Onimusha: Warlords

"It's a beautiful gem...with a few cracks."

This is Capcom's initial entry of Survival Horror for the PS2, after a somewhat turbulent development process Onimusha has found it's way home on the PS2...review now..

Storyline:

Your controlled character throughout most of the game is a man named Samanosuke, he is a samurai warrior who's granted the gift to slay demons in order to save the kidnapped princess. Sounds a little like Super Mario Bros.? SMB this is not! You'll see!

Gameplay:

The gameplay of this game spot on. You basically explore different environments while killing any demon who dares to stand in your way. The control of this game is phenomenal, it's running on a modified Resident Evil (RE) control style, which fits this game perfectly. If you want to kill a demon you'll have absolutely no trouble doing it. Another thing that I noticed is that this game really doesn't give you any bad camera angles. Most games that feature prerendered backgrounds usually have a few quirks in the camera which make a few scenes hard to see...not this game. The best part of the gameplay in Onimusha is the fact that you can absorb the souls of the demons you kill like in Soul Reaver. This adds a VERY welcomed RPG-like aspect to the game. You can use the souls you absorb to heal yourself, upgrade items, and level up your weapons. A great idea, inspired by the oh-so-awful Soul Reaver.

Graphics:

The visuals in this game are masterful, the backgrounds are prerendered, which may turn a lot of people off, but they're very crisp and clean. They have small instances of animation which make them come to life a little, too. Samanosuke himself has a very high polygon count and is very well animated, as are all of the monsters and bosses that you'll encounter. The lighting and shadow effects are also remarkable, though they pale in comparison to more recent games like Silent Hill 2. Overall, Onimusha is very beautiful looking game with a few problems, the prerendered backgrounds being the main one.

Music and Sound Effects:

The music in this game is beautiful, the game's score is performed by an actual orchestra and it really shows. Once thing I noticed and really liked about the music is that it seems to synchronize with the action or situation that's happening on the screen, which gives Onimusha a very cinematic feel. A great job by Capcom in the music department. The sound effects are another story, all of the monsters seem to sound the same and the sounds of the different blades are uninspired. I guess I got so pumped up with the music that I expected the sound effects to be on the same level with it. The sound effects aren't bad or anything, they're just standard and boring. They do get the job done, nonetheless. The voice acting is a mixed bag, while the Japanese voices are flawless, the English voices are corny and badly acted. The game feels more genuine when played in Japanese, anyway. ;)

Extras and Replayability:

This is where the game really drops. The extras in this game are fairly boring and really aren't worth much time. There's the standard minigame, which seems to be in every Capcom survival horror title, and a few new outfits for the characters. The best part of the extras is the trailer to Onimusha 2. It's a great idea and it's pretty interesting...it also keeps the extras in this game above water. The replay value in Onimusha is also pretty low, I've personally played through it twice and I have no intentions of going through again. It just doesn't offer anything new to see. Oh well, maybe Onimusha 2 will offer more.

Overall:

This game came so close to being brilliant. It's got a gripping story, great graphics, superb control, and wonderful music. If it weren't for it's lack of replay value and extras this game would be nearing it. Anyway, this is a good game, even if it only lasts for a few days. It's a beautiful gem...with a few cracks.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/25/01, Updated 03/24/03