Onimusha 3: Demon Siege

"Best of both worlds"

Present day France meets feudal Japan. In a mishmash of worlds, a time of technological advances to a time of samurais, as these two worlds collide, it is time to be prepared for an adventure of epic proportions. It was a peaceful day in Paris when all of a sudden unworldly creatures came swooping down on the populace. Blood was spilled and people were slaughtered. The scene quickly shifts to feudal Japan, where Samanosuke leads a group of samurais into battle against the walking dead. Back to present day France, Jacques Blanc has an automatic rifle locked and loaded. He puts up a valiant fight before he is transported back to the past and into feudal Japan. In the best of both worlds, a samurai warrior tries to coexist with the French and a police officer tries to cope with the primitive past.

A mishmash of worlds

People say your first time is the best. Well this is the first time I have played an Onimusha game and while I am not easily impressed, I must say this game was a pleasant surprise. Like most games, Onimusha 3 is not without its flaws, but the good far outweigh the bad. The game may not have the deepest combat system, the game's recycling image of the ancient samurai may have been done to death, it may not be the most visually alluring game, and there probably isn't anything here that will blow your mind away, but in the end, Onimusha 3 does pleasantly well in everything. It may not offer a masterful experience, but what it does offer is a genuine and fun experience. While every category isn't what you would call exemplary, the game's solid fundamentals in each area, provides a good foundation for a highly recommendable game.

First and foremost, the game's storyline is one of the attractive things about Onimusha 3. Personally, I felt the game's storyline did a great job of immersing the player into the game's fictitious world and provided a good way to ease the tension from the action filled adventure. I really liked how Capcom utilized the concept of time travel. I found it rather interesting on the protagonist role switch. However, it would have been nice if the developer went into more detail about the characters reaction. One character is zapped back in time and the other is brought into a technological filled world. If I was in such a position, I would be in a bit of a shell shock, but the characters in the story seemed nonchalant about it. I know, this is an action title, where the story isn't necessary the primary thing a gamer is concerned with. However, it is still something that could of enhanced the experience and provided a more believable experience.

Onimusha 3 utilizes a simple combo system. While the combat system does not set any precedents, the core mechanics are solid. Samanosuke and Jaques can both perform a string of combos by pressing a single button. One can end a string of combos by using the magic attack, which finishes the enemy in a devastating way. Onimusha's battle system may not be extraordinary, but the strategy involved will keep one on the edge of one's toes. Enemies will come at you in the masses and you will find yourself block numerous times. Onimusha is more of a strategic kind of action title, rather than those that requires you to pull together different combos to be successful. The fact is, one will spent the better part of the game trying to block and waiting for an opening. So many enemies come at you at once that sometimes if you are hit, it opens the floodgates to massive damage by numerous enemies. It is critical that you wait for an enemy to make a mistake before you commit yourself to the offensive. Another key aspect to the fighting engine is the magic attack, which renders you practically invincible for the short amount of time that you are performing that attack. Conserve your magic attacks until a critical juncture because you don't want to zap up your magic bar to quickly.

Perhaps the best thing about Onimusha 3 is the ability to play the game from a viewpoint of two characters. The player can experience two different characters with completely different skills. Samanosuke is a sword wielder and Jacques can wield a weapon that acts as a powerful whip. As you can imagine, the differences of these two weapons, offers a unique experience for each character. Occasionally, these two characters will have to work together in order to advance in the game. While, the two are separated by centuries of history, the two characters are connected through a fairy like creature named Ako.

The bad…

There are certain instances during the gameplay that the camera will affect the game. There are many occasions where the camera is set at a certain angle where the player cannot see the enemies. For example, when the player is running up a certain path or stairs, the camera will show the character's front body, which blinds the player from any oncoming enemies until the enemies are close. The game also lacks a rotating camera, which would have been a plausible solution to this problem. Although, most cameras in action titles are far from satisfactory, the fact is, there is no excuse to not have a controllable camera, unless the game can follow the character's movement with fluidity. Now, the camera in Onimusha 3 is acceptable and for the most part it is set at a good position, but like the before mentioned areas, the game can have frequent camera problems. Another area that could have been better is certainly the combo system. While the game is strategic to some degree, I wished the game would allow more creativity in the combos. There were simply not enough combos. While the action genre is known for its hard nose and relentless battles, the simplicity of its puzzles leave the game rather stale. A good puzzle can always ease the tension from a long battle. However, the puzzles in Onimusha 3 are hardly good. In many instances the puzzles are simple find the right object to advance.

There will also be a small instance when you control Michelle, who is Blanc's girlfriend. She is part of the French army and is introduced at the beginning. She uses modern warfare to combat these monsters. The thing about this game is the mechanics are based for close combat. For Michelle to use a range weapon in this type of game is just asking for trouble. Controlling her was not only unnecessary, but a hassle and a pain to experience. The weapon controls were sluggish and the aiming was horrid. In fact you just press a button and randomly hit enemies. In fact, there are times when Michelle will shoot at enemies who aren't necessarily the closest and most dangerous enemy at that time.

Through a beautifully crafted environment, the developers were able to craft a believable world. The game is filled with vibrant colors that bring out the game's atmosphere. The game runs exceptionally well considering all the action that is going on. Graphically speaking, the biggest downfall would be the character models. While, the models aren't necessarily bad, the characters seem to lack polish. Instead of using mostly FMVs, the cut scenes for the most part are running on the game's engine. The few FMVs that the game does have looks incredible, but it is few and far between. While it looks good, the cut scenes certainly didn't “wow” me, like other games have.

The music behind the game sets the tone. The different tracks throughout the game were played at the right moments. When the situation became more intense, one can hear the music become more dramatic. The same can be said about the atmosphere it is able to portray. For example, in one of the temples, it was dark and a bit eerie, and the melody was able to emphasize this situation. The voice acting was also done extremely well. However, any scenes from Jacques Blanc's son, Henri, are practically unbearable. He is the type of child that people just finds annoying. Aside from the bratty Henri and the high-pitched Ako, the rest of the cast portrayed their characters extremely well.

On average, Onimusha 3 should take anywhere between 10-15 hours. The game is the ideal length for an action title. There is plenty of action in this game and the storyline itself is so well crafted that the player should thoroughly enjoy him or herself. While the game itself isn't exemplary, the content that it does offer is good enough for you to invest the time and effort into finishing it. As an action title, it is one of the better ones on the PS2 and with its length, this game should more than satisfy any craving fan of a good action title.

Good, Solid Action Title

As a whole, Onimusha 3 is definitely a game that will keep you occupied for a good ten plus hours. There are noticeable flaws and at times, some of the content can be rather shaky, but overall, Onimusha 3 is a good game that features solid mechanics. The storyline is rather interesting and for the most part the combat holds up quite well. There will be a few moments where you will put the game down due to some of the game's issue, but ultimately this game is too good to not finish. Onimusha 3 is a good action title that should make PS2 fans happy. If you are a PS2 owner and want a good, solid action title, then look no further. However, if you are not a big fan of the genre or the series, then I would recommend renting.

Final Score: 8

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/03/05