve got branching paths. Going again and filling within the blanks with a purpose to see the entire story this sport has to supply, properly, you will simply have to begin from sq. one. Meaning all of your upgrades are for naught in the event you begin a brand new sport.
The supposed plan of action after beating the marketing campaign is to up the problem — and there’s a new, brutal problem known as Hell Mode, right here — however I might a lot somewhat have a better approach of seeing all of the story whereas retaining my well being, magic, armor, and weapon upgrades from earlier runs.
A Facet Observe on the Campiness of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Future
Since we’re on the subject of story, let’s discuss simply how insane this sport is. In the event you thought Resident Evil was campy, you ain’t seen nothin’ but. Onimusha 2 is so unabashedly goofy that it makes Chris Redfield punching a boulder look critical.
It is the interpretation and dub that make it what it’s. It isn’t a high quality translation, from what I’ve heard, and the voice appearing is so unhealthy that it turns into good. Jubei’s dude-bro voice and simply how nonchalant he’s, regardless of going by means of literal hell to get his revenge, is endearing.
The draw back to all of that is, in the event you’re in search of a critical, Sengoku-era motion flick, this is not it. It is bizarre, it is zany, and the story is virtually non-existent. One of the simplest ways to get pleasure from it’s by relishing within the weirdness and appreciating it for what it’s, somewhat than what it is not. I will depart it at that. Go in blind, and you will have a blast.
Sengoku Swordplay, with Magic!
For no matter purpose, I used to be working below the idea that Onimusha 2 performed extra like a Satan Might Cry or Ninja Gaiden sport. I used to be happy to seek out it is extra akin to Resident Evil than the rest, and that Onimusha intentionally borrowed many components from it.
Fastened digicam angles, restricted assets, gentle puzzle fixing, and extra. In the event you just like the older Resident Evil video games, you will positively get pleasure from this. Onimusha 2 is, nevertheless, extra fast-paced with hack-and-slash fight, that means you do not have to determine whether or not you must preserve bullets or not; properly, for essentially the most half.
There are 4 separate weapons on this sport, every behaving in another way from each other. There is a sword, spear, double-blade, and a large hammer. They’ve a component hooked up to them and have separate magic assaults. With the ability to change these on the fly makes fight easy, and magic packs a much-needed punch on stronger enemies and managers.
You even have a bow and rifle, which will not be used as a lot since they’ve restricted ammo. The principle supply of harm is thru your melee weapons, although, and do not you overlook it: This is not Resident Evil!
Enemy corpses drop souls, which you’ll be able to soak up by means of your hand. These orbs are used to improve weapons and armor to turn out to be stronger, so there is a first rate quantity of development accessible all through the story. Some orbs additionally heal or regain your mana, so utilizing this in the midst of fight when a bunch of foes encompass you could be a bit tense.
Whereas weapon movesets are fairly commonplace, principally using simply the joystick and one assault button, ass properly as a cost assault, you could have some nuance to the gameplay with the Issen system. The Issen is a counter to enemy assaults. Proper earlier than they hit, Jubei can counter by doing a essential strike.
For a lot of enemies, the Issen kills them in a single hit or, on the very least, depletes their well being by a lot. Getting the timing of this method down may be very difficult and takes apply, as every enemy assault has totally different timings. Intentionally ready for an enemy to strike, then countering with one highly effective hit, is immensely satisfying.
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Future Evaluation | Remaining Ideas
General, fight is enjoyable, however it’s additionally a product of its time. The enemy selection is not too spectacular, they usually additionally spawn to an absurd diploma. Like a hydra head, lower one down, and two extra will pop up. The unique Onimusha acquired it down with enemy selection, because it wasn’t overwhelming however nonetheless sufficient to be a problem. Ominusha 2 is relentless. Sit back, Nobunaga.
Properly, Capcom, you’ll be able to depend me in as an Onimusha fan. With the following entry within the collection dropping in, hopefully, 2026, I will be very to see how Capcom modernizes the collection’ method. And hey, it would not damage to have the third or fourth sport remastered, too. Simply sayin’!
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Future was reviewed over roughly 10 hours of gameplay on PC with a key offered by the developer. All screenshots have been taken in the course of the evaluate course of.