Onimusha: Warlords

"Not revolutionary, but good nonetheless."

Onimusha (Warlords) is Capcom's answer to Resident Evil for the PlayStation 2 as they work to bring us the upcoming title. The story takes a swordsman named Samanosuke Akechi and places him among the devastation that is the Inabayama Castle in Feudal Japan. Your mission is to kill the demons that was the army of the late Nobunaga Oda (who sold his soul to the demon Fortinbras) who just happens to be leading them. In the time you are slaying the wide range of demons (each with his own weapon and difficulty), you will have to solve a series of puzzles, but there isn't a heavy amount of puzzles in the game unlike that of Resident Evil.

Graphics - 09/10:
The graphics in Onimusha are very nice and detailed. The external environments look good and colorful. The way the water animates as it flows in the form of a waterfall is rather amazing. What is really amazing, however, is the astounding introduction sequence that tells us of the events that lead to the havoc that is the castle. The characters appear well-designed. Samanosuke isn't exaggerated in any way in his physique. His facial features do not resemble that of your typical anime character with a strip under their eye(s). His armor is designed nicely along with all weapons and visual effects like the magic power used throughout the game. The demons are nicely designed, too. They arrive in a nice range. The settings are nicely lighted to set the mood for upcoming events. The characters' movements, especially Samanosuke's, could use a little improvement. They continue to move like robots, and I was rather tired of seeing their legs move forward as they turn sideways in either 90 to 360 degrees.

Music/Sound - 09/10:
If there is one thing great about the so-called ''survival horror'' genre, it's the music that greatly sets the mood for certain events in the game. I find it incredible. The sound effects are good, but the voice-acting could have been better. The English version is where the problem lies, while the Japanese voice-acting is good. The English version just doesn't cut it very well. It's decent.

Gameplay - 08/10:
Probably one of the major problems with Onimusha are the camera angles. There are many blind spots that allow enemies to attack you without you seeing them. They haven't changed at all, which bring up the problems once again. In the controller's case, if you have played the Dino Crisis or Resident Evil games, then you will easily pick up the control settings with the exception of the circle button being used to absorb souls. The absorbing of souls is something familiar, too, if you have played Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. You absorb differently-colored souls that serve different purposes. Red souls help enhance your weapons and their magic for later use in the game. Blue souls fill your weapon's magic meter and the yellow souls fill your health meter. You fight demons who supply you with their souls and you progress throughout the castle in order to save Princess Yuki. You fight a series of bosses which are mixed in difficulty. Some of them are easy, while some of them can be very difficult. Your weapons include the Thunder Sword, the Fire Sword, and the Wind Sword. These weapons also serve as keys for unlocking doors. There aren't as much puzzles in Onimusha as there are in the Resident Evil world. You'll come across a puzzle box now and then, plus the search for keys to unlock doors to progress. If you're a fan of action, you'll find a lot of it here. It seems that everywhere you go, there will be some demon waiting to give their soul to you. Sometimes, I think, it could get annoying even if you're low on health. Never fear, for you will find many other objects to assist you like herbs, medicine, and etc. You will even find other weapons aside from the swords. There are fewer puzzles, new weapons, same menus and maps, same camera problems, but the sad part is that Onimusha doesn't take too long to beat. Speaking of that, I forgot to mention the little stones called Flourite that are scattered throughout the game and your job is to find many of those as you can. It's not crucial to the story, but rewards follow if they are all collected.

Replay Value - 07/10: It doesn't take long to beat Onimusha. You will probably play it a second time to search for the Flourite stones scattered everywhere in this game. They're very hard to find. The mini-games will probably keep you busy for a while.

Final Comments:
Onimusha Warlords is a good game that arrives with its share of problems but still turns out to be enjoyable.

08/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/21/01, Updated 06/21/01