Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams

"It's certainly a bigger Onimusha - but is it better as well?"

For better or worse, the Onimusha series has been a top seller on the PlayStation 2 for most of the console's lifespan. It debuted several months after the system's launch, and for a short time it was the premier title available for the PS2, as it showcased the graphical and control capabilities of the machine better than any other game to that point. Its two sequels were also mostly well-received, thanks to a handful of evolutions in the visuals and storytelling.

While the series was initially planned as a trilogy, with the main plot wrapping up after the third game in the sequence, the good folks at Capcom have kindly decided to keep the franchise alive for the time being. There have already been attempts at expanding the game universe in different gameplay forms, with both a portable real-time strategy game and a PS2 fighting game having been published as part of the Onimusha brand; however, it was simply unavoidable that a true sequel would eventually be released, given the popularity of the series.

That new Onimusha game, titled Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams, offers a handful of changes to the traditional series formula, as there are now multiple playable characters, a bevy of RPG-like stat management options, and a slew of new weapons to use. In reality, though, the basic franchise blueprint remains in tact, and so gamers can expect quite a bit more of the same from this game.

Visuals:

With the current console generation nearing its end, most developers have figured out how to get the most out of the old consoles from a graphical standpoint. This certainly holds true for Dawn of Dreams, as this title is easily one of the best-looking games to ever grace a PS2.

All of the models for main characters are highly detailed, and clearly stand out from the action. Secondary characters and enemies aren't nearly as good-looking, but each enemy type still holds its own against the overall performance. On top of the impressive graphics, the animation in DOD is nearly flawless, with every action moving smoothly and uninterrupted. Lip-synching is a problem when the language is set to English, but this should be nothing new for Onimusha fans.

The initial two Onimusha games featured pre-rendered environments, and these were arguably the best seen in the series. While not every area in DOD looks as amazing as those of the previous titles, the game still manages to pack quite a bit of detail and motion into your surroundings. Additionally, the fully-3D backgrounds mean that the camera is now movable in many places, which is a desperately-needed first for the franchise; the handful of static camera angles will still get in your way at times, but the number of these occurrences is thankfully much lower than in previous outings. The whole package also manages to run with barely any drops in the frame rate, so the action always flows nicely.

Naturally, the eye-popping pre-rendered CG videos that the series is known for have returned, and they look as spectacular as ever. The game also utilizes multiple in-engine cutscenes during missions, and the solid in-game graphics look just as good here, thanks to more solid animation. Unfortunately, some of the more text-heavy portions of the game feature no lip-synching, but these are easy enough to grow accustomed to.

By and large, the visuals in DOD compare favorably to those of any game of its type out for current-gen systems. There are some blemishes here and there that prevent the package from being perfect, but none of these minor problems detract from the overall performance by much.

Score: 9/10

Sound:

Onimusha games have always relied heavily on swordplay, and the sound effects for combat have always been solid. These same effects are once again used in DOD, to largely the same result. Each item and weapon sounds about right, and the enemies make enough noises that you should always know what they're doing from how they sound.

The English voice acting in this series has always been a bit spotty, and that tradition remains alive with this installment. Most of the protagonists do their jobs well, but some of the voiceovers for your main enemies will make you groan. The script isn't very good in the first place, but there will be times when you get the feeling that the actors could have at least done a better job with their delivery. Of course, switching over to the Japanese voice track alleviates this problem, thanks to plentiful subtitles.

Perhaps the most disappointing portion of the game's audio is the music. The first three games offered a mostly orchestral score, complete with the types of inspiring music that you would hope to hear in a game about 16th-century Japan. DOD, however, swaps most of that orchestral music for the same sort of generic techno/rock that is predominant in most games today. On its own, the music does a good job of keeping pace with the action, but it lacks the memorable touch of the previous games' audio.

While it remains as technically sound as ever, the acoustic performance in Dawn of Dreams doesn't keep pace with the consistently impressive visuals.

Score: 7/10

Gameplay:

At its core, the Onimusha series has always been about solid combat mechanics, overlaid with a level of RPG-type stat improvement. Dawn of Dreams expands on these two ideas greatly, allowing for more customization and a quicker-paced fighting system. These changes help the game stand out from its predecessors, while opening up new options and challenges for series fans.

As previously stated, the basic gameplay in Onimusha involves using your swords (or fists, or gun, or staff) to take down the handful of demon enemies onscreen. At the beginning of the game, the combat is fairly simple, as you'll just attack, block, and repeat. As you play further through the campaign, though, you'll gain experience from your kills, as well as picking up red ‘souls' from your enemies that serve to power up your weapons. You'll also unlock a handful of new abilities, from an ‘Oni Awakening' that makes you invincible for a short period, to a purifying attack that is only occasionally useful.

Combat always moves very slickly, and the controls are simple enough that you can pick them up easily, even when you start adding new attacks. In fact, the fighting is so simple to grow accustomed to that you'll be able to quickly adapt to the various strengths and weaknesses of each of the five playable characters when you initially gain control of them. There's also a solid level of depth there, though, so experienced players will see plenty of opportunities to try out some of the more difficult moves. Regardless of your skill level, though, the fighting is consistently entertaining.

