Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny

"Worth the buy, but suffers from bad sequel syndrome"

Onimusha 2 is without a doubt a thrilling game, which I greatly enjoyed.

But fans of the original game may suffer a little disappointment storywise, as this game suffers from “bad sequel syndrome”, failing to match the original’s epic feel, while providing a rather chaotic and foolish plot, and spoiling the game’s environment with out of place futuristic anachronisms.

On the good side, graphics are improved substantially. They are one of the best that I’ve seen in a PS2 game. The FMV’s are breathtaking and thrilling, although not numerous. The pre-rendered backgrounds are beautiful and captivating. Kudos for the sea, especially! Fighting is a blast, as in the first game or better. Unfortunately, the same Resident-Evil style control scheme remains, but it should not be a problem if you played the first Onimusha.

There are added gameplay elements, like interactivity with NPC’s, and items that you can collect and trade. By doing this, you can befriend NPC’s which can help you along the way, and change the events in the game a little bit. There are more side quests, and more goodies added after finishing the game, giving it a higher replay value than the original. While many people say this game is longer, I found it to be only marginally so; taking about 12 hours to beat the first time, with no cheating and plenty of wandering around.

I found this game to be moderately easier than the first one. Perhaps some of this is the added practice. Fortunately, this game lacks a frustratingly insane puzzle like the infamous water puzzle from the first game.

And most importantly, Jubei is just as cool as Samanosuke, which I thought it would be very hard to accomplish in the sequel. And if you are Onimusha I nostalgic, you will get a chance to re-visit some of the original game’s locations.

Plotwise, there is little of a plot. You have a very simple objective, but what happens in between is a chaotic mess. It reminded me a lot of Devil May Cry; a thrill ride without much substance. The plot holes can make you wander aimlessly having no clue what to do next or what is going on. While the first game was no literary masterpiece either, at least it had more of a senseful and epic plot. And to make it worse, the game incorporates some futuristic elements that are out of place and ruin the Japanese medieval feel from the first game. At some point I felt that I was watching the movie “Flash Gordon”.

But despite the shortcomings, this game is great and enjoyable. It is a sequel after all, and sequels are usually not as good as the original ones.

One last word of advice: remember to stay put through the credits after finishing the game!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/10/02, Updated 09/10/02