Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams

"Onimusha's Excellence Endures"

In the very first Onimusha game, lone samurai Samanosuke Akechi meets a man called Toukichiro Kinoshita. At this point, the game pauses, zooms up onto his face, and a narrator speaks, "One day, this man will conquer the world under the name Hideyoshi Toyotomi". So no one should be surprised that he is the main villain of Onimusha Dawn of Dreams. DoD is a brand new chapter in the Onimusha legacy, having finally defeated Nobunaga once and for all. It features brand new characters, a revamped battle system and graphics even more gorgeous than before. Capcom has always handled Onimusha with a delicate sort of care, and as always, the series makes strides forwards while taking no steps backwards. It is uncompromising of what the series has become over the year, and really fleshes out the action aspect that even Onimusha 3 never really touched.

Soon after the defeat of Nobunaga Oda at Honnoji Temple by an Onimusha, Hideyoshi swiftly moves into power, ruthlessly crushing all those who stand in his way. Japan is united under a banner of peace, ushering in an age free of warfare. Indeed, the face of Japan is changing. Suddenly, a bright star appears in the sky, and Hideyoshi appears to be possessed. Volcanoes erupt, earthquakes destroy cities, and from all this chaos, the Genma appear once more. It is clear that this is Hideyoshi's doing, he was never settled with having nothing but absolute power. Appearing from the wreck is Soki, Oni of the Ash. He is the Black Oni that Tenkai, a mysterious monk seeks in order to put an end to Hideyoshi's blind ambition. On his journey to defeat him, Soki will meet up with several interesting companions, all playable, and all with an unquenchable thirst for revenge. With all the heroes and villains mixing it up in this game, it makes it one of the best casts in a game in this entire generation. Been waiting to sink your sword into Hideyoshi since 2001? Well my friends, here's your chance.

Just like Devil May Cry, Onimusha is making great strides away from the old Resident Evil format. There's nothing in DoD that will even remind you of RE, aside from the fact that holding R1 brings your character to a ready stance. There are no prerendered backgrounds, fixed camera position are fairly rare, and all other times the camera can be fully rotated to give the player the optimal view of any situation. The controls remain largely the same, but the mechanics do not. Press L1 to block, X to Absorb souls, Box to Attack, Circle to Kick and Triangle to use the magic attack. When you enter the ready stance, you lock onto the nearest enemy, and you can cycle between targets using the left analog stick. When locked onto an enemy, a target reticule appears, and it even shows a very helpful lifebar. So you've got a brute lined up and he's begging to have his head cut off. There are a variety of options on how to do this. You can wait for him to attack, and then counter with the same critical system found in the previous games. You can knock him up into the air, ala DMC, and slash at them while they're completely helpless. Nail them with a magic attack, and watch the ensuing chaos take out several of his friends along too. There are a lot of combos available in this game, much more than in any previous entry. Adding to the depth is the second character that tags along with you, and can be switched to fight with.

If you're fighting as Soki, the other characters will serve as backup. You can order them to rest and wait, follow you and attack, or send them on an all out attack. You can also order them to do their specific abilities. Tenkai, for instance, prays, and powers up Soki's sword. Ohatsu will provide cover fire with her musket. Young Jubei Yagyu (not the same one), can provide a distraction with her nimble moves, and Roberto will crush everything in his path if you set him to berserk. It's a nice compliment, can really alleviate a desperate situation. Playing as the secondary characters is very fun as well, since none of the characters feel the same, in fact, they're all remarkably different. Tenkai fights with a staff, and his movements are very fluid and graceful. Jubei fights from the quickdraw, so her movements are very fast and can be hard for enemies to block. Roberto is a tank, so he can't dodge, but rather he sways from right to left like a boxer when evading attacks. Ohatsu has a musket, which makes her one of the easiest characters in the game to use, since she can attack from a long distance.

