Repeat after me: Remasters are essential. 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 possibility to play this beloved sequence.
Beloved, certainly. The Onimusha sequence will not be as well-liked as Capcom’s bigger franchises, nevertheless it’s nonetheless revered by followers throughout the globe. This action-oriented sequence 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 nearly instantly after. Admittedly, I ought to have performed the primary recreation within the sequence, nicely, first, however the upcoming Onimusha impressed me to leap into the sequence in no matter method I might.
Onimusha 2 is a pleasant remaster that accommodates nearly all the things you’d wish to see: Enhanced visuals, help for contemporary platforms, and quality-of-life updates. By way of visible constancy, Onimusha 2 does lots to remaster the graphics of this practically 25-year-old PS2 recreation.
Onimusha: Warlords, the unique recreation within the sequence from 2001, obtained a remaster in 2019. It is roughly the identical age as its sequel, but the remastered visuals within the unique aren’t fairly as much as snuff once you examine the 2.
Onimusha 2‘s enhanced visuals are crystal clear. The backgrounds are exceptionally nicely finished, respiration new life into an ageing title. Textures look fantastic on larger resolutions. The assorted Japanese castles, dense forests, and supernatural, demonic environments are very nicely finished right here. Having a set digital camera assures that each angle appears to be like fairly spectacular.
The one factor it is lacking is help for larger body charges, however like its predecessor, it is locked to 60 FPS. It isn’t the tip of the world, however it might have been good to see. Aside from that, the remaster ran flawlessly on PC.
By way of controls, Onimusha 2 interprets nicely over to fashionable 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 further quality-of-life characteristic, which wasn’t within the remaster of the primary recreation nor within the unique model of this title, is auto-save. There are fastened save factors, like Resident Evil‘s typewriters, so with the brand new auto-save, if in case you have an influence outage or simply need to go at any given second, you will not lose as a lot progress.
What is not included that I’d have loved, aside from help for larger body charges, is New Recreation +. The story is structured in such a method that you’ve branching paths. Going again and filling within the blanks with a purpose to see the entire story this recreation has to supply, nicely, you will simply have to start out from sq. one. Meaning all of your upgrades are for naught in the event you begin a brand new recreation.
The meant plan of action after beating the marketing campaign is to up the issue — and there’s a new, brutal problem referred to as Hell Mode, right here — however I would a lot fairly have a neater method of seeing all of the story whereas retaining my well being, magic, armor, and weapon upgrades from earlier runs.
A Facet Be aware on the Campiness of Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Future
Since we’re on the subject of story, let’s speak about simply how insane this recreation is. When 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 severe.
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 dangerous that it turns into good. Jubei’s dude-bro voice and simply how nonchalant he’s, regardless of going by literal hell to get his revenge, is endearing.
The draw back to all of that is, in the event you’re searching for a severe, 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 take pleasure in it’s by relishing within the weirdness and appreciating it for what it’s, fairly 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 cause, I used to be working underneath the belief that Onimusha 2 performed extra like a Satan Might Cry or Ninja Gaiden recreation. I used to be happy to search out it is extra akin to Resident Evil than anything, and that Onimusha intentionally borrowed many components from it.
Mounted digital camera angles, restricted assets, gentle puzzle fixing, and extra. When you just like the older Resident Evil video games, you will positively take pleasure in this. Onimusha 2 is, nevertheless, extra fast-paced with hack-and-slash fight, which means you do not have to determine whether or not you need to preserve bullets or not; nicely, for essentially the most half.
There are 4 separate weapons on this recreation, every behaving in a different way from each other. There is a sword, spear, double-blade, and a large hammer. They’ve a component connected to them and have separate magic assaults. Having 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 primary supply of harm is thru your melee weapons, although, and do not you neglect it: This is not Resident Evil!
Enemy corpses drop souls, which you’ll be able to take in by your hand. These orbs are used to improve weapons and armor to change into 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 is usually a bit tense.
Whereas weapon movesets are fairly normal, principally using simply the joystick and one assault button, ass nicely as a cost assault, you will 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 technique down could be very tough and takes follow, as every enemy assault has completely 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 | Last Ideas
General, fight is enjoyable, nevertheless 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 bought it down with enemy selection, because it wasn’t overwhelming however nonetheless sufficient to be a problem. Ominusha 2 is relentless. Sit back, Nobunaga.
Nicely, Capcom, you possibly can depend me in as an Onimusha fan. With the subsequent entry within the sequence dropping in, hopefully, 2026, I will be very to see how Capcom modernizes the sequence’ components. And hey, it would not harm to have the third or fourth recreation remastered, too. Simply sayin’!
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Future was reviewed over roughly 10 hours of gameplay on PC with a key supplied by the developer. All screenshots had been taken through the evaluation course of.
