Onimusha: Warlords

"At first glance it doesn't seem like REhash"

Intro

Background: Resident Evil 1, 2, 3, and a spinoff or two are released on the PS1 console. While they're good games there was nothing truly innovative about them. Capcom then pulls the ol' bait-n-switch routine by basically giving PS2 gamers the finger by deciding to make RE4 Cube-exclusive. No big deal for me since I have a Cube BUT what if I were one of the many people who loved the RE series on the PS1 and bought a PS2 in hopes that the tradition continued? Rewind a little bit to where Capcom releases Onimusha -- a RE clone that incorporates hack-n-slash mechanics into a RE-type of setting. What you have is Nightmare Creatures meets Resident Evil. So why am I pissed? Because they took a true RE sequel from PlayStation fans and give us this sub-par clone. The following paragraphs will detail why I feel as such. But first the story...

The game's setting is in that oh-so-popular feudal Japan period. You play the role as the hero Samanosuke (sah-men-nose-kay). Prior to the beginning of the game your character (hereby referred to as Sam') sets out on a journey to see the world. When you return to your home as a young man you find everything in ruins and chaos manifesting throughout. The culprit, as you learn it, is Nobunaga; who has magical powers. His minions stand in your way but you can't let them for long. Conquer Nobunaga and take back your village. Yay!

Gameplay

The game's roots are with Resident Evil as stated before. There is fixed camera angles because everything is pre-rendered. One very big problem is that some of these angles are just for eye candy and are downright bad. Things wouldn't be this bad if they didn't decide to use such poor angles in areas where it's crucial to have a good one. For example, one boss attacks from the sky and can come from off-screen to attack you. The developers thought it would be a good idea to break one little arena up into 3 or 4 different angles that completely suck. Back into one side and you won't be able to see the boss; go into the center where the view is good and the boss’ minions attack you. This could have been avoided by giving one overhead angle that overlooks all of the action. But no.

The ability to level up is a nice touch to the survival horror genre. It's very basic but it certainly adds some spunk to a genre that is considered mindless at times. Sam' has the ability to upgrade blades to hit harder and they even change in appearance. The weapons include 3 blades, a matchlock (gun), and a bow. The blades will be the most used in the game since there is no ammo usage.

Absorbing souls is how you gain health and level up. This feature seems to been ripped from the Legacy of Kain games. I can't be sure, but it probably was since I've never heard of or seen this feature in any game until Soul Reaver for the PS1. Nonetheless it's implemented well

The puzzles are very bland and the main reason why I think this game was made by a group of uninspired people. They're usually easy to solve and even feel liked stuff that the RE designers threw in the trash because they didn't want to use them.

Controlling Sam' (and at one point another character) is fairly easy. But the fact that the camera angles are often low, coupled with the fact that your character can't be stopped at any point in a combo is aggravating to say the least. The lock-on feature is helpful but it sometimes leaves you open for attack since your character moves so slowly when dashing and sidestepping. I don't mind genuinely difficult games, but the game is bogged down by poor camera angles that I can't get over it.

To top things off the gameplay is just not appealing to me at all. Maybe I'm over the whole pre-rendered crap (I loved the RE games) but this game just isn't that fun. The area you are in is very limited like the RE games but it's a place I cannot relate to at all. You're mostly inside and when you are outside it's dark. With this the game isn't even scary. It's survival horror without the horror. Don't get me wrong, not all of these games have to make you jump but damn, at least change the environments once in a while so I don't get bored with the game.

Graphics

When I saw the previews of this game I had high hopes. They looked great from the screenshots. I was hoping that it was 3D graphics but I DID know that there was a chance that they weren't. And they weren't. But fear not, the graphics get the job done even though the camera angles do not suffice from a gameplay standpoint.

The enemies, for the most part, look pretty cool. Albeit there isn't a huge variety of enemies but they look great none the less. Weapons are well done, too. I particularly like the small touches of detail you see on them. Particularly when you upgrade a weapon you will notice new little details on it, a representation of its new power.

Cut-scenes and FMVs are very nice for the most part.

Even still, in the end I was disappointed with the graphics. I couldn't help but thinking that this game was probably thrown together in under a year, especially seeing how the second game in the series was rushed out so quickly. They’re just disappointing when you consider that this is a PS2 game.

Audio

Voice acting in Onimusha is decent for a game of Japanese origin. The actors doing the English dubs sound Japanese judging from their accents, so ultimately the game feels authentic in this aspect. Music on the other hand gets annoying after a while because every time you move to a new area whatever track is playing starts over again. And there's no variety in the music at all. There may be a few different tracks, but if there is I missed it. Enemy and character grunts & groans can be heard in battle.

Onimusha's audio can be summed up with one word: expected.

Closing

This game is extremely short when compared to most action/adventure games. But since Capcom has practically MADE the survival horror genre they get the set the rules -- you won't be seeing 10+ hours of gameplay here. No, instead you'll get 4 to 7 hours out of this game the first time through depending on the pace you take. Like the RE games you are ranked so getting the best rank is always a challenge that might make you play it again. Also there is a few hidden items that you can obtain by doing special things. In this respect it does make the game lastable. Since it's not very appealing, however, I doubt most will aim for this unless you're a perfectionist or gore nut.

At the end of it all I was let down by this game. I was expecting an awesome story due to the game's settings, exaggerated bosses, and redefined gameplay. What I got was rehash OF REHASH (get it?). Anyway, I cannot recommend this game to everyone. If you're thinking that the Japanese setting will provide you will a cool experience mentally, think again. But if you're absolutely craving survival horror then maybe it's worth $20 and under. Otherwise steer clear and wait for something better to come along... something besides the Onimusha games.

Scores:
__Graphics - 7/10
__Gameplay - 5/10
__Sound - 6/10
__Overall - 5/10

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 12/28/03