Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remaster PS4 Review. Time to welcome back Onimusha six years after the remaster of the first game, because now the sequel, Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny, has also received a shiny overhaul courtesy of Capcom. This 2002 samurai action adventure classic polishes up and adds a few new wrinkles to the over two-decade old original game, but are the improvements enough to attract a new video game audience and entice old players to return, or is Samurai Destiny’s Katana too blunt to reel in your intrigue?
Returning to Onimusha for the first time since 2019, Capcom have waited a while to give us a spiffed up version of Samurai’s Destiny, but the wait has been worth it courtesy of the remastered sheen on display here, as well as a new difficulty mode which will surely encourage the veteran fanbase to perfect their sword-swinging acumen. Whether you’re new to the series or a dab hand with it, you’ll be happy to revisit this classic, even though you’ll still need to put up with a smattering of antiquated design choices which have been retained in this remaster.
Onimusha 2: Samurai’s Destiny Remaster Review (PS4) – A Blunt-Tipped Remaster
Onimusha 2 swaps out the first game’s young tough protagonist Samanosuke Akechi, for the honourable and stern-faced Jubei Yagyu. This change is coherent with the transition between the ending of the first game and the beginning of the second, as the corrupting presence of Nobunaga Oda and his plans to take over the Genma Clan and unite Japan by purging all who stand against him takes hold. Jubei’s home in Yagyu village is attacked by demons and a spirit who reveals herself to be Jubei’s mother tells him to track down five sacred orbs that were designed to shield humans from the dirty and devilish deeds of demons.
Akin to many classic video games of yore, the set-up is uncomplicated and simple to follow, and provides you with motivation to keep mowing down hordes of fiends. You might feel that it lacks a personality and doesn’t surprise in any meaningful way, but what you get is a tale you can follow along with while you’re accruing greater power and energy along the way courtesy of the orbs and souls you collect. The story’s cliche elements and one-dimensionality are sore spots, but if you liked the first game, Onimusha 2 is still worth experiencing, and let’s face it isn’t anywhere near as lambasted of a sequel as Capcom’s Devil May Cry 2.
A Regular Refurbishment
The refurbishment job given to Onimusha 2 is appreciable for its quality of life improvements. Much like most modern remasters, Onimusha 2 looks crisper and runs smoother than the twenty-three year-old PS2 product, and the auto-save functionality and the option to skip cutscenes ensures you can play without feeling hamstrung by the foibles of two-decade old design choices and constraints.
Outside of the visual bolstering given to Onimusha 2, other improvements include granting access the suite of mini games right from the start, instead of requiring you to complete the main story first. This means you can jump in and grab playful bursts of what Onimusha 2 has to offer without needing to rifle through the fully-loaded urgency of the story. The challenges are enticing if a little predictable, with time limits and waves of enemies needing to be slain, as well as high scores that need to be reached. Admittedly calling these asides “mini games” is slightly misleading because these challenges aren’t fun and games; they’re tests of endurance and your ability to complete some of those tests on time.
The standout feature of this remaster is the inclusion of the brand new Hell Mode. This new difficulty presents players with the sternest challenge, whereby if they’re hit with the merest flicker of a sword slash, they immediately perish and have to start the entirety of the Onimusha 2 story all over again. This new mode is great to incentivise veterans to sharpen their swords once again to undertake this almighty test of precision and reflexes.
A Soul-Snaring Retrograde Remaster
New players may not be prepared for the antiquated aspects of Onimusha 2, and could find themselves literally crying out for more variety and excitement. Time and again you’ll be slicing down demons with different coloured armour, and this scourge travels in small packs, so be prepared to slice and slash down every foe and collect those souls time and again. They like to wait and strike unexpectedly as well, but at least you can cut out the waiting by aptly cutting their torsos and faces up while trying to avoid the other demons’ attempts at slashing you up. Oh, there’s one more thing to know, what was it now?…..Oh yeah these enemies respawn! Yes, you can bypass them or slay them to internalize souls to replenish health and bolster the special bar-but they still seem like hapless fodder that are tiresome to fight the more they appear.
Fixed cameras are another reminder that Onimusha 2 is retro, so you can’t cuddle up to it thinking it’s a modern Capcom release like the past few Resident Evil remakes. Fixed cameras always did a great job of accelerating the sense of dread in Resident Evil games, but the impact they make in the action-adventure genre is lost and meaninglessly obfuscate the drama, and Onimusha 2 fails to prove why the fixed cameras are wholly necessary. The last thing you’ll want is the camera angle to change while you’re attempting to fend off malevolence, which is frustrating and will likely yearn for a modern camera perspective.
Some believe that in order to truly “remaster” a game, there has to be a mastered game to begin with, and in the case of Onimusha 2, it certainly (with all due respect) isn’t a game that was made with mastery to begin with. A derided sequel given an appreciable but unsurprising remaster, Onimusha 2 is worthwhile to play if you didn’t play it in 2002, and is a capable study for new players. However, the story, lack of forward-thinking ideas, and the general sense it can be skipped entirely isn’t a good look, even if the new Hell Mode will challenge the most ardent Onimusha elites. There’s not a lot here to recommend both as a remaster and as a gameplay experience, but it’ll do in a pinch if you’re in the mood for some old-school Onimusha.
Onimusha 2 is released on May 23 for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
The review copy was kindly provided by the publisher.