Onimusha 3: Demon Siege

"Demon-chopping action at its finest."

Onimusha 3: Demon Siege is the third installment of Capcom's oriental mythology based action game. The Onimusha series started with the polished game Onimusha: Warlords, then moved the legacy ahead with Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny. And now Onimusha 3 comes to (supposedly) end the series with an outstanding finale for the so-acclaimed action franchise. But can Onimusha 3 live up to it's predecessors' quality?

Gameplay: 9/10

Onimusha 3 is a fast-paced action game packed up with neat gameplay elements that should keep you entertained from beginning to end. You play in third person view, and control either Samanosuke Akechi, the noble Oni Warrior, or Jacques Blanc, a not-so-ordinary French policeman.

As soon as you actually take control over your character in the beginning of the game, if you ever played any of the previous PS2 installments of Onimusha, you'll notice a huge difference in the control aspect: The Resident Evil style tank controls are gone! This apparently small detail adds an immense ease in controlling your character around, also making the gameplay and the overall experience much more natural. Of course, for the nostalgic followers of the series (Or for the players used to the "old" scheme) there is how to use the "tank" controls again.

Onimusha 3: Demon Siege shines among the majority of current action titles for the PS2 in the gameplay department. It's so fun just to slash around that fighting the enemies never gets old (Even if it's the same ones over and over) and there should be plenty of motivation for you to collect souls and enhance your Weapons and equipments throughout the game. The Battle system might seem simple at first, but it's absurdly intuitive and deeper than you'd think. Techniques like the "Issen" (Critical) and the Ten-Point-Slash are quite difficult to master, but provide an immense satisfaction once you get to successfully understand and perform them consistently.

And this game doesn't provide just a hack-n'-slash gorefest. Aside from the depth and polish the battle system depicts, there's quite a room for Puzzles and some other mind-bending activities. You'll freak out trying to solve that Damn Genma Puzzle Space.

I think my only rants about Onimusha 3's gameplay aspect concern the auto-aiming system (Seemed inaccurate sometimes, locking up at enemies in the far end of a room while a horde of smaller enemies were beating me up in close range.) and the few times when an AI controlled NPC or a partner would block your way, mainly in small corridors.

Graphics: 8/10

This game beautiful full-3D polygonal environments (Both previous games had pre-rendered environments) that are constantly being adorned with great chopped up enemy models. The game has very constant frame-rate, and some impressive lighting effects (Some weapons like the "Tenso" have some truly stunning visual effects on it's magic attacks) coupled with good to great character models. Even so, this game looks a little "uglier" when compared to the previous two Onimusha games, and the color set isn't very adequate in some cases. I might be just being nit-picky, but the lack of those awesome CG cutscenes really turned me off. After the unbelievable opening cutscene, (A piece of animation yet to be rivaled by any game or movie) I was left there, wanting more.

Sound: 7/10

Demon Siege's music is not bad, but nothing wonderful. It's moody and suits well the game's genre and setting, but that's all. The sound effects are great though, i loved how all the attacks sounded very fierce, strong and convincing.

Replay: 9/10

This game's triumph is certainly it's replayability. There are many difficulties modes for you to unlock, an extended ending, plenty of (actually very fun) minigames, new weapons and even extra costumes that can be used on your next playthrough. Sum all that with the different ranks you can get at the ending of the game and with the great, addictive gameplay and you have a fantastic replay factor, that will keep even the most dedicated players busy for days.

Overall: 8/10

Onimusha 3: Demon Siege is a fun, complete action game. If you have a PS2, it's definitely a highly recommended addition to your collection. It's simple enough for the casual gamer to pick up and play without worries, but also shows great depth and room for skill improvement for the dedicated gamer to enjoy.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/22/05