Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams

"Better than 2 but not that great..."

I remember when the original Onimusha came out. A number of years later we have the fourth game in the trilogy. Yeah, Capcom lied to us again but it's what they do best. They have changed things around a bit, think Resident Evil 4 but with puzzles. That's how it kind of plays but not really... Is it worth checking out? Read on!

I'm feeling dumb as I type this because I can't remember any names from the game. New guy now has the power to use the jewel to suck up the souls and the sword to kill the Genma. He has been running around the burning the Cherry Blossom trees. He meets up with a girl and they set off and try to stop a new dark evil that is waiting in the wings. Granted the game has a lot of cut scenes that advance the story but there are a few problems. The characters are all rather one dimensional and lack any real depth. I also found that the ending left me feeling nothing. It just ended no emotions and to be honest even the CGI stuff during the ending was mediocre when compared to rest of the game. I wonder what happened....

Graphic wise Dawn of Dreams is the best looking Onimusha yet, well except the ending scene. CGI is wonderful in this game, nicely detailed, even if some of the stuff in the middle of the game looks kind of washed out. In game graphics are nice as well. Everything is nicely detailed and uses the same 3d settings as the third game instead of the static shots the first one used (not sure what the second title used). The character and enemy models all look well and the variety in enemies is nice. Locations look great and I must say the final stage in the game looks amazing. I loved the scene with the leaves blowing in the empty lane.

Sound wise the game is annoying. The voice acting is fine enough, a little lifeless at times but oh well. The biggest problem comes in when you are fighting bosses that say things. The final boss had me very irked with him constantly saying the same three lines over and over. The in game music is nicely done and I really enjoyed it a lot. The opening and ending theme is done by Ayumi Hamaski. I didn't recognize the opening song but when the ending theme came on I was like "oh my god! I have this on my MP3 player! Who is it?" Sound effects are also nice though, although there are a few flaws. The final boss walks in the sky and there are footsteps.... Oh well....

I found the control to be fine in the game but I did have a few problems. Early in the game you get your first partner and the options states you can switch characters with L2. Granted that is the button you use but you can't do that until the level after. Why? No clue but it caused me a few problems with me not knowing where I had to go. Fighting, combos, specials and all of that stuff is easy to figure out and I didn't have a manual and had the hang of most of the controls by the end of the first stage.

Unlike the previous Onimusha games this one is split up into missions. Think Devil May Cry but with more puzzles but not an as in-depth combo system. The game offers 17 missions. The first few are really short but the later ones tend to be rather long. By the end the puzzles were making the game feel tedious. Some are nicely done but when you have to keep doing the same type of puzzles over and over in a stage it does get a bit boring.

A new thing to the series is the partner. You can actually switch at will, most of the time, to a partner. They play differently weapon wise but not that much. One has a gun, one uses fists. You get the idea. It isn't all that exciting but it does allow co-op play....

Speaking of the weapons our hero has 31 choices for his sword. Think of the weapon system almost like a RPG. You can also sue your red orbs to up your stats and upgrade your armor and weapons. Your characters also gain levels. It's all new to the series and oddly enough it does work nicely. It also gives a lot of variety on how to play as some weapons are faster than others.

The game uses simple puzzles. Be it get key, open door. Later on you do more co-op puzzles which require you to enter commands for your partner to stay still that are done using the d-pad. It works well but you also need to make sure that you keep your partners upgraded as well as our hero.

The basic idea of the game is a hack and slash game. Run around killing guys. Use MP to use special magic attacks that can be charged up to three times, depending on if you've leveled up the weapon enough.

The game also offers a lot of replay value. A huge 100 floor extra dungeon, the ability to replay all of the levels. Different secret items to find, extras to unlock. The game was also slightly longer than the previous games and offers a ton of action.

I must say though that the game isn't worth the full retail price. I'm sure I'll buy it when it's under $20 but as it is it's a perfect rental. Seems like I'm saying that about every game I play lately but none of them are so great that you just have to have them right away. Most are fairly short, like this game, but this one does offer a decent amount of replay value.

Story - 6/10
Graphics - 8/10
Sound - 6/10
Control - 8/10
Game Play - 7/10
Replay Value - 6/10

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/14/06