Unlike the previous Onimusha games, boss battles are no longer separated by long stages of fighting. Bosses can be found at any point in DoD, sometimes you'll have to fight a few in a row before moving on. This can hurt pacing at times, but it doesn't happen enough to detract from the overall value of the game. The bosses do have patterns that must be memorized in order to win. For the most part, this just extends the fight longer than it needs to be. It takes away the pure skill and instinct that Onimusha 3 used and replaces it with patterned fighting. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but boss fights do become predictable and less challenging, especially since you'll be fighting the same boss several times before the game is over. After most stages, which are told in chapters, you'll be transported back to your hideout. Once here, there are all sorts of things you can do. First of all, you'll probably want to buff up your weapons and armor. This is done by absorbing souls, as per every Onimusha game. Unlike previous games, there is a massive assortment of weapons, so you can pick whichever one caters to your personal style. Personally, I prefer the swords that are lightning quick, and can destroy enemies in seconds. Other players might like the big, lumbering broadswords that will crush anything in your way. Each weapon comes with it's own statistics, again going with your style. Some weapons upgrade your magic, your health, attack power or critical power. It all depends on how you want to play the game. Since the game revolves around having your characters at proper levels, Capcom has included the option to revisit levels once you have already passed them. You can fight enemies to earn souls, or take secondary characters through places you couldn't get to without them earlier. It's a nice way to extend game life, and to ensure that the player never has an excuse for falling behind in levels. There is also a shop, where you can buy weapons, apparel to be equipped for stat boosts, and any type of medicine. You can get some nice weapons in the shop, but the really good ones are found throughout the game.

As you would expect from an Onimusha game, the graphics are gorgeous, and the CG is nearly unbelievable. The game begins with a moonlit duel atop a castle, and quickly makes way for the new star, Soki, as he slashes his way through a horde of genma. The game is peppered with CG movies here and there, each more spectacular than the one that came before it. Each of the characters are finely detailed, from Soki's shiny blue armor to Roberto's ruffled collar or the way Jubei always has her hand on the hilt of her sword. You'll recognize a lot of the enemies from previous games, but there are a few ones here that try to strike fear into you. The monsters are grotesque as always, and slashing them up will result in magnificent flashes and explosion all over the screen. This game is definitely a looker. The environments, despite having full 3D rotation, are just as detailed as any game. Most of them are larger than any previous Onimusha game, so it makes for some interesting battles. Of course, there are several fixed camera locations, making for some dynamic camera shots as you would expect from this series. My favorite environment would have to be the interior of a destroyed castle. It had a very cool vibe, and had that original Onimusha feel to it.

As the game-play evolves, so does the music. Most of the music is what would expect from Onimusha, a solitary flute or thunderous drumbeat to accompany a triumphant moment. Other times, it can feel like a rock and roll / techno hybrid with a Japanese twang. I understand that the faster action calls for faster music, but I didn't generally enjoy this shift. If you've never played an Onimusha game, then you may not notice, but if you have, you might be scratching your head during the first few minutes. The voices are quite good, and may just be the best cast of voices in the series, with the exception of Jean Reno of course. The game sounds like Onimusha mixed in with a little Dynasty Warriors. Swords slashing, people screaming in agony, and the heroes yelling out ferocious war cries with each devastating attack. Without a doubt, the sound effects do get the adrenaline flowing.

And so, as all games must, Onimusha has evolved, it has been reborn as a quick action game, like so many Capcom franchises seem to be doing. However, Onimusha Dawn of Dreams only extends Capcom's stellar track record this generation, especially lately. Devil May Cry 3, Resident Evil 4, and now Onimusha DoD. Not only does this game enhance PS2's later games, but it continues the tradition of excellence in Onimusha games. The series hasn't taken a single step backwards, or become stagnant, something that not many series can say. It may be a young series, but with innovation like this, I only see good things coming for it. Onimusha DoD has all you want: lots of characters to play with, tons of weapons, huge side-quests into the Dark Realm, and two discs of game-play. That's right, two discs and about 20-25 hours on your first playthrough. Believe me when I say this, you'll definitely be back for more.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/24/06