Onimusha: Warlords

"Ninjas vs. Demons, Round One"

Ninja survival horror?

Samurai Resident Evil?

WHAT YOU SAY!!!

Yes, ever since Capcom released Onimusha back in 2001, people have been comparing it another Capcom game, Resident Evil. Sure, there are some similarities between the two, but not enough to deem the game ''RESIDENT ONIMUSHA''.

For one, Onimusha is not a survival horror game. It's an action/adventure game with a story that is set in a fantasy ''feudal Japan'' setting. You are Samanosuke, a skilled swordsman. At times in the game you also play as Kaede, Samanosuke's female ninja companion. Basically, the game's story boils down to you on a mission to save the princess. Apparently she has been kidnapped by some evil demon warriors and it is up to you to rescue her before she becomes a human sacrifice. The story is cliched and not told very well, but you won't be playing Onimusha for the story.

Nosiree, you'll be playing Onimusha because it's FUN.

Yeah, fun, something a lot of games fail to be nowadays. You see, unlike Resident Evil, Onimusha's enemies aren't slow, dim-witted zombies. You'll go up against some incredibly fast and jumpy ninjas, extremely powerful samurais, and some massive, disgusting beasts, to name a few. These bastards are FUN to kill, and the battles are always entertaining.

Since the game is set back in feudal Japan, Onimusha lacks modern weaponry. Samanosuke's main weapon is his sword. To put it bluntly, his sword(s) are very cool. There are three swords total, each with its own characteristics. What's really neat is that the swords can actually be leveled up. Samanosuke himself can't be leveled up, but the swords can. This works because the swords have different orbs.

ORBS YOU SAY!!! WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE?

What sets Onimusha apart from other games of such nature is its unique orbs/souls system. Y'see, our good buddy Samanosuke has this nifty little gadget attached to his arm called a gauntlet. The gauntlet is used to steal an enemy's soul when it is defeated. The souls can then be used to raise some of Sam's (I think I'm done typing out that name) attributes. His health, magic level, and orbs can all be increased via souls.

HUH? MAGIC? IS THIS A ****IN' RPG???

Magic is used to pull off special sword attacks. Each sword has its own special attack. It is very important to level up your swords so your specials can become more powerful. Plus they just look cool.

While the game's orbs and souls and such may sound complicated in writing, the system is actually ridiculously easy to learn once you begin playing. It's simple, yet amusing, stuff, yo (whooooo look at all the pretty commas).

Okay, here's the kicker when it comes to playing Onimusha:

It uses Resident Evil style controls.

Yikes.

While I've never been a big fan of such controls, they do seem to work pretty well in the RE games. However, Onimusha is another story. Since the game is faster paced than RE, the controls tend not to work as nice. Add in the fact that you can only move using the D-Pad and you have a potential mess. I'll give Capcom credit for experimenting with their controls in another type of game, but it just didn't turn out too great. The controls become a pest in particular when you are trying to avoid an enemy. You will more often than not go in the opposite direction than intended, or you will become stuck on the enemy and get slaughtered. It's a nuisance.

The game's static camera angles aren't of any help either. The camera system is the exact same as Resident Evil. The camera is stuck in a stationary position and it's up to you to make the best use of it. While for the most part I don't mind this system, but it is terrible when you are in the middle of an intense battle. Some of the camera angles are just awful. The very first boss of the game was a lot harder than it should have been, simply because of the lousy camera settings. Resident Evil's control and camera systems just don't work too well in Onimusha.

A smaller problem I had with Onimusha was its length. Quite simply, you should be able to finish the game on your first time through in less than five hours. If you are devoted enough, you could beat the game and unlock everything it has to offer in one or two days. The lack of replay value is a bit disappointing, but Onimusha is still fun enough that it is worth having in some vicinity.

Visually, I was very impressed with Onimusha. From the opening cinematic cutscene, I knew I was in for a treat. One of the very first areas in the game shows off some cool graphic animation when birds fly away from dead bodies as you walk near them. Later on, bats fly out of a cave as you walk through it. It's beautiful. That's not to mention the smoothness of the character models. No polygonal clipping here. The pre-rendered backgrounds, while not as cool as true 3D, are still incredibly detailed and look great. It's amazing to think that Onimusha still looks so good even after these years.

The game's audio is also great. The music, for the most part, is very low-key and quiet. However, during boss fights the tempo increases and makes you wanna KICK SOME ASS YEAH! Excellence. While I know I wasn't supposed to be, I was amused during the game's various cutscenes. The English voice acting is so terrible, it's funny! Nothing like some good ol' Japlish dialogue spoken in a B-movie rate style of speech. If the unintended hilarity isn't your thing, you can always turn the original Japanese voice acting on. Round and round, it's good stuff.

And that just about does it for Onimusha. While the game's problems are nuisances, I still heartedly enjoyed my time with the game. It only cost me $9.99, so I can safely say that it was worth my money. If 3D adventure games are your thing and you don't mind the Resident Evil influences, give Onimusha a try. Just don't expect a longlasting experience.

8-

Best Feature - NINJAS WHOO
Worst Feature - Controls/camera.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/19/03