For the majority of the game, there will be a second playable character accompanying you through the game's levels. This affords the combat system an even further level of depth, since you can switch to this person at any time. When you're not directly controlling the secondary character, you can issue commands with the D-pad, letting them know when they need to attack all out, or stand back and guard. The A.I. is solid throughout the game, for both your teammates and enemies.

The interplay between the two characters is the strongest aspect of the fighting system. It's quite enjoyable to switch from one character to the next at the right moment, double-teaming your enemies so that they never get a clean shot at either of you. Of course, the system lends itself a bit to abuse, since you can also just switch between the two when you get low on life, but that tactic isn't always feasible. There are, however, circumstances where a certain secondary character's ability is required to pass through a part of a level; these are fairly straightforward when you encounter them, but they help to ensure that you at least experience each member of your posse in play.

DOD generally follows the typical Onimusha formula. You'll be dropped into a new area, fight your way through it until the end, defeat a boss, and then repeat the process in the next stage. The boss fights vary in quality, with some being simple wait-for-the-opening-then-attack situations, while others are a bit more complex. Thankfully, towards the end of the game you'll be more than capable of figuring out what to do when these enemies show up – although the fights themselves tend to grow easy towards the end of the game, when you're likely to have acquired so many healing and recovery items that you'll be able to ignore their attacks.

In fact, the entire game can be a bit too easy towards the end, thanks to that enhanced RPG-style stat building. You'll never grow so powerful that combat becomes a breeze, but you're likely to have enough hit points and healing items by the time you reach the game's second disc that you can simply run past your enemies, ignoring whatever damage they may dish out to you, until you reach the level's boss. While this is certainly disappointing, the inclusion of some challenging extras should help ease the concerns of series vets.

Without question, DOD is the longest Onimusha game yet. Beyond the story mode, which should last all but the most experienced players nearly 20 hours, there are plenty of opportunities to backtrack to old stages, solve puzzle boxes, complete ‘test of valor' challenges, and conquer each character's Dark Realm, each of which will net you some helpful goodies that make you even tougher to bring down. Of particular note to Onimusha fans is the Dark Realm; this series of fights against ever-stronger enemies has been in each of the previous three installments, but even series vets will face a stiff challenge here, as there are now 100 levels per character to complete.

From a gameplay standpoint, Dawn of Dreams is essentially a bigger, beefier version of the same Onimusha gameplay that has been so popular for the past five years. With that said, though, the gameplay is beginning to show some signs of age, as you can only go to the well so often.

Score: 7/10

Story:

With the main story arc wrapped up in Onimusha 3, Dawn of Dreams breaks out a new set of protagonists and villains; however, despite the fresh faces, the plot is very cliched, and the best that can be said for it is that it ties in to the series well.

The new main character of the game, Soki, is a blonde warrior who has to (yet again) save Japan and the world from a takeover by the genma demons. Through the course of the story, you'll build your party of four quirky friends, face off against some powerful demons, and ultimately topple the evil plans that threaten humanity. If any of this sounds familiar, that's because you've likely heard this story many times before, in plenty of different places. The plot really tries to differentiate itself, and it does a nice, subtle job of referring back to previous installments in the series, but in the end it's just too vanilla to be very entertaining. It doesn't help that the translation in some parts is a bit off.

While the plotline of Dawn of Dreams does its best to stand out, it's not likely to grab your attention unless you're a big fan of the previous titles in the franchise.

Score: 5/10

Features/Modes:

Once you complete the game on Normal difficulty, you unlock a Hard difficulty level to play on; completing the game on Hard unlocks a third difficulty as well. Your statistics and items do not carry over when moving between difficulties, but they do carry over to new games of the same difficulty, which is a good incentive to beat the game a second time. Completing the game once also unlocks a battle mode called Onimusha Arena, as well as new costumes for each character if you completed all of the Tests of Valor.

Dawn of Dreams mentions a two-player co-op gameplay mode on the back of its packaging, but in action the feature is very poorly designed. You need to input a code to actually unlock this mode (which is a good indicator that the developers didn't want to include it in the first place), and when you do, you'll see that it's essentially just the single-player game with a second player in charge of the second character. This does make the proceedings a bit more fun, but it can be very annoying to have to deal with maneuvering the camera so that both players can see what they're doing.

While this iteration of the Onimusha franchise offers a significant amount more value than the previous entries, the amount of replay time you get from the game will depend entirely upon how much you enjoy playing it over and over.

Score: 7/10

Total Score:

Since Onimusha: Warlords was first released on PlayStation 2 back in 2001, the series' gameplay has remained largely the same. Dawn of Dreams tries to take that gameplay in somewhat of a new direction, but ultimately it retains so much of the franchise's distinct style that it feels very much like its forerunners. While this new addition may not bring any new gamers into this world of swordsmen and demons, it should keep fans satisfied until the inevitable Onimusha 5.

If you're a fan of the previous Onimusha games, then Dawn of Dreams will make a solid purchase. If you're a fan of action/adventure games in general, and are looking to try out the Onimusha series, then this game is as good a place to start as any. If, however, you don't fit either of these categories, then you may wish to look to a different game to fill your time.

Score: 7/10 (not an average)

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Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/08